When it comes to contact with the public, most funeral homes certainly don’t keep the traditional “banker’s hours” of 9 to 5. Customers will reach out to funeral home personnel at any hour of the day. That means it’s imperative that funeral homes are ready and able to accommodate these calls — and one of the best ways to accomplish this is the use of a funeral home answering service.
With that in mind, let’s review a few key ways that using an answering service can benefit a modern funeral home.
More Revenue
Here’s the unvarnished truth: Missed calls and connections are simply money down the drain. Even worse, these missed calls mean there is no opportunity to build a relationship, earn repeat business and receive positive word of mouth advertising. Every missed call isn’t just a lost chance to earn one person’s business — it could be a blown opportunity to generate long-term revenue from multiple sources.
Because of the nature of the service they provide, funeral homes deal with customers who are very time sensitive. Many won’t wait around for a second chance to talk. A funeral home answering service, however, can help ensure these relationships get off on the right foot — something that will put customers at ease, while keeping revenue streams flowing.
Greater Efficiency
Funeral homes may seem quiet and somber, but there is often a whirlwind of activity happening behind the scenes on the business end. By employing an answering service, funeral home workers are freed up to spend more time on other tasks. They aren’t forced to remain by the phone in one area, but enjoy the mobility to assume other responsibilities. This creates greater efficiency, and provides critical assistance when circumstances dictate that personnel resources need to be deployed elsewhere.
Heightened Professionalism
The phone is an important part of the business cycle. It’s the first interaction most customers share with a business. As such, a good experience often puts a customer in a positive frame of mind, while a poor interaction can set a more negative tone. An answering service helps funeral homes maintain high standards of professionalism, as there is no worry about missed phone calls or messages. In a sensitive industry like this, a mixed up message or a missed connection can have serious consequences.
Cost savings
Paying someone to answer the phone after hours is often a considerable expense — particularly if few calls come in to justify the cost. An answering service, however, can fill this function just as effectively while potentially saving more money in the long run. Another bonus: an answering service never calls in sick, or needs time off.
Establishing and maintaining open lines of communication with customers is critically important in the funeral business. Missed calls or miscommunication can result in upset customers and lost revenue.
A funeral home answering service, on the other hand, helps eliminate these problems, while making a funeral home more efficient, more professional and more cost-conscious.
Here are some related articles you might be interested in:
Top 8 Benefits of Partnering with an Answering Service
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How an Answering Service 7-Day Free Trial Can Change Your Business
