Funeral Service Times August 2017 May 2019 | Page 26

26 TECHNOLOGY
Investing in advancements
There are so many things we are now able to do thanks to technological advances, and as
people wish to increasingly include it in the funeral process it may make perfect business
sense for funeral directors to become more aware of what is on the market
A
s our lives become more
intertwined and dependent on
technology, it’s not a surprise
that the event of death of
will have an equal amount of emphasis.
Technology has become like second nature,
so whether someone chooses to have a
funeral service which is streamed online
to loved ones across the globe, or simply
makes use of a plan comparison site, it is
hard to avoid using it when it comes to the
planning and occurrence of a funeral.
Technology has also greatly helped to
advance the sector - this can be with the
use of a website which gives clients clear
images of what certain packages will give
them to offering an online memorial page
that loved ones can go back to whenever
they please.
BEFORE THE FUNERAL
As mentioned before, technology has given
people the ability to shop around for a
funeral plan which suits them efficiently
and quickly. Those who may have been
restricted by mobility and distance,
unable to seek in depth advice and
information from funeral plan providers
can now do so at the click of a mouse.
Clients no longer feel obliged to go with
a particular company because they’ve
sat with an advisor for half an hour, they
can now browse the websites of different
companies to see which one is best for
them.
This is also beneficial to the trade; where
a company may have been restricted to
clients within their vicinity they can now
have a broader reach to more people in the
market through an attractive website and
an efficient customer service line. If your
company offers a competitive funeral plan,
clients will be able to find that out with a
simple internet search.
DURING THE FUNERAL
As people step away from tradition
and lean towards modern practices, it’s
no wonder some of the technological
advances we take advantage of on a
daily basis get incorporated into a funeral
service. Instead of FaceTime, people live
stream a service to loved ones who are
unable to attend; instead of a choir, songs
are played over a sound system; and
instead of flicking through photo albums,
mourners can enjoy an artistically edited
multimedia tribute display filled with
images, video and audio content of the
person who’s deceased.
AFTER THE FUNERAL
Just as people like to keep up with their
friends and loved ones through a screen
which feeds them minute by minute
updates, they also like to sometimes
memorialise the deceased through
technology. It may not be as widespread
of a concept yet, but with social media
companies turning people’s pages into
tributes, it’s an understandable transition
to still want to visit a particular website,
look at photos and leave messages to
and about the person who has passed.
With cremation growing in popularity, not
everyone will have regular access to an
urn meaning there is a lack of a ‘safe place’
for someone who is mourning to reflect
and remember their loved one. This is
where a tribute page can be helpful in the
grieving process. Funeral companies can
make use of this desire from the modern
client by setting up online tribute pages and
family trees - this can also help to develop
a relationship between a funeral director
and family if the family returns to use their
service in order to keep records in one
place.
There are many ways the funeral trade
can engage with technology and help it
to advance services, and as technology
develops our dependency is likely to grow.
Because of this, it will be lucrative for
firms to make themselves aware of what’s
available on the market and invest in at
least one piece of modern technology.
Obitus
The Obitus music and media management system is one of the leading AV suppliers
to the bereavement industry, currently used in over 100 venues around the country,
ranging from large crematoria to small private funeral directors’ ceremony rooms. The
easy-to-use website and friendly staff are available to help book music, webcasts or
visual tributes. The idea is to make things as easy as possible for families and funeral
arrangers.
Comprehensive training can be provided, backed up by full telephone and technical
support from the friendly and experienced Obitus team, based in Sheffield and Reading.
Contact James or Antonia at Obitus to learn more today.
Telephone: [phone] | Website: www.obitus.com/aboutus
MAY 2019
www.funeralservicetimes.co.uk