Selecting a technology solution is a major step for any business. Introducing a new system requires careful planning and often a steep learning curve, so you want to be sure the option you choose is an ideal long-term fit for your funeral home. This is especially true for your funeral home's customer relationship management (CRM) system.
At its core, a CRM is all about managing interactions. It provides a centralized system to store and access information about leads and customers, helping an organization better understand how those individuals interact with them and offering tools to continue to build the relationships.
For funeral professionals, this provides an incredibly valuable opportunity. Without a sophisticated funeral home CRM, you could be wasting time on administrative tasks, missing opportunities to serve families in your community and providing a fragmented customer experience.
As we continue to develop new features for EnGauge, Homesteaders Solutions’ robust CRM for funeral professionals, we remain mindful of the challenges and opportunities you face. Our dedicated team strives to offer a platform that not only addresses these, but also provides a great overall experience for your staff and client families.
When considering whether a new CRM is right for you, there are several key attributes to keep in mind. In this article, we’ll share a few things you should investigate to make sure your CRM will work for your staff, business operations and client families.
- Funeral Home Data Security
- Longevity of the Platform
- Data and Reporting
- Staff Development & Success
- Lead Nurturing
Funeral Home Data Security
When the topic of data security comes up, it’s tempting to think that a data breach can’t happen to you or your business. The truth is that half of small businesses have had their websites breached at some point.*
The funeral service profession is not immune to this problem. It is a growing concern, and it can affect your funeral home. That’s why you need to consider how confident you are that the CRM you choose will keep your data safe. You’d much rather be ahead of the curve than have your business and customer data compromised.
Longevity of the Platform
Adopting a new platform typically involves data migration, process changes, employee training and adjustment time for staff to become comfortable with that system. You certainly don’t want to start this project over again every few years.
As you’re thinking about a new platform, consider whether it is going to be around for the long term. Unfortunately, many technology companies are not able to sustain their platforms beyond a handful of years. Recognizing this challenge, Homesteaders invested in EnGauge to offer a customized solution with the features preneed professionals really need. The team built the system in the leading CRM, Salesforce, helping to ensure that the technology is continuously updated. We know that better tools help you connect with more families and allow us to continue to invest in the profession.
Data and Reporting
Another common problem facing the funeral profession is the lack of integration between systems. It’s difficult to collect and analyze data when you must refer to so many different sources. Because of the time involved in compiling reports, funeral professionals may find themselves making important decisions based on outdated information.
To help solve some of those challenges, your CRM must be able to integrate with your key programs and provide easy access to tools that can shape the success of your business. Imagine how much your business could grow if you could continuously track your most effective lead sources and use those findings to maximize ROI for your marketing efforts. EnGauge is solving that problem today by providing meaningful reports in real time.
Staff Development and Success
The most effective preneed professionals are successful because they have refined their process and understand how to connect and stay in contact with families in their communities. For professionals who are new to the field or who are struggling to meet goals, it’s not always easy to pinpoint the next steps to improve performance.
Make sure the CRM you choose will be able to help you identify areas for improvement, save time and avoid wasted effort on initiatives that aren’t effective in your community. In addition to these features, EnGauge helps preneed professionals keep their tasks and schedules organized so no opportunities are missed.
Lead Nurturing
The number of potential lead sources for funeral homes continues to grow, and each of these requires careful monitoring and prompt follow-up. While it’s great to have many opportunities to serve families, you don’t want to risk providing inadequate service by failing to respond quickly or stay in contact with them on a regular, recurring basis.
A CRM can help prevent lost leads and keep your funeral home on track for providing a great experience. Look for a solution that is easily accessible and user friendly to help ensure your team can work efficiently no matter where they are. EnGauge is available on desktop and mobile devices, so you have that information at your fingertips wherever you go. Because the development team understands the unique needs of preneed professionals, they’ve also created an intuitive menu of actions a user can take to help each potential client.
You have many tasks you need to accomplish to do your job well, both for the success of your business and to ensure every client is satisfied with their experience. An effective CRM can do a lot of this work for you, which allows you to focus more of your time on serving families.
This article was adapted from a presentation by Laurie Covington, Homesteaders’ VP-Application Delivery, and Beau Jarrell, Co-Founder of The Kilpatrick Group, at the 2021 National Funeral Directors Association International Convention & Expo.
*Sectigo State of SMB Security Report
