Transcription
Welcome to the Graveyard Ship, the podcast where anything [music] goes, as long as there's a good story to tell. Join Todd, Matt, Jimmy, and Gary as they bust myths and share advice that hopefully [music] isn't terrible. Let's dive in.
Well, welcome everyone to the Graveyard Shift and we are glad to have everyone with us today. So today is a discussion with our panel, our esteemed panel and we're going to be talking about the disconnects that exist between the the families that we serve and and the funeral professionals. uh premise here is uh really just to spend a little time discussing that the importance of understanding funeral consumers and their mindsets because uh my my belief is if we are uh many times we unintentionally misunderstand the funeral consumer and that leads to unintentionally cause dissatisfaction. So uh we're going to we're going to talk through some stats along the way. That's Jimmy's f he's got his magic eightball to guide him very today.
Yes. And uh yes and and we'll be looking and we'll we'll be looking forward to a good discussion here. So um gentlemen, how you been?
Very well. Thank you for asking, Todd.
Thanks, Todd. That's very kind and thoughtful of you to ask. Doing well as well.
I've been fantastic. Thanks for asking.
All right. Well, that sounded very insincere. [laughter]
So he talking.
Yes. All right. Well, hey, um, you know, looking forward to this topic. You know, I know many of you were involved or you guys were involved in the original, uh, study that, uh, was the kind of the foundation for the Pasari platform uh, the the consumer study done years ago, um, by the council study group. And then from there, um, the study was repeated by Pasari and funeral director's life back a couple years ago, right after in the middle of COVID actually. And then um some really interesting things we will track some of this data over time. So I want to throw out today uh a premise or a disconnect that I believe exists. I've I've shared this data in front of uh dozens and dozens of funeral director and funeral professional audiences. And I've been uh you know uh noticed that the the way that the funeral directors and funeral professionals think about some things and the way the consumer thinks about them some things are a little different, a little off. and we want to talk about uh maybe uh some solutions here and get your opinions on a few things.
So, um, disconnect number one I'm going to throw out to the team is, um, I I really think that consumers don't understand the funeral planning process, like the arrangement conference process, all process of planning a funeral as much as funeral professionals think the family understands. And the data that I'd like to just throw out there is in the Pasari uh funeral director's life study with McKe Wallwork. It it the question was asked, "If I were put in in charge of arranging a funeral, I'd have no idea what to do." Okay. If I were put in charge of arranging a funeral, I'd have no idea what to do. Turns out that 36% of the population said they'd have no idea what to do when planning a funeral. So, what are the implications of that? I think it gives us an opportunity to prepare them for that arrangement conference. Um I think that would cut down on some anxiety. I would have I would have maybe thought that number a little higher, but then you got to figure how many people have gone through that process before and not that it's going to it's going to be the same experience. So um we we work at trying to get out in front of families before they come in. And of course, Pasari does that through, you know, the collaboration or used to be called the collaboration center, but um what about you, Matt? Do you provide something to your families before they come in?
Well, I I know that it's called the planning center now, so I'll I'll start with that. Um, is that a sorry planning center? It's the sorry planning center. Uh no, I I agree with you, Jimmy. I am I'm surprised that it's not a higher number than that. Um, part of me wonders if uh people just say that they're comfortable more than they even are.
I think we all know the people who say, "I'm the funeral expert in my family because, you know, they they bring the helpful cousin in because, you know, she's done all the funerals, which essentially means that she knows the name of a caterer in the florest."
[laughter] decides to run with it, uh, and has those things booked before dates are finalized or anything else. you know, as we talk through this disconnect, you know, when I talk to this give the statistic in some of the events that I've spoken at, the one thing I hear consistently is funeral directors typically double that number, the, you know, the uh the uh 36%. They think about twice as many families actually know what they're doing when they're planning a funeral. So, kind of the question for the group, I think, is an interesting one. So, what happens if we assume when someone walks through our doors that a family knows what they're doing and they know uh and then they're planning a funeral and they and they we don't know that they don't know what they're doing. You know, uh what are the impact of that on on decision-m in that family?
