The Domani Blog

If there's one thing we've learned in 2020, it's that it's difficult to predict the future, and there will all be surprises that lie ahead. Businesses and individuals need to stay agile and adaptable to be ready for whatever life throws at them. 2020 has been a challenging year for the funeral profession and others as well. Still, we've seen that those funeral homes and funeral professionals who have focused on making their consumer experience as comforting and easy as possible are those that are winning. At Domani, we exist to help funeral homes help their families have a better experience. Through the power of text messaging, we follow up with families and give them the support and resources they need following a loss. That great experience then leads to a positive online review and helps others looking for a positive experience to find that funeral home. It's a virtuous cycle that helps grow a funeral home's at-need business. When it comes to preneed, the same principle holds. If funeral homes can provide the experience a family is looking for, that will be the funeral home that wins. During 2020, our preneed appointment setting team has found great success in scheduling remote appointments. Funeral homes that have been willing to adapt and find new ways to do business have grown even during difficult circumstances. We firmly believe that technology will help us as a funeral profession provide those better experiences for families, but simply using technology for technology's sake is not the answer. We need to leverage technology to help provide personal, engaging experiences with families. We shouldn't use technology as a crutch or an excuse. It's another way to help the ones we serve and provide them the support they need during a difficult time. As we approach the end of the year and look forward to 2020, take some time to think about how your funeral home is providing meaningful experiences for families and how/what you can do to improve that in the coming year. If you're interested in learning more about Domanicare or Domani Appoinment Setting, please schedule a demo by clicking the link below.

By far the most effective way to create a sense of loyalty to your funeral home is to perform an exceptional service for that family. However, there’s more that you can be doing to establish credibility with families. Here’s three easy steps on how to develop loyalty to your company and ensure your customers come back for your services when a loved one passes.

The vast majority of people in the US and Canada use smartphones. Almost everyone has a smartphone nowadays. Remember when the first “smartphone” came out in 1992 and cell phones like the BlackBerry and iPhone were considered luxuries when they were first created? Now it’s a common sight to see an iPhone. Most funeral homes and cemeteries haven’t even scratched the surface of text-based aftercare, but with 80% of the U.S. population owning a smartphone, and that number expected to rapidly grow.

The year 2020 has ushered in a new era of change. Masks are required, handshakes are discouraged, and hugs are forbidden. The funeral industry has long been thought of as “unchanging”, but this is far from true.

I fire up my computer, open up Google, and search the term “funeral home near me”. Which funeral home in my area shows up first?

The results may surprise you!

What happened to Blockbuster? What did Netflix do right? And how can we learn from this in the funeral industry? If you were alive in the 1980s, then you remember the beginnings of Blockbuster video. Blockbuster was born at a time when movie rental services ....

How much time does your preneed counselor spend making calls to set appointments? Often it is somewhere between 60-75% of their time. But where is their time best spent? Meeting with families. This is why funeral homes across the country are turning to appointment setting services to complement and boost their preneed efforts. Here are three signs that appointment setting would be perfect for your funeral home: 1. Your preneed counselors calendars are frequently empty Many funeral home employees only work on preneed efforts part-time while they attend to other at-need services in the funeral home. Other more pressing at-need services often push back preneed on the list of priorities. The result is an empty calendar, with appointments scattered here and there. An appointment setting service like Domani allows for calendars to be filled with a steady stream of appointments as dedicated planners make numerous calls and texts to families from multiple lead sources. 2. Calendars are full, but counselors spend the majority of their time setting appointments instead of meeting with families What if your calendar is already full of quality appointments? This likely means your counselors are spending a fair amount of time working to schedule those appointments. Unfortunately, this means less time spent meeting with families. Appointment setting services allow preneed counselors to prioritize their time and sell more preneed by meeting with more families. 3. You have a stash of untouched leads, or have only had time for one or two attempts at contact More leads are only helpful if somebody is consistently following up on each of those leads. Domani Planners use a state-of-the-art CRM system to keep track of leads and nurture each family into a quality appointment. Leads often need consistent communication over a period of months before an appointment is scheduled. An appointment setting service ensures that leads are never wasted.

Whether you want to grow your funeral home market share or simply maintain your current share, adapting to the consumer is essential. In this digital age, people are increasingly turning to websites, cell phones, and social media. Naturally, this is where funeral homes have turned as well. In order to gain or maintain market share, a variety of techniques should be used at levels and combinations best suited for your particular market. Consider the following: 1. Aftercare service How much of your current business comes from aftercare? Increasing the satisfaction of families will inevitably lead to a higher number of referrals. An effective aftercare program builds relationships with families after the service and spirals into more 5-star online reviews, more preneed leads, and more referrals. Learn more about the text-message based aftercare , Domanicare, to understand how aftercare has changed in the digital age. 2. Google Reviews The power of online reviews is no secret. Online review generation in the funeral industry is a different process from other industries because of the sensitive nature of our business. Check out review generation services to find out how to boost your online reviews through personalized text-messages to your families. Let’s look at some numbers: 93 percent of consumers say online reviews have an impact on their purchase decision. 68 percent of consumers are willing to pay up to 15% more for the same service if assured they’ll have a better experience 97 percent of consumers that read online reviews trust them as much as recommendations from friends and family Google Review generation is a vital part of growing your business. Frequent reviews should be a goal for your funeral home to maintain a good online reputation and capture calls that could otherwise be lost to competitors. 3. Search Engine Optimization What keywords do families in your market need to search in Google to find your funeral home? Are you on the first page of results? Are you at the top? Search Engine Optimization helps people searching for funeral services to be directed to your funeral home specifically. Increase your exposure by ... writing articles on your blog page, checking your copy for relevant content on each page, adding meta descriptions, and optimizing your image sizes. 4. Website Layout What is the most visited page on your website? For most funeral homes, it is probably the obituary page. How easy is it for someone to navigate to other parts of your website from the obituary page? Most people won’t spend long looking for the information they want before giving up and exiting your site. Important information such as “Contact Us”, “Directions”, “Locations”, “Pricing”, etc. should be easily found. 5. Social media Facebook is quickly becoming one of the biggest advertising channels in the world. With the ability to target your key demographic and track results of every campaign, Facebook is a sure way to reach those you’d like to serve. Companies in the funeral industry like Disrupt Media specialize in helping funeral homes capitalize on their social media advertising and lead generation.