Cremation Association of North America (CANA)
  • About CANA
    • Staff List
    • Code of Cremation Practice
    • Position Statements
    • History of Cremation
    • Board of Directors >
      • Get Involved with CANA
    • Media >
      • News
    • CANA Member Directory
    • Contact Us
  • Choosing Cremation
    • Transport of Cremated Remains
    • Cremation Process
    • Arranging for Cremation >
      • Memorial Options
      • Cremation Services
      • Planning and Payment
      • Choosing a Provider
    • Find Local CANA Members
  • For Practitioners
    • Why Join CANA? >
      • CANA Member Benefits
      • Member Login
    • Self Care for Funeral Professionals
    • Create Your Profile
    • CANA Publications >
      • CANA Cremationist Magazine
      • Blog
      • CANA's Cremation Brochure Series
      • Industry Statistical Information
    • CANA Marketplace
    • 2025 Media Kit
    • Crematory Management Program
    • CANA PR Toolkit
    • Find Local CANA Members
  • Education
    • Access Your Online Courses
    • Crematory Operator Certification >
      • COCP - In English
      • COCP - en français
      • COCP - en Español
      • Pet Cremation (CPCO)
      • Alabama Refresher Program
      • Illinois Refresher Course
    • Cremation Specialist Certification
    • Business Administration Certification
    • Continuing Education Online
    • Pet Aftercare
    • Natural Organic Reduction >
      • Natural Organic Reduction Operations Certification
    • Digital Certificates & Badges
    • Academic Scholarships
    • Calendar of Events
    • Webinars
    • 107th Convention
    • 2026 Symposium
  • Career Center
  • About CANA
    • Staff List
    • Code of Cremation Practice
    • Position Statements
    • History of Cremation
    • Board of Directors >
      • Get Involved with CANA
    • Media >
      • News
    • CANA Member Directory
    • Contact Us
  • Choosing Cremation
    • Transport of Cremated Remains
    • Cremation Process
    • Arranging for Cremation >
      • Memorial Options
      • Cremation Services
      • Planning and Payment
      • Choosing a Provider
    • Find Local CANA Members
  • For Practitioners
    • Why Join CANA? >
      • CANA Member Benefits
      • Member Login
    • Self Care for Funeral Professionals
    • Create Your Profile
    • CANA Publications >
      • CANA Cremationist Magazine
      • Blog
      • CANA's Cremation Brochure Series
      • Industry Statistical Information
    • CANA Marketplace
    • 2025 Media Kit
    • Crematory Management Program
    • CANA PR Toolkit
    • Find Local CANA Members
  • Education
    • Access Your Online Courses
    • Crematory Operator Certification >
      • COCP - In English
      • COCP - en français
      • COCP - en Español
      • Pet Cremation (CPCO)
      • Alabama Refresher Program
      • Illinois Refresher Course
    • Cremation Specialist Certification
    • Business Administration Certification
    • Continuing Education Online
    • Pet Aftercare
    • Natural Organic Reduction >
      • Natural Organic Reduction Operations Certification
    • Digital Certificates & Badges
    • Academic Scholarships
    • Calendar of Events
    • Webinars
    • 107th Convention
    • 2026 Symposium
  • Career Center

Cybersecurity Risk for Small Businesses: How to Protect Your Data and Customers

7/2/2024

 
Picture
Learn about the common cyber threats that target small businesses that handle sensitive information and what you can do to prevent them.
Suppose you run a small business that handles personal health information (PHI), personally identifiable information (PII), or payment card information (PCI). In that case, you need to be aware of the cybersecurity risks that you face. Cybercriminals are constantly looking for ways to steal, compromise, or destroy your data, and they often target small businesses that have fewer resources and security measures than larger organizations.
The cost of a data breach for a small to midsize business (SMB) can be substantial. On average, a data breach costs an SMB around $217,000 per incident per the Garter® Top Trends in Cybersecurity for 2024. This figure includes immediate financial impacts such as legal fees, fines, and remediation costs.
However, the hidden costs can be even more significant. For example, the average cost of lost business due to a data breach is $1.52 million. This loss stems from eroded customer trust and the potential exodus of clients, which can be catastrophic for businesses that rely on a loyal customer base.
Additionally, operational disruptions, productivity losses, and data restoration costs add to the financial burden. For instance, downtime can cost SMBs an average of $8,000 per hour.
Given these high stakes, investing in comprehensive cybersecurity measures is crucial for protecting against the costs and disruptions of a cyberattack.