Well, I I'll speak first this time. I I I think as a non-industry insider, you get some of the em the same emotions you get when I walk into a car repair place. uh there's a lot of trepidation and a lot of defensiveness because I feel like I could be taken advantage of because I really don't understand the playing field and ignorance is always a source of of fear for lack of a better term. So I I think uh we talked a little bit about the the element where besari they can go and look at things before they come to the arrangement conference. Any information you can get on the process or sort of context or options I think lowers the stress level of the family when they walk into that arrangement conference. Uh because a lot of them are they're as ignorant about funerals as I am about mechanics.
So I think we have to overcome that fear uh just with information uh uh in a non-threatening way given as much information as we can especially before they get there.
Yeah. Good point. Matt, what are your thoughts?
I think Gary's very ignorant of mechanics. So, [laughter]
ball bearings these days, Gary. It's all ball bearings.
Yeah. I shared a rental car with Gary recently and uh let's just say Yeah.
Um, no. I I I believe that, you know, I I I think as a as a as a funeral director, I even if someone was in that percentage where they said they are comfortable and familiar and they know what they're doing, I'm I'm still going to assume they don't. Uh, cuz I think they walk in with a lot of assumptions and a lot of um, you know, thinking that they might be the expert in areas they're not. I mean just you think of the last 10 years how much things have changed in our profession you know between options for cremaines I you know parting stones a turn of a you know life gems launching them into space having things even older than that going back to the the reefs that have been around 20 30 years and people still don't even know about them sometimes funeral directors don't even know about them uh that may be a perfect a perfect option for a certain family and they may not even know about it. So I I don't think you could go in, you know, changing your your opinion and your impression. I think it's education, education, education, and really trying to just have conversations where you're asking open-ended questions to find out what's important to them and then using those things that you know uh about to to bring it in front of them for consideration.
Mhm. You know, on a related um issue, you know, we we in that survey and that uh consumer study, we asked the public a question about the purpose of funeral homes and and mortuaries, whether they're caregivers, should be caregivers for the living or caretakers of the dead. And um, you know, it's I think you know, how would you guys answer that question? I would just there throw that out there. I I think we're here to serve the living while we are helping the deceased. Right. So the it's the emotional value of what we do, not the dollar value what we do and how we walk with these families in their grief.
Yeah.
And that's the answer I hear a lot, Jimmy. And and and it's very consistent. There's a little there's a data point that kind of makes me uh struggle a little bit because then you ask the question what's more important respecting the deedence wishes or meeting the needs of those left behind.
Eight times more people say it's more important to respect deedent wishes than it is to meet the needs of those left behind. So we have actually conflicting answers from the public on those questions. one they go with the oh no funeral home funerals are are for the living and then we ask the question whose wishes should we respect we get the opposite answer. So what are your thoughts on that as a group?
I I think there's an and but to that. I think if again this goes back to the importance of pre-planning and having that talk of a lifetime with someone uh so they can put an intentional plan in place because how often do you hear like oh I just don't just just just throw just throw me on the side of the road. Don't make a fuss over me. Well I would say that that's pretty selfish. Um I would say that uh how is how are your children and your grandchildren? how are they going to remember you if you're, you know, if you're really digging in that you just don't want anything, but you have a family and you've made an impact, you've lived on this earth, um I think it's important to pause um and remember and gather and um I think that conversation um can help get you going in the direction to to this wishes versus meeting the needs. So, but at the end of the day, I mean, look at how we do our pre-arrangement. If someone takes out a pre-arrangement and they check no changes can be made, I mean, that puts us in professionally in a legal dilemma, right?
That's an unfortunate uh in my opinion unfortunate, it's prejuditial statement, but I'll use it. Um, when that happens, you really that that uh person is really tying their loved ones hands in Texas. I think one of the things that we need to start doing or people that are that are sitting with families and individuals who are pre-planning is to really push on that conversation ahead of time. Um especially with that whole checking the box uh and don't change my wishes because you know when when you said eight times more said it's important to respect the wishes of the deceased. I'm not surprised by that cuz it's just I just hear it from people all the time like where they
you know I'd love to you know man I really feel like it'd be great if my granddaughter got to see her one last time. uh she's studying abroad, but no, he didn't want anyone to see him again or whatever the case may be, the circumstances, and they and they get locked into that. When the when the funeral director or the pren person is sitting down with that individual and they give the line that Jimmy just went over, I I think we need to have a hard conversation or not a hard conversation, a real conversation with them and say, "Listen, I do this all the time." And I see people and I I talk to people who 30, 40, 50 years later still have unresolved grief issues that have come from the lack of an ability to to see a person, to say goodbye. And maybe your family's different. I don't know. And and I'm not going to know. And you're not going to know until they're there in that moment because we don't know how you're going to die or when you're going to die or what it's going to look like. But let me just ask you, if your son or daughter, if your grandchild said,
"I need this to begin my healing journey," would you still insist on saying no and making them go through the rest of their life without that opportunity? And if the person says yes, man, that's twisted. Um, you know, it it is. I mean, I
I don't disagree with you,
but but if they if they say, "Well, you know, if she really needs it," then pull out the form and let them sign it and have it say, "I
when you take time to have that conversation with people will almost always say is, I never thought of that."
