When was the last time you didn’t read a text message? According to an Adobe Campaign Management Report, text messages have a 98 percent open rate, and 90 percent are read within three seconds, making texting one of the most efficient ways to communicate with consumers. And with the vast majority of people in the United States and Canada owning smartphones, texting is also the most effective and personal way to contact families after their loved one’s death. Discover how our text-based aftercare can help you provide better customer service and support to families immediately following their loved one’s service and transform your aftercare program.
What Is Text-Based Aftercare?
Text-based aftercare is a highly personal and engaging way to deliver aftercare messages to your families, but it’s no additional work for you or your funeral home staff. Our team of live text message responders sends aftercare text messages on your behalf and provides support to those suffering from grief and loss, creating a thoughtful dialogue with families in the first 12 months after their loss. Families who engage with the program often provide positive online reviews after interacting with a skilled service specialist, which reflects positively on you and your business.
Standard Text Messages
Our text-based aftercare program consists of a series of standard text messages; however, we customize all initial messages and surveys for your funeral home and receive approval from your staff before sending anything to families. We also personalize each message and address each family member by name to ensure we provide the best service on your funeral home’s behalf.
Depending on your preference, we send the first aftercare message two to four weeks after the funeral service. This message, which is completely customizable by your funeral home, is inviting and customer-service oriented, lets the family know your funeral home is there for them and gives them a way to reach out if they have any questions or concerns.
As family members respond or ask questions, the dialogue with our skilled service specialists continues. Families will also receive customized messages on significant dates including, but not limited to, the deceased’s birthday, the anniversary of the death, during the holidays and any other meaningful dates that may represent a difficult time for the family where they need additional support.
What Are the Benefits of Text-Based Aftercare?
Our text-based aftercare program offers many benefits, including:
- Live text message responders: A compassionate, skilled service specialist is behind every text message.
- Ongoing dialogue with families: Your funeral home’s communication with a family can continue after their loved one’s service, helping to ensure you provide the best service and support and, in turn, creating brand champions for your firm.
- Free grief support resources: Our live text message responders will present For Grief as a resource to all families sometime after the initial communication if it has not already been presented.
- Dedicated account support: Every funeral home partner receives a dedicated account support representative.
- Detailed monthly reports: Funeral home partners receive full conversation transcripts and detailed performance reports every month.
How Text-Based After Can Increase Your Customer Satisfaction
Texting is a highly personal form of communication, and this process of building relationships through text messages can help create brand champions – those who are willing to leave glowing reviews because they had a great experience with your funeral home. In fact, 99 percent of the reviews generated through our text-based aftercare program are 5-stars, and 98 percent of our funeral partners are ranked number one in their market on Google.
By employing a proactive approach to aftercare and online review generation, your funeral home can provide better service to families, increase your online visibility and brand awareness and connect with more at-need families. This positive cycle can secure your firm’s future and position you as the go-to provider in your community.
What Families Think of Text-Based Aftercare
Implementing a text-based aftercare program gives families additional support and access to grief support resources they may not realize they need following their loved one’s death. Discover what actual families have said in response to a text message they received or in a review left for their funeral home:
“Thank you so much. You guys have been the best. I have had a really hard year without him. I consider you guys my friends for all the love and compassion you have shown me. You will never know how much it has meant to me.” – Actual response from a family served
“Mom would have been 91 yesterday. Thank you so much for the message. It is very impressive that you would send such a kind text to me. I passed this along to my sister and brother. Again, if you ever need a recommendation, just give that family my phone number and I would be glad to speak with them about the outstanding service you gave to our family. Thanks again!” – Actual response from a family served
“They did an outstanding job in setting up with my aunt’s viewing and graveside funeral service, and we highly recommend them for anyone looking for a funeral home for a loved one’s service… They have been sending us texts on the monthly anniversary dates to ask how we’re doing. They also sent a text last week, checking in on us, as our aunt would have been 99 that day. That was really appreciated. We can’t thank everyone there enough for their concern, kindness and professionalism. You will be as pleased as us if you use them.” – Actual 5-star review from a family served
How Text-Based Aftercare Has Helped Funeral Home Businesses
Not only do families value this service, but our funeral home partners do, too! We send an average of 100,000 text messages per month on behalf of our partners and see an average response rate of 49 percent. To date, we have generated nearly 40,000 5-star reviews and continue to help our funeral homes rank highly – if not the highest in their local market – on Google so they can help more families in their community. Read what our partner firms have to say about text-based aftercare:
“I had no idea how powerful this program was until I saw the responses back to our families.” – Real words from a funeral home partner
“We have gotten so many new families saying they chose us because of our Google Reviews, and that truly wouldn’t be getting done without you guys. So, thank you, we really appreciate what you do!” – Real words from a funeral home partner
“I honestly could not be any happier with the program. It has been wonderful for our families as well as the funeral home. Best kept secret in our industry.” – Real words from a funeral home partner
Next Steps
Are you ready to rank number one on Google? Contact your account executive to start transforming your aftercare program and providing better service to the families in your community.