Common Threats

Some of the most common cyber threats that small businesses face are:
  • Phishing: This is a type of social engineering attack in which cybercriminals send fraudulent emails or messages that appear to come from legitimate sources, such as your bank, your vendor, or your customer. The goal is to trick you into clicking on a malicious link, opening an infected attachment, or providing sensitive information, such as your login credentials, credit card number, or tax ID. Phishing can lead to identity theft, account takeover, ransomware infection, or data leakage.
  • Ransomware: This type of malware encrypts your files or systems and demands a ransom for their decryption. Ransomware can cripple your business operations, and even if you pay the ransom, there is no guarantee that you will get your data back. Ransomware can be delivered through phishing, drive-by downloads, or unpatched vulnerabilities.
  • Data Breach: This term refers to any unauthorized access, disclosure, or theft of your data, whether intentional or accidental. Data breaches can occur due to phishing, ransomware, malware, insider threats, human error, or poor security practices. They can result in financial losses, legal consequences, reputational damage, and customer churn.

Best Practices

To reduce the cybersecurity risk for your small business, you should follow these best practices:
  1. Train your employees: Your employees are both your first defense line and your weakest link. You should educate them on how to recognize and avoid phishing, use strong and unique passwords, enable multi-factor authentication (MFA), backup and encrypt their data, and report any suspicious activity or incident.
  2. Update your software: You should keep your operating systems, applications, and antivirus software updated with the latest security patches and updates. This will help you prevent hackers from exploiting known vulnerabilities in your software.
  3. Secure your network: To protect your network from unauthorized access and intrusion, you should use a firewall, a VPN, and a secure Wi-Fi network. You should also limit access to your network and data to only those who need it and use encryption and authentication to secure your data in transit and at rest.
  4. Back up your data: You should regularly back up your data and store it in a separate location, such as an external hard drive, a cloud service, or a secure offsite facility. This will help you recover your data in case of a ransomware attack, a natural disaster, or a hardware failure.
  5. Have a response plan: You should have a clear and documented plan for responding to a cyber incident, such as a data breach or a ransomware attack. Your plan should include your team's roles and responsibilities, the steps to contain and mitigate the incident, the communication channels to notify your customers and stakeholders, and the resources to restore your operations and data.
In today's digital age, the threat of a personal or business cyberattack looms over all of us. Take a proactive stance against cyber threats and learn how to identify phishing attacks and malware schemes so you will be better prepared to safeguard your data with Lee Hovermale this September.
At CANA’s 106th Annual Cremation Innovation Convention, Lee will present on Cybersecurity Awareness: Recognizing a Threat, and Protecting Your Data. This session will empower you with information you can use to navigate the online world securely and protect yourself and your company. See what else we have planned and register to join Lee in Chicago this September: cremationassociation.org/CANA24
Picture
Lee Hovermale is the Strategic Advisor to the CEO of KiZAN Technologies.  He has over 30 years of experience in cybersecurity and 15 years in compliance.  Lee is a vCISO for six companies and a vCIO for four, managing budgets, staff meetings, vendors, security policies, vendor/client questionnaires, and security audits. His cybersecurity experience comes from his time in the Navy and in a federal government agency.

HOW THE RIGHT FUNERAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CAN REDUCE BURNOUT

3/22/2023

 
Picture
Burnout is real. Compassion fatigue is real. In a recent survey from Indeed, more than 50% of the respondents revealed that they’re feeling burned out.

That is no exception for last responders and funeral professionals.

Work schedule and the work environment are some of the biggest culprits – but the situation is not all dire. This is something that we can work on if we commit to it.