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I I had that experience. It didn't on the funeral side. I was on the cemetery side. My parents both wanted to be scattered in Lake Michigan. And I said, "Believe it or not, I run a cemetery, but um I don't have a problem with it, but before you choose that, I want you to go talk to my two siblings and ask them if they want a place to go back to." And so my my mother asked both of them, and my brother said, "Yeah, absolutely." And her eyes got as big as dinner place. She said, "Fine, we're going to Spring Grove." Because she would do anything for her kids. And I think they came at it with the attitude of, "Well, we're going to minimize the impact on on the kids by not doing anything." And that just reversing the role saying, "Okay, well, what do you want your kids to experience?" I think gets them out of their own. I'm trying to be
thoughtful of them by doing nothing because that's just going to add to their grief, which is not what happens.
So, got the cemetery cell.
Well, I'm sorry, I missed that, J.
And look who got the cemetery cell on that.
Yeah. Well, you know, no discounts.
Oh, no. [laughter] Gary's mentioning Spring Grow for free today. Normally, we have to pay him when he mentions it. So, all right. Well, hey, um, yeah. So, you know, let's let's gonna kind of get into this uh consumer idea of of things. Here's our big conflict. And when I asked this question, so I asked the question, I'll tell you what I hear most of the time. I I'd like to take your reflection on that. Um the question is, with cremation, this was the survey question. With cremation, there's no need for a funeral service. We ask that to over 3,000 people in the public. When I ask that question of funeral directors, usually about 2third of them say, "Yeah, that's what I think the public would expect, uh, that there is no need for a funeral service with cremation." But the data shows only 14% of the public says there's no need for a funeral with cremation. So, what explains that disconnect?
I think
I feel that some people don't realize that they have an option to have a ceremony or service with cremation
is what I think. Yeah,
I sat in with with the mom and she lost her son and it was it was she wanted to go the cremation route and you know asking the question have has your family chosen cremation before and she said yes with my brother and then we started I started talking about ceremony and how we would remember she started crying and she said I didn't know that I had that option the when we did my brother service
they didn't give me that option and she goes, "This sounds so silly and it's not going to make any sense, but sometimes I wonder if you know, did he really pass away cuz I didn't get to see him again."
And so, man, how important is are those conversations and asking those open-ended questions? You know, have you ever planned has your family ever chosen cremation for? Have have you ever made funeral arrangements before? I mean, just let's see where they are in this.
I mean, our job is not just a funeral director, it's an educator.
Yeah. And even though the many and we had I had a a situation here in our in our workplace where one of our uh people in our in our team uh hus or her her husband died and they did not they did not know they could have a funeral with cremation. But what's interesting the study actually shows that four and a half times more people say yes there's a need for a funeral service with cremation than those who say there's not. So, you know, but if you ask a typical funeral director, this is my experience in uh in giving this presentation. I just very informally show hands like and I usually see the ratio flipped the other way instead of about a third uh only about a third of them say, you know, families get that and I think that they their belief is families don't get it when I think maybe families get it more than we think. But the question is why aren't they having funerals at the funeral home if they're are they doing something else? Are they diying it? I mean, what are your thoughts?
