Is Family Self-Service the Future of Funeral Tributes?
Ten years ago, who would have imagined supermarkets shoppers operating registers and bagging their own groceries, restaurant diners ordering and paying from tabletop kiosks, or websites where customer service issues are resolved by chatbots? Chances are you’ve taken advantage of these self-service capabilities — and enjoyed the benefits of each.
Self-service options are in demand and here to stay; in fact, up to 81% of consumers across all demographics now prefer to handle tasks on their own instead of interacting with a real person — even when it comes to deathcare. While this profession still requires a team of real-life professionals for certain responsibilities, you can now complement that hands-on care with the convenience of self-service memorial creation from Eulogize.
Self-service… simplified
Eulogize is an all-in-one, easy-to-use memorial and tribute platform that helps funeral homes exceed today’s family’s self-service expectations — with some unexpected benefits.
Your conversation about Eulogize memorials and tributes can begin anywhere — in person in the arrangement room or remotely via a branded online form on your website. Here you can share all the amazing products — from video tributes to premium printed keepsakes — and all of the available production options: a fully-DIY approach, in-house creation by your team with family editing options, or a collaborative combination of the two.
Based on the family’s preferences or your business model, you’ll simply set up their level of access to the Eulogize platform. For example, some families may just want the ability to upload photos, while others might want full editing privileges. Either way, your team can maintain unlimited online oversight, allowing you to check on progress or offer a helping hand when needed.
The what ifs…
Ten years ago the thought of leaving tribute creation entirely in the hands of family members would have terrified most funeral professionals; it is still a concern to many in the present day. Everyone has heard of, if not witnessed, awkward mistakes that occurred from families creating their own tributes for a service: videos that wouldn’t play, critical spelling mistakes or just really bad designs. And no matter who created them, it is never a good look for the professionals putting on the service.
So it is with good reason that many funeral directors have never previously entertained allowing family self-service as a tribute solution. However, most of these concerns can be reduced to a five key fears, but with Eulogize self-service you never have to worry about these again:
Fear one: The family might forget to bring the tributes to the service.
Solution: You can access and download their files from anywhere, even if they created them.
Fear two: The family might get the key details wrong, from spelling the name to dates of life.
Solution: All the key details can pre-fill from your case management platform, plus you can always check.
Fear three: The video file might not play on our machine or speakers.
Solution: All Eulogize videos export as an MP4 which will play anywhere, plus you can always pre-check with a test download.
Fear four: The family might create a really unprofessional-looking tribute, which would make the service look bad.
Solution: Eulogize is loaded with beautiful pre-designed templates that the family just need to edit, they can even add custom themes for each funeral home. Plus, with remote access at all times, you can always lend a helping hand for those who make a few interesting choices.
Fear five: My families would not have the technical skills to be able to create a tribute online.
Solution: Eulogize was originally a direct-to-consumer product and has always been built to enable those with no prior experience to create something with ease, with their simple templates and interactive guides.
While-24 hour live support is always available, you will be (pleasantly) surprised how few families actually reach out for help with the Eulogize tribute creation process. The straightforward platform intuitively guides users step-by-step through selecting templates, adding text, uploading images, and more.
Cathartic by design
This active participation in the creation of memorials and tributes is, of course, empowering for families, but also cathartic. Reviewing photos leads to the recollection of fond memories and the retelling of favorite stories, while extending invitations to others to add their own images or ideas encourages reminiscing and builds healing bonds. And even though families are using professionally-designed templates designed by Eulogize or added by your own firm, their creations inevitably will end up beautifully bespoke and uniquely personalized.
Unlock revenue
The benefits of offering Eulogize definitely don’t end with the families. The platform also opens up multiple avenues for additional revenue from memorial sales, post-service orders, and the time Eulogize gives back to your team.
Eulogize offers a wide range of products that complement any service, even direct cremations. A lack of in-person funeral services doesn’t have to mean families should miss out on opportunities to create memorials and tributes to their loved one. And when families and friends see the exceptional quality of Eulogize’s premium keepsake options, including video books covered in sumptuous leather, additional orders are inevitable.
Eulogize works alongside your existing CRM, obituary, and website platforms; there’s no need to make any adjustments to your existing programs. You can also take advantage of Eulogize’s API-first approach, easily integrating the platform with applicable programs to save even more time transferring case details. The Eulogize team provides personalized onboarding, tailored to your specifications. Best of all, there’s no start-up fee, and every user is assigned unique login credentials at no additional cost.
Ready to check out Eulogize? Watch the video above, check out the Eulogize website, and/or reach out to the team at 1-800-295-8923, or email info@eulogizememorials.com