As deathcare professionals, it’s important to prioritize our own mental health. While it’s not necessarily the “solve-all” answer, we have one idea to help address burnout: utilizing an efficient funeral management system.
​
Learn about some of the ways that the right funeral management system can help your team prevent burnout and achieve a greater work-life balance.

​1. YOU CAN SAVE TIME ON TEDIOUS TASKS

There are many required tasks that both you and your families must complete in order to properly plan an arrangement or service.

Let’s be honest – task management is tedious within itself.

One report from Smartsheet found that nearly 60% of workers surveyed estimate that they could save 6 hours per week if their tedious and monotonous work tasks were automated.
Instead of mapping out tasks that need to be completed every time a new case opens up, you can automate that process with the right funeral management system.
​
Some funeral management system options allow you to create a template of action items (both standard and aftercare) that automatically generate for every unique case, such as:
  • Scheduling the arrangement conference
  • Specifying and recording service details
  • Collecting photos of the decedent for the service and slideshow
  • Helping the family complete the obituary
  • Collecting signatures for required documentation
By saving time on these normally tedious tasks, you can:
  • Prevent tasks from being missed or forgotten
  • Allow your team to spend more time on higher-value projects for the business
  • Reduce stress and headaches related to ensuring that your team is completing required tasks

2. YOU CAN BETTER SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THE WORKPLACE

You may be hearing the buzzword “cloud-based software” more and more nowadays. But you may also be wondering – what does that even mean?

There are essentially two types of funeral management software available to businesses:
  • On-Premise Software: popular for several decades, this is software that is locally installed on your computer, tablet, and phone. On-premise software is usually only allowed to be installed on a limited number of devices, and data is not shared and updated in real-time across all the devices.
  • Cloud-Based Software: more popular nowadays, this is software that is hosted by a third-party platform and doesn’t necessarily need to be installed to be used. Cloud-based software can be used on any of your devices, as long as you have a stable internet connection and a secure login. Plus, data is shared and updated in real-time across all devices.
So what makes the most sense for funeral homes nowadays? Cloud-based software – and here is why.

Instead of having to run to the office to access your local desktop computer every time you get a death call or a question from a client, you can access your funeral management system directly from any mobile device, at any time of the day, from anywhere.
​
As a result, you gain the freedom to change up your daily routine. If you are in a bind with other life events going on, you can easily work from home, access your crucial business info, and still get all of your work done.

​3. YOU CAN HOLD FAMILIES ACCOUNTABLE

Sure, you have weekly team meetings to get an up-to-date report from your team and hold each other accountable.

But you need to make sure that (to a degree) you’re holding your families accountable too.
One study from ASTD found that if you schedule recurring appointments with a partner who holds you accountable, you can increase your chances of success by 95%.
While that study doesn’t pertain directly to customers or clients, it still shows one important finding: holding people accountable (respectfully, of course) usually ends up being a win-win for everyone.

If you find the funeral management system that aligns best with your business, you can use it to hold your families accountable and ultimately take the stress off of your shoulders.

YOU CAN OBTAIN DOCUMENT SIGNATURES QUICKER
Stop playing cat and mouse with your clients and families. Instead of building enormous email threads and scanning documents one by one, you can use a funeral management system to:
  • Quickly create a digital bundle of documents that the family needs to sign
  • Autofill or auto-populate those documents with unique, identifying information
  • In one click, send the documents to the family to sign electronically
  • Save the finalized documentation to the cloud-based system for your records
When you collaborate with families directly through a funeral management system, their signed contract and any interactions they’ve completed will be digitally recorded for you.

As a result, they know that they are committed to you. Instead of running the risk of getting a bad review when you send payment reminders, you’re able to communicate with families through a third-party medium.

Not only can you save on printing and paper costs, but you also reduce the chances of error in your service documentation.

​4. YOU CAN LET YOUR TEAM MANAGE THEMSELVES

At the end of the day, what’s the most important asset to your business?

Your people.