Yeah, I especially with cremation customers, um, I think they're gathering. It's just not with us. And part of it is,
uh, a lot of those cremation customers do not want traditional services. They want customized secular. They they want to get to um, a family gathering, a party, and and they don't know that funeral homes can provide those. And so, uh, just, uh, you know, allowing them to say, "Okay, well, um, what what does that look like? How would you do it?" Because they they don't, in their view, the only funeral is a massacchristian burial. And I know there was a a funeral home combo. Um, I I think it's the one in Indie, but they had the traditional on their price list, um, direct cremation, cremation with a service, full service with cremation to follow. And they said they got family after family coming to them saying, "Well, can't we just have a party?" And so all they did was add a line that said family gathering. It's the same price as a memorial service. It it it it's just language. And I forget what it was. I think the percentage that actually had a service went up significantly, like 10 to 15%. Oh, I can do again. That's the consumer's ignorance. It's not our unwillingness to serve them.
I've always wanted to try. I've never had the guts to have a package that's cremation in a party, but I wonder if anybody's ever done that because that, to your point, that's what some people want.
We get we get we let language get in the way sometimes.
Um
especially me from Texas. [laughter]
Well, that's just English, Jimmy.
Yeah. So Matt, what are your what are your thoughts on on why, you know, and what's at stake if a funeral director is going to assume when a family mentions cremation that they're going straight to direct cremation? What what causes funeral directors to make that leap straight to direct cremation instead of opening up that discussion?
Bias. Um, you know, having always, you know, having always done it that way. Uh, you know, those those death words that we hear in funeral homes or that's how we've always done it. Uh the same with making arrangements and making those presumptions, presuming no one wants to see, presuming that just because, as Gary said, it's not the funeral that you grew up doing or started your profession doing that it's not a funeral. I bet you there's a lot of funeral directors out there that don't think it's a funeral. You know, the family in their mind, they did have one.
They went to the country club.
Um
and in their mind, they did have a funeral. And in the funeral director's mind, they never had a funeral. So
yeah,
again, it is they're both the Gary and Jimmy are right. It comes down to language. And and the reality is like I believe that we could do that country club funeral better than they could do it on their own. And they they just need to understand that. And so when they say we just want to have a party, like no, I get that. Absolutely. A lot of people, you know, I hear that all the time. What does that look like to you?
Yeah. and then
start having that conversation because you say, "Okay, well, that's
that's that's great and all, but if it's just 4 hours and hot dogs and beer, you know, when is your mom's story get told?" You know, when when do we focus about why we're there? Like what if for 30 minutes before it all began, you know, we have a celebrant who tells our story for you and they take a couple hours to sit down with their family and put it together and make it meaningful and then find out who are the right people that should be speaking that day. and what do what what could we incorporate and how do we involve the grandchildren in in such a way that it's that it's meaningful. So yes, you have your party, but we lead into it remembering why we're gathering and why we're celebrating. Um and also recognizing that people are in grief and they have a right to have to feel that. Uh, you know, when people bring up the party thing, like okay, have a party. You just lost your spouse of 62 years and you think the only thing that person is going to want to do is giggle and laugh that day. like give them the chance to giggle and laugh, but also give them the chance to like hear the stories, shed some tears, and have those moments. Uh,
and you can do better than hot dogs, cheap bastard. [laughter]
They're all beef franks, Jimmy.
Okay. As long as they're kosher.
Yes. Oh, yeah. No, that's that's that's a good discussion. We're going to move on to our next uh disconnect here. Here's this is actually my favorite. All right. So we ask so the disconnect is consumers expect to have a lot more time to work on their funeral their funeral arrangements than funeral directors give them. Okay. So the disconnect is when we ask and this I can see the emails coming in already. When we ask the question how much time do you expect to have in terms of the number of days between the death and the funeral? The average family, and by the way, some of the consumer segments are higher than this number, but the average family expects to have 12.7 days
Wow.
to plan a funeral.
After the death occurs. All right.
Do you think that's Do you think that's cultural, Todd?
Well, here's the thing. We asked the same question, Jimmy, back in 2011 in the study because people said, "Well, CO influenced that. You got to slow things down because of COVID." In 2011, that's a long time ago. 15 years ago that number was 11.2 days.
Huh.
Wow.
Okay.
You ask that question to a typical funeral director, I hear normally 3 to 5 days. That's kind of the normal. And we're see I'm hearing fewer 3 days and more four to five days now.
