Get a demo

WEBINAR: Using an Innovative Mindset to Change the Funeral Profession

As a busy funeral professional, it's easy to stick with the same pattern you've always had. But what if there was a way you could help families by thinking just a little differently?

It's not a technology problem. It's a mindset problem.

The COVID pandemic brought several problems to the funeral profession. Many funerals were postponed a year or longer, social distancing guidelines limited the number of guests who could attend, and unreliable streaming technology resulted in many ceremonies being unwatchable.

And while many funeral directors were quick to blame inadequate livestreaming options, we believe the true issue was deeper than that.

Through many of our conversations with funeral professionals across the country, we discovered that it was not a lack of reliable technology — though that was indeed a problem — but instead, a lack of forward thinking. It was, and still is, a lack of an innovative mindset, which could've foreseen many of these problems ahead of time.

We believe there are three mindsets that most funeral professionals operate with: innovative, idle, or ignorant. To learn about these different mindsets, watch the webinar above or keep reading.

Innovative Mindset

Screenshot_8The innovative mindset is proactive and always looks ahead to meet the needs of families. Funeral homes who use this way of thinking tend to not be tied down by one method. They are often on a mission to serve families in whatever way they can, even if it means change. 

When you think of this mindset, think of Netflix. The streaming giant was not always a household name, but by predicting that online streaming would surpass the declining popularity of DVD and Blu-ray rentals, Netflix grew their number of subscribers from 8 million in 2007 to 208 million in 2022.

The mission was more important than the way they had done things in the past. 

Idle Mindset

Screenshot_7-2The idle mindset believes that since they are achieving their goals for the time being, they must be doing things correctly, so there's no need to change. It's very similar to the common phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

However, the idle mindset gets the mission and method mixed up sometimes. The idle mindset reacts to change, but only when forced to.

Before the pandemic, many funeral homes didn't even know they had a technology problem. But once COVID hit, their problems became very obvious, and they had little to no time to come up with a solid answer. They scrambled to find solutions, but the technology solutions available did not meet the needs of most of their families.

While being reactive is acting, it usually has unintended consequences.

Ignorant Mindset

The ignorant mindset is not describing a lack of intelligence. It focuses on the lack of action. Funeral homes with an ignorant mindset often don't put the needs of families first because they believe it requires too much work, is too inconvenient, or would require too much change. Rather than seeing the potential benefits of adapting to better serve families, these funeral homes are content to operate as they always have, whether it's in the best interest of families or not.

Screenshot_6-2

Funeral homes that ignore the needs of their families and staff fall into this category. The ignorant mindset is not mean to be offensive, but rather to describe those who are ignoring the real problem.

The ignorant mindset funeral home often puts its needs before the needs of the family. It relies on consistency, habits, and does not look to try new ideas. What's worked in the past will always work, according to these funeral professionals.

These funeral homes also do not see the risk of doing nothing, and they often believe that any new changes can be implemented by future funeral professionals or larger corporations that buy their business. 

Ultimately, the mindset you and your staff has is entirely up to you. Technology has changed how families want to plan their funeral and how they want to communicate with you. It's your choice if you adopt an innovative mindset that will set you apart from other funeral homes or not.

 

For more information on the Innovative Mindset, request a demo or contact us. Plus, we'll show you the complete Passare platform and how our tools can help you save time, serve families, and become the go-to funeral home in your community.

Get a demo