5 Winter Weather Tips for Your Funeral Home

10 Ways Funeral Directors Can Make the Most of 2021

To thrive in 2021 and make the most of virtual funeral planning, we’ve come up with a few tips.

In 2021, we’ll need to continue to embrace technology and other resources to create meaningful virtual funeral experiences. We know that it can all be a little overwhelming, so we’re here to help.

We’ve come up with a few simple tips for funeral directors, so your funeral home can use these ideas to have another successful year.

01 — CREATE REALISTIC GOALS FOR THE YEAR

Funerals at the beginning of the year may look very different than funerals at the end of the year, but that’s okay. No one knows what the future holds, so all we can do is embrace the current situation and know that better days are coming soon.

So when creating your goals, keep in mind that you may not have as much extra time and energy as you’d like, and that’s perfectly okay. It may help to create a main goal and smaller goals that work up to it. And it doesn't have to be a huge goal. It can be as simple as creating more free downloadable resources for families or attending more virtual conferences for continuing education.

02 — USE YOUR TIME WISELY

Make sure what you spend your time on is what’s most valuable. Ask yourself, is this an appropriate amount of time for this task? Does this need to be done now or can it wait? Is this something that I need to do, or can it be delegated to someone else to save myself time?

Our marketing team created time buckets to answer those questions. For this project, each person listed their tasks, how much time they take, and how they track the success of the tasks. Of course, the timeline for tasks can vary, so that’s where the time buckets come in. You can create time buckets for different time ranges, such as Bucket 1 = 0-1 hours, Bucket 2 = 2-3 hours, and so on and assign the appropriate bucket to your tasks. Doing this helped our team better understand where our time is being spent and what changes could be made.

03 — STAY ORGANIZED

This is another important one, because you can’t be as productive if you’re not organized. By taking the time to organize your thoughts and files now, you will save time later. Having to search for a form or sift through your notes to find something will only make you stressed and less productive. Afterall, you only have one shot at creating a meaningful funeral for a family’s loved one. So, making sure that you’re organized to do it right should be a top priority.

04 — BRAINSTORM CREATIVE IDEAS

Schedule a creative brainstorm for your staff to share any and all ideas that come to their mind. From ideas for being more efficient in your dayto-day process to creating more personalized funeral experiences, you can explore all the options. Our marketing team does this, and it’s a great way to bounce ideas off each other. Everyone brings a different perspective, so together, a lot of great ideas are born.

05 — EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY

This is a big one that applies to 2021 and beyond. When embraced, technology can make things easier for everyone, from funeral directors to the families you serve. For example, with a funeral home website, families can begin the funeral planning process online from the comfort of their home and can even pay the funeral expenses directly on your website. This saves everyone much needed time.

06 — SECURE YOUR DEVICES

Give yourself and your families peace of mind in the new year by securing your devices and accounts. Install anti-virus software on your devices, including personal ones if your employees are working from their homes. Create unique passwords for all your accounts and use multi-factor authentication whenever it’s an option. These are just a few ways that you can follow cybersecurity best practices.

07 — SHOW YOUR STAFF HOW MUCH YOU APPRECIATE THEM

By showing your staff that you appreciate them, they’ll perform better and be more motivated. It also can help boost their confidence, happiness, and bring the team together to support one another. To show your appreciation, you can treat them to something special like a massage gift card or simply tell them that they’ve been doing a great job.

08 — BE A RESOURCE FOR YOUR FAMILIES

By being a resource for your families, you can help them feel at ease and more educated about grief, funeral planning, and memorialization. Your website and social media pages are the perfect places for these resources, such as downloadable guides, blog posts, and more. With these resources, you show that you’re not just a business; you’re passionate people who care about helping families cope with their losses.

09 — PRACTICE SELF-CARE

Self-care is the most important thing that you can do for yourself in 2021 above anything else. No one is as selfless as a funeral director, but to best serve your families, your well-being needs to come first. Try practicing at least one