This paper examines the office automation and group collaboration software applications used in funeral homes today. Beginning with the unique administrative and customer-service demands of the funeral industry, the paper surveys both off-the-shelf business software and specialized funeral home management packages. It discusses regulatory requirements imposed by the FTC Funeral Rule, highlights vendors such as Mortware and Association Computer Services, and presents the real-world case of Wade Funeral Home, which was successfully modernized after acquisition by Perpetua Inc. The paper concludes that automating routine administrative tasks frees funeral directors to focus on the high-quality, face-to-face customer interactions that define service excellence in the industry.
The funeral industry is not for everyone, but it is a solid industry with healthy projections for future growth (Anderson, 1997). While funeral homes have some needs that are unique to the industry, many of the administrative and processing tasks associated with their operation are similar to virtually any other type of business. This paper provides an overview of the office automation and group collaboration software used in a typical funeral home today. An analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each software application is followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.
A consequence of the transition of the American economy from manufacturing to service-based has been a sharp increase in jobs that require direct, face-to-face interaction with customers. In various industries today, different positions increasingly require the careful projection of certain types of professional appearances. Funeral home directors, in particular, are expected to project a somber and dignified demeanor (Abraham, 1999). In these face-to-face exchanges, customers' perceptions of quality depend on their approval of how well these demeanors are projected and the extent to which the professional was able to devote time to their individual needs (Abraham, 1999). If a funeral home director does not have the mechanisms in place to ensure that each customer receives this level of attention, the customer's perception of service quality will be adversely affected. Moreover, many people who seek services from funeral homes are at an emotional disadvantage compared to customers of other industries, given that the final disposition of a loved one's remains is the end product.
Although the end product of funeral homes may be dramatically different from that of most other industries, nearly all funeral homes still need to fulfill many of the same administrative tasks associated with any type of business. Almost every funeral home will have payroll taxes, inventory, word processing, promotional literature, and other standard administrative needs that can be met by off-the-shelf small business management software packages. Beyond these standard requirements, there are some unique needs for funeral home directors that software vendors are addressing today.
According to Brown (1999), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has implemented regulations that make it easier for consumers to comparison-shop for funeral services, but these regulations also directly affect funeral directors. Brown explains: "The FTC Funeral Rule requires funeral directors to give pricing information over the phone and provide you with a price list if you come in person. It also allows you to purchase caskets — the single largest funeral expense, averaging $2,500 — from outside vendors without the threat of a carrying charge" (p. 129). Maintaining a funeral home's price list on a company intranet would provide a ready solution for this requirement, potentially allowing a funeral home director to capture an additional share of the market compared to competitors.
Microsoft and other major software providers generally supply a standard suite of software tools that can be easily customized for the specific needs of a funeral home. Likewise, standard accounting packages such as Quicken are appropriate for many funeral homes' accounting needs today (Mccoy-Pinderhughes, 2001). For additional assistance in itemizing funeral costs, POWERsolutions has created a software package called "PreNeed" that retails for approximately $40. This package provides funeral directors — or consumers — with a step-by-step guide through the decision-making process and generates a final report for comparison purposes. Comparable reports can also be developed using a basic word processing or spreadsheet program (Brown, 1999).
While funeral homes can manage with off-the-shelf software, a number of applications have been specifically designed for the funeral industry. Association Computer Services, Inc. has been a funeral home software vendor since 1985 (The Professional Programs, 2004), and SRS Computing Solutions also offers dedicated funeral home software (Funeral Home Software, 2004). Another company, Mortware, provides funeral homes with custom software that allows easy data entry, rapid form generation, and a number of add-ons that funeral home directors can select to meet their own unique needs. According to their promotional literature, "For the past 14 years, Mortware has provided the funeral industry with a complete and fully supported, easy-to-use program that facilitates and simplifies the entire administrative process from start to finish" (Mortware 2000 Packages, 2004, p. 2).
The fully loaded Management Package by Mortware includes the following features:
"Documents a real funeral home's technology adoption"
The research showed that funeral homes are not all that different from other types of businesses that have resisted automation in the past. Funeral homes are subject to the same requirements for filing taxes, preparing payrolls, monitoring inventory, and composing correspondence that almost all companies face. Funeral homes do have some unique requirements, however, that a number of software vendors are addressing today. In the final analysis, it makes sound business sense to automate as many tasks as possible in a funeral home environment, freeing staff to devote more time to the face-to-face interactions required to ensure the perception of high-quality customer service.
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