Funeral directors’ jobs are sometimes characterized by their most visible role: ensuring funeral services run smoothly for families who have lost a loved one. But funeral professionals wear many hats as they help families through some of the most difficult times. We are going to unpack some of the unexpected roles that funeral professionals have, and why those traits are so important to their work.
Business Manager
Many people don’t realize that funeral directors are often responsible for business management. This means that on top of serving their client families, they must run daily operations, manage budgets, maintain facilities and lead their team.
Funeral directors need to have good time management to handle multiple clients at once and still have time to run everyday business operations. In addition, they need to be skilled at funeral home strategic planning to help ensure their firm’s long-term success.
Trusted Supporter
Being able to show empathy and support families after the loss of a loved one is an important role of a funeral director. This means that interpersonal skills are valuable so that funeral professionals can communicate clearly with client families and offer resources that meet their needs.
Funeral professionals earn the trust of the people they serve by navigating those challenging situations with compassion and tact. Families need to feel valued and cared for, so these skills are essential to enhance their experience with you and will help you remain their top pick for any future services they may need.
Resource to the Community
Funeral professionals are often heavily involved in their communities. This means that you need to be skilled at hosting events, educating people during seminars or webinars and getting involved in a variety of groups to help make a difference and form connections with others.
For funeral professionals looking to expand your services, consider our Community Engagement Program. These easy-to-use tools aim to help you give polished group presentations in your community, so you can share the value of your services and make it easier for families to take the next step in putting their plans in place.
Being a funeral professional means that no two days look the same. The variety of tasks that the job brings can be exciting and fulfilling, but also requires time and project management skills, compassion and a wide range of subject matter expertise.
If you are interested in expanding your skillset and learning more about successful funeral home business management, consider reading our Funeral Business Leadership blog series. This series of three blog posts explains tips for becoming a stronger business leader in your community. The topics include how to lead a business, how to lead a team and how to lead in your community. These insights can help advance your professional development and build a stronger connection with your community.
