Welcome to Rest Assured . . . the first in a series of Q & A articles designed to help you navigate the decision making process when evaluating your purchase of cemetery management software. Let’s get to it!
Q. I know cemetery software management programs do mapping and other things but how can you help me in generating more revenue?
This is a question that isn’t asked much but like with anything else, knowing the answer is important as it relates to added revenue to the cemetery. Having the right software should provide new and better ways to serve families, increasing your service levels and freeing up staff to spend more time in value-added interactions and spending less time doing paperwork.
To illustrate this, let’s quickly look at four critical components that a high functioning cemetery software solution can provide as stand-alone modules for certain sized locations or as a complete management solution for larger sized operations to help in generating more revenue.
1. Mapping
Mapping assists family service staff to better serve families with the ability to provide faster look ups and to quickly identify available property near a loved one. These factors, as well as helping a visitor identify where a loved one is interred all contribute to a higher level of service. This means you’re providing a new and better way to serve families, increasing your service levels while freeing up staff to spend more time in value-added interactions with families.
2. Sales
A tremendous amount of money can be generated – and saved – through a better sales process. For example, digital contracts that allow your team to sell property and services off an interactive map drives faster sales, and in turn eliminate the math errors that often lead to lost revenue, discounts, and upset customers. Additionally, software systems many times will include a CRM which will serve as a “personal assistant” to Family Service staff. This keeps the team apprised of leads along with contact information for families interested in purchases, which in turn allows the team to schedule appropriate follow ups.
And let’s not forget that CRM components of Cemetery management systems allow for management oversight of sales activities, to allow sales leadership to identify key metrics of the sales team. Whether it be average sale, or the closing rate, or the appointment setting rate. These metrics allow you to train and assist the sales team in the steps of the process that are most impactful for revenue.
3. Operation
A smoother process removes duplication of effort and every hour freed up from administrative record-keeping reduces the amount of time staff spend doing paperwork. They can now use this time to interact with customers, adding additional value. Your staff can use the time saved to focus on interacting with families and other activities more likely to contribute added revenue.
4. Finances
Automating the receipt of payments can also save a substantial amount of time and improve your revenue. Imagine that after a contract is agreed upon and signed, the family’s credit card or bank account is automatically charged each month with receipts automatically sent out. Instead of spending time processing payments or calling families who are late on bills, you can spend time serving customers.
All across the country, cemeteries and memorial parks are relying on software to help manage their business by providing clearer insight to make high quality decisions that affect the betterment of the cemetery. Insight rich data helps to avoid misinterpretations or assumptions that could be costly in time, lead-generation, reputation, and sales. By investing in the cemetery software and individual modules that make sense for you now, you can improve the overall efficiency of your business while realizing more revenue as well as improved customer satisfaction. Time is money, right?
Rest assured, if there’s anything I can do to assist you with this issue, or any other related to your cemetery management data needs, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d be happy to discuss it with you.
