In November 2016, Kates-Boylston Publications published its Annual Casket Survey. In this survey, Thacker Caskets was ranked #1 in service amongst industry giants including Matthews-Aurora, Batesville, Astral and the Chinese Casket Companies.
In addition to Thacker’s #1 rank in service, Thacker ranked #2 with regards to Product Innovation and ranked #3 of all casket companies with regards to Product Quality.
“I remember just five years or so ago, we were not even a company that was big enough to be included in the survey. In just a few short years, we have gone from not only being included to achieving a gold, silver and bronze metal, so to speak, in the largest industry survey!” CJ Thacker, CEO of Thacker Caskets, proudly remarked.
This year’s survey drew responses from hundreds of funeral professionals across the country. It seeks opinions from funeral directors on many “hot topics” with regards to caskets and its suppliers including: casket company contracts, casket innovations, caskets coming in from China, casket presentation methods and more.
On the topic of product innovation, part of the survey asked about “Unfulfilled Gaps” when it comes to caskets. Thomas Parmalee, editor of the Funeral Service Insider and several of the funeral director respondents cited the lack of ability to offer different interior choices.
Parmalee writes as part of the survey, “As in past years, respondents complained about the lack of lower-cost options and too many limitations on interior colors (which may bode well for Thacker’s latest offering).” Thomas refers to Thacker’s new Tailored Designs™ program which offers funeral directors the ability to change interiors on a casket for next day delivery!
The survey also included a special section that cited the hard work and effort of the Thacker team from quotes of funeral directors. Parmalee writes, “Several respondents singled out Thacker Caskets in particular – especially for making senior executives available to them as needed.” One funeral director mentioned in the survey said, “…everyone at Thacker is always helpful, professional and courteous. Our casket rep has always gone above and beyond and given exceptional service.”
Danielle Thacker, VP of Sales and Marketing for Thacker, said, “We are truly humbled by our rankings on the survey. We owe a big thank you to the Thacker team – the distribution center managers, the drivers, the customer service team and sales team who have all made this possible. And we look forward to seeing next year’s rankings at Thacker continues to move the ball forward.”
For more information on Thacker Caskets, please call the customer service center at 800-637-8891 or visit the website at www.thackercaskets.com. For more information with regards to the survey or to learn how to subscribe to the Funeral Service Insider industry newsletter, please contact Thomas Parmalee, Editor of the Funeral Service Insider at tparmalee@katesboylston.com.