But the closest answer I've ever gotten, the the funeral director I asked the question to said, "Well, whenever a week from Saturday is, that's the number of days." Okay. So the question I'm I'm going to throw out to the group here is if you think you've got two weeks to work on something, but the funeral director thinks you've got 3 to 5 days, what's the impact to the family on that lack of knowledge about the family's situation?
[sighs and gasps]
I I think it's important like to have that conversation again that presumptive that we are going to have a ceremony or a service like so do you have any family family or friends that will be coming from out of town and you know let's start talking about you know what time works best for you and your family like the funeral home we can you know we want to be sensitive that we don't want to rush this but if you want to rush this if we need to put this out on a calendar and start planning that together. I think that's that's the key. I I I would say that it is a stereotypical 3 to five business day or 3 to 5 days for a funeral director. That's that checks out. But to your point, every all these families are pushing these ceremonies back to a weekend, right? So, which is
brings it why are they doing it
and who are funerals for,
you know, I think that a lot of families think they need more time than they actually need. [clears throat] Um because what are you going to do in those 12 days? It's not going to take like is your tribute video going to be better cuz you had 12 days to gather photos over 4 days to gather photos? Probably not. Um it's the same when they like want to come in 3 hours before visitation starts for their for their viewing. I'm like after 20 minutes they're staring at each other and they don't know what to do and they're they're like oh we don't need all this time, you know. Um, so I I think part of it is is some of that presumption. I think they also think it's a it's a big thing to do and like, well, it took me a year and a half to plan a wedding. Clearly, I'm going to need to, you know, move quickly on on the funeral. Um, I I found a lot of people don't want it hanging over their heads that long.
All right. But, you know, when you think about the, you know, the family's perception when it comes to timing, whether they're right or wrong, if they have an expectation of a couple weeks or a week and a half or a week from Saturday, and we we start to in our mind go, well, I got to get this thing done because it's, let's see, it's Tuesday today. We're recording this. I got to have this wrapped up on Friday before the weekend. What's the situation we put the family in?
How do they feel about that? And uh when I ask that question, normally the question the comment I get is they might feel rushed.
Yeah.
Or or they're looking for alternative alternative motives. Alternative motives that there's a reason you're doing that.
Um I can tell you ours are stretched out a lot uh because they want to use our event center and if it's not available on on uh Friday or Saturday, they just keep pushing it further out. Mhm.
Um even you know full traditional burials, they'll push it out an extra week because they want to have that gathering on a Saturday.
Yeah.
Interesting.
Interesting.
Yeah. And I I think it is cultural in certain places. I mean I I talked to colleagues who who work with different communities and and some it's not at all strange to have a 20-day wait for for services. Um and I think at the end of the day, the customer is the customer. If they want to wait, they want to wait. And you you make it work. if they're they want to do it really quick, you do it really quick.
Um
Mhm.
I had a I couldn't the other day I was talking to a guy who's retired recently and he was asking about a friend of his who passed away and when are they doing services and you know I think they died on Wednesday and they're doing the service the following Tuesday and he's like oh my gosh you know like it was going to be he couldn't believe they're waiting so long. I mean it was and in my mind I'm like it's within a week I think that's pretty good. So [laughter]
yeah, exactly. Yeah. So let's let's uh I'm going to change it up here a little bit. I asked this question a lot. Uh uh funeral directors, I think sometimes we we respond in the profession the way we do because we are run down and beat up a little bit and uh tired. But I the question is I believe in the statement is now I'll go through some research here but the overwhelming majority of consumers believe that funeral homes are necessary and good. That's what the study found. But I I found not every funeral professional believes that people feel that way because people come in with questions and ask about pricing and talk about can I have a funeral a month from now and somehow we equate that in our mind to families don't believe what we believe about funerals. So some stats here though uh when we asked the the families um is grieving necessary only 2% of the public believes that grieving is unnecessary. 98% are are understand the question funerals are beneficial only 3% disagree
that's crazy
we've all met people
I would guess a lot higher
well yeah that's what's crazy you know and you know you think about that stat that people it's like so are they really up disappointed with the funeral process when they come in and they don't understand something or do we assume they are because they ask a question that they just don't know.
Yeah. They don't know what to ask.