Think about it – when you’re able to effectively manage your team and provide tools to them that make everyone's lives easier, you will likely:
  • Offer new development and learning opportunities
  • Reduce the number of employee complaints
  • Increase productivity and quality of work
  • Improve employee retention within your business
Employee retention is no joke for businesses of any size. It’s important to give your employees reasons (and tools like a funeral management system) to keep them happy and make their lives easier.

And as research from Legaljobs shows, the implicit risk or reward for funeral homes to lose even a single employee is jaw-dropping:
  • The cost of replacing a trained employee can be more than 200% of their salary
  • On average, a higher retention rate can maximize a company’s profits up to 4 times
The more you’re able to empower your team to manage themselves, the more you can focus on other strategic aspects of the business.

Most importantly, you can feel less burnout from dealing with employee situations.

SIMPLIFY EVERYTHING WITH SMARTER FUNERAL HOME MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
Burnout and compassion fatigue are very real things in the funeral and deathcare industry, but finding a smart funeral management system can help.

At Gather, we’ve truly designed our funeral management system with you in mind. Our goal is to help you increase productivity, boost your funeral home’s reputation, and simplify your life.
​
Start streamlining your team’s workflow, and give yourself the time to breathe again. Book an online demo with our team, our mission is to get you the tools and help you need.

This post originally appeared in the Gather Blog on May 16, 2022, reprinted with permission.

CANA Members can read more about Gather as well as eFuneral, GoodTrust, Halcyon Deathcare Management Solutions, In Lieu of Flowers (ILOF), MorTrack, and Parting Pro and how their tech-related products and services can enhance efficiency and ease employee stress and burnout in the article “Tech Tools: Easing the Burden on Deathcare Employees” published in Volume 58, Issue 4 of The Cremationist magazine.
​
Not a member yet? See why CANA keeps growing.

Picture
Chase Downs is a funeral home advocate with a depth of experience in various realms of digital marketing and business coaching across a range of industries, including his most recent experience at one of the top digital marketing agencies in Idaho. Chase knew he had to join Gather because it’s a very cool opportunity to ultimately help provide better experiences for families during the most intimate and sometimes difficult life moments they will ever go through.

LIBRARY RESOURCES FOR FUNERAL HOMES, CEMETERIES, CREMATORIES AND SUPPLIERS

6/22/2022

 
Picture
I haven’t worked in a library since 2005, but I still call myself a librarian—even after serving as CANA’s Executive Director for ten years. That’s because librarians do much more than fine you for that overdue book and shush noisy patrons. As the American Library Association puts it, “In their work, librarians research, instruct, and connect people to technology... Librarians work with people of all ages, connecting them to information, learning and the community.” 

As CANA’s Executive Director (and behind-the-scenes librarian), I conduct research and library tasks nearly every workday, because cremation professionals are curious people who are eager to learn and make data-driven decisions. In fact, CANA’s commitment to research – which then helps businesses and our profession advance – is one of my favorites among the CANA projects and benefits we provide. I know CANA members rely on our association to publish timely and practical content, and we will continue to do so, but I also encourage you discover the many ways your local public library can help you, too.

When was the last time you visited your public library? Story time for your child or grandchild? To visit a book sale? Use the restroom? Maybe never? I admit that it’s been a while since I’ve been to a library (pandemic notwithstanding), but I use my library online to borrow e-books and magazines and to access databases for personal and CANA use.

Public libraries offer a wide range of services to the business community, from meeting space to direct mailing lists, free technology and training classes. The Urban Libraries Council estimates that in 2021, a pandemic year during which many libraries offered limited or virtual services, the actual value of library services to entrepreneurs and small business owners ranged from $815,000 for Greensboro Public Library in North Carolina to $1.38 million in Spokane, Washington. That cost includes what the library provides for free that people would have to pay to own or use, like the makerspace (e.g., 3D printers and digital design equipment) and training programs—or even just a computer with internet access.
​
Libraries can be a treasure trove of business resources for you and your employees. So, here’s this librarian’s quick look at making the most of these free resources for your business.

how do i access my library?

