EPISODE 12

Should Funeral Homes Use Texting to Communicate with Families?

Do you text with the families you are serving today? Do you have a way price shoppers can text a question? Are you following up with families after the service is over with text messaging?

Texting families may initially seem impersonal given the nature of death care, but funeral homes that are doing it are sharing how much families appreciate it and how it elevates the level of the service they provide.

On this episode, Ellery and Welton are joined by Craig Meehan from ASD and discuss the following.

1. Examples of how texting is benefiting families and funeral homes
2. How to use texting to win more price shopper calls
3. Ideas on using group texting to provide updates to families

Show Notes & Resources

• Introduction of special guest Craig Meehan from Answering Service for Directors [ASD] (1:13)
• As a general practice, should a funeral home use texting to communicate with families, and why? (2:23)
• Discussion of ZDNet survey about whether consumers want businesses [of all types] to text them (7:45)
• Discussion of a survey Ellery conducted two years ago regarding how funeral directors feel about texting, with comments from FDs (10:00)
• Craig explains ASD's perspectives and practices on texting (19:15)
• Fun anecdote: Ellery recently bought a brand-new car entirely through text messages (22:45)
• Ellery lists reasons he believes texting isn't necessarily considered impersonal today (23:42)
• Using texting to generate at-needs (26:52)
• Using texting to promote preneed sales (32:14)
• Using texting as another way to serve families you're currently helping (36:14)
• Craig notes how using texting to serve families has the ancillary benefit of indirectly promoting your services to other family members (39:27)
• Using texting specifically for aftercare (43:40)
• How texting adds value while also displaying empathy (46:00)