We need that. We need I think we we need to advertise that probably. I mean I mean like you know people a lot of people what do most people do? I mean we get that question a lot too where people they want to just kind of go along with what others want. And if you say 98 or 97% of your community believe that having a funeral is important to help with their grief journey. Don't you think you owe it to them to do that for your wife who just passed away? I I mean
that's that should be part of Yeah, I think you're you're on to something, Bailey. I think how do we take some of these stats as a funeral profession and we're you know we're we're pushing this out on our social media. Hey, did you know a study of however many people Todd here's what people say they find beneficial? when we get back 75 plus percent of families find funerals uh beneficial. I don't know what what was your stat? I know 3% disagree but what was overall?
Yeah, funeral well the 76% agree or strongly agree with the fact that funerals are beneficial. 21% is is neither agree nor disagree.
Yeah. But the the disagree segment super small and then my view the 21% in the middle could be convinced if we give them some reasons to feel good about funerals
very swayable. I think this data like when we talk about online planning and arrangements too this is where this stuff becomes important because I think with the online arrangement platforms that are out there it's an opportunity to educate people without our own biases that we've talked about. So when Todd says,
you know, people hear cremation and they go immediately direct cremation, the platform is going to be neutral. It's not going to make those assumptions as long as it's put into place that way. So if it goes through and it's going to ask people, do you want these different elements? And it educates them along the way of, you know, here's how we make the party better. Here's why people choose to have a viewing. Here's why some people might need viewing and some might not. why it's important to consider the various parties involved and when you do it like this percentage of people find that it's helpful on their grief journey like if if they see those statistics as they're going through and doing their online planning you know I think it becomes more about the price point that they're actually looking at right in front of them and the value is assigned to it a purpose is assigned to it a reason is assigned to it and they're they're making the decision based on what's best for people who are grieving not not only because they're trying to you know do as as possible.
Well said. You know, it's Yeah, we asked the question that a funeral is essential, not not and that's a pretty strong word. A funeral is essential to the process of saying goodbye and letting go. Only 8% disagree with that. So, the agreement of that is super high.
They need to Dr. Wolf for a minute.
Yes, exactly. We're going to have on him on. We'll tease. We'll have him on in uh in a couple episodes coming up here. maybe three or four episodes from now. One last stat on this is funeral homes or mortuaries, whatever you call the funeral chapels, are noble organizations.
Only 8% say they're not noble.
That's nice.
That's great.
Yeah, that's nice to know. I just I want to lift people's spirits up today on this. You know,
we do great work and you this profession does great and valuable work. When I was in college, I studying politics for my undergraduate degree and I remember one of my professors more than once was talking about Congress and you know how they're infamously pull terrible as an institution and he was like only funeral directors pull worse than Congress and I remember pulling the data and and showing it to him and being like no like people actually like their funeral directors and like you got to stop saying this and uh he switched universities so I hope wherever he landed in Jenny ultimately uh making an ultimate change. [laughter]
Bless his heart.
It's proof that [clears throat] propaganda isn't working.
There you go. We're going to close on this last disconnect here. Um our families are much more tech savvy than we give them credit for is my belief.
All right. What's What are your thoughts on that?
100%.
Absolutely.
Great. So, a couple of stats here that this is a Pasari stat. 42% of consumers will participate in the online planning center process if offered. But the online planning centers only offer about 11 or 12% of the time. So, if we have a 42% yes rate, why do only 11% of funeral directors offer it?
Because the techn the family are way more tech savvy than funeral directors.
Yep. And there's your there's problem number one.
Yeah.
I I think we could do a better job of that. And not not just pick an online mortuary management software. Like how are are how are we getting in front and purposefully visiting with these funeral homes and engaging them like here's how easy it really is. You don't have to be scared of it. And I think if if we had a little bit of education even on through the Pasari platform, I know it's there, but like hey, let's push this initiative. Let's get out and say we're going to do these webinars. And I think you would increase that 11% quite a bit personally.
Yeah.
I think people need to know those numbers, too. I think a lot of people like, yeah, families don't want it. And if they truly understood that families do want it, um I I think they'd be more inclined to. I also think that if they perhaps got statistics um reported them every month, you had x number of cases, x% had an invite, x% of those people used it. You know, I think that becomes realistic for people and they see the the real numbers. Um I had the same thing with our team with live streaming I think at times where I think there was a belief that it's not needed and important and then they started sharing the number of people who were viewing it and showing you maps of where the people were viewing it from and
um and then who viewed it after the fact not live because the director just sees the three people watching it live not the 45 that watched it later that evening.
Um so I I think I think data could be a powerful convincer for for a lot of us. when we get to your point, we get those emails that come in through our funeral home website like, "When is such and such live stream? Where's the link for that?" Like, "I didn't know we were doing one." So, it's like people are wanting that.
Yeah. Yeah. That's that's a crazy um you know the uh the the the comfort level according to the Pasari study with live streaming is up 120% more acceptable uh from uh in the over the last 15 years. So the the grow the acceptability by the way Matt the stat on online funeral planning
the comfort level with online funeral planning has grown 44% since 2011. uh it's 36% of the public is comfortable with they would report themselves as being comfortable with an online funeral plan. Here's here's my belief. I'll throw this theory out there and you guys can tell me if I'm all wet or not, but
I think when [laughter]
Yeah. I think some funeral dire some funeral professionals when when they let technology kind of steer the ship a little bit, I think they wonder about their own relevance.
Yeah. Yep. That's a well that you can tack on AI to that too, you know. But the the the psychology needs to be this is a tool to help me, not a tool that's going to take away from me.
Yeah.
You got to embrace that.
Yeah. People need to understand done right and done well, the technology gives you more moments for carrying, not less. Um it frees you from the stuff. No one ever wanted to give their funeral director a hug because the way she asked what mom's social security number was. Um you know that the the desire came from the touch points the way you were when you transferred her into your care, the way you were when they walked in for the first time, the how you anticipated their needs, the the thoughtful ideas that you put out there, the the little touches that they never predicted that would be done that you did for them. Those are going to be the things that win win the day. um not collecting vital statistical information um not sharing date preferences it it's just not um but by removing those things and giving us the information ahead of time I mean if I know if I have a photograph before a family comes in that alone the number of things that I can do that make it meaningful for that family uh you know it's it's almost limitless you know like you you think you get the data and you get the you have the other stuff that you do as well. And they see you've already started remembering their mom and celebrating her life before they even came in to talk to you for the first time.
And that's like that's real powerful stuff that could happen. And it's not going to hurt us. It's only going to make us do what we do better if we if we do it properly.
Awesome. I think we're going to let that be the last word. Matt, that was very well said.
Well done.
More well said than Jimmy was able to say it even. So,
forgot one more paragraph. [laughter]
Quit while you're ahead, Bailey. There it is. Well, hey, uh, as always, uh, guys, I really appreciate your insight and I think our listeners will, too. So, you know, just want to make, uh, bring some awareness to, uh, the fact that funeral directors and funeral service professionals do great work. It's valuable work and our jobs create healing and meaning, uh, in the in the midst of loss and and death and sometimes even tragedy. So, thanks for sharing. And I'm going to remind our listeners uh to to uh get their feedback to us at thegraveyardshiftpasari.com. Thegraveyardshiftpasari.com. We'd love to hear it. And Jimmy, you got a shout out there?
Oh, well, thanks for asking, Todd. Metro First Call. Uh when we were up to There it is. We were up in uh Minnesota doing our live broadcast. Our friend Tim who owns uh Metro First Call allowed us to do a tour of his facility and that was awesome. Yeah.
Yeah. Learned good stuff there. Uh it was, you know, an amazing operation. His wife gave us a tour, which was probably better than what Tim would have given, we were told by numerous parties. But
it was the cleanest and most organized mortuary I've ever been to in my life, actually.
So, if you uh you know, you mail mail a mug with a 100 bucks in it to Jimmy and myself, and you're likely to find yourself on a on a podcast. We we could be bought
for pretty cheap. [laughter] It was good. It was good to see Tim again and uh thank Yeah, he gave us a great tour and I thought, you know, too is one of the most organized and cleanest uh you know um u trade services I've ever been in. So anyways, that actually free. We gave that that plug for free and and uh Tim's just a good a good dude. We thank his wife for giving us the tour. And but hey, I just want to close up with this. You know, make sure that you take something that these gentlemen said today and put it to use. And also don't keep this podcast a secret. Please share with your friends. With that, we're going to say so long.
Adios, sir. [music]