This is an important first step to take advantage of a library’s many resources, even though several drop-in programs (and the restroom) can be accessed just by walking in the door. You can always get a library card by visiting your library, and often you can start the process online. Sometimes libraries offer library cards to businesses, so if you live in a different community than your business, you can expand the resources you can access. ​

what will i find there?

When you think public library, you likely imagine books on shelves, but the resources most helpful to your professional needs are likely online. If you visit your library’s website you can see what they have to offer your business and employees. Here are some examples of resources you may find:
​ACCESS
Saw a link to an interesting article in the Wall Street Journal or Harvard Business Review on LinkedIn but ran into a pay wall? Your library might have a subscription. Log in to the library website and access thousands of magazine and journal databases.

You can find a whole range of other publications, too. Go to the library’s website and locate Research Databases, then explore the Business category and see what’s trending for businesses today.
INFORMATION
Need local lists of residents, local census data or other data to conduct your market research, create mailing lists, or produce competitor reports? Look at the library’s resources online, but also call the reference librarian. This kind of custom research may require some effort, but the time invested will pay off with information that cuts straight to your business and your community.
EDUCATION
Seeking education on new technologies or business topics? Libraries often provide free access to online learning through different providers like LinkedIn Learning. This can be great for general skills like management, marketing, and data analysis.
GUIDANCE
Starting a new business or planning an expansion? You need a business plan and will find handbooks and guides at the library. Your librarian can be a great help here, too, to help you identify and focus on the type of growth you want to achieve and the challenges you can face.
MENTORS
Libraries are a frequent physical home to the numerous Small Business Development Centers  across the US. These centers also collaborate with other organizations such as the US Small Business Administration (SBA), SCORE, and the local economic development office to provide mentoring or trainings in the library meetings rooms or auditoriums. And these resources can be valuable even if you can’t find them at your local library!

​BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE…

Robert sipped his first cup of coffee of the day and scrolled through his LinkedIn feed. No death calls had come in during the night so he slept a solid six hours and was feeling great. A few moments later, he saw a notification from his mortuary school buddy, John:
MEETING SPACES
Libraries offer community meeting space. This could be an ideal location to host grief support groups or educational programs on cremation or other topics. Libraries typically prohibit use of their space for sales, so preneed programs may not be supported, but these spaces are wired for technology and available at low or no cost.
GRIEF RESOURCES
Refer families to the library to access grief resources. Consider donating quality grief materials in coordination with the library staff. Libraries have limited resources and expertise in house, so this could be a mutually beneficial community partnership. Ensure access to quality materials, while securing a tax deduction and recognition in library newsletters.
GENEALOGY RESOURCES
Libraries attract genealogy buffs almost as much as cemeteries do. Offer information about your cemetery and local history to the genealogy collection. If a genealogy group meets at the library, offer your services as a speaker.
RELIABLE WIFI
On the road and need wifi? Starbucks may have your cold brew along with wifi, but your public library is a great option as well (and some actually offer coffee, too).
​BOOKS
Want to read the latest management book or bestseller? Sure, you can purchase it at the airport bookstore, but you can also download it through the library app before stepping on the plane to enjoy that well-deserved vacation.

your tax dollars at work

A few dollars of your tax payments go to fund public libraries, so why not make the most of it? Also, did you know that federal funding of public libraries is distributed based on library card holders? Simply getting your library card supports funding for your library and your community.

Barbara takes the CANA Convention stage this August to show just how much she loves research by facilitating not one but two sessions on new research from CANA. In Cremation Trends Part 1: Statistics and Business Diversification, sponsored by The Wilbert Group, we’ll look at the profession’s response to cremation trends, excess deaths and how businesses are diversifying through the addition of pet cremation—all with expert insights from leaders across the profession.

Then, in Cremation Trends Part 2: Cremation Memorialization, sponsored by Columbarium by Design, Barbara introduces the results of brand-new cremation memorialization research. Delving into the motivations for people keeping their human and pet cremated remains in homes throughout the US and Canada, she’ll facilitate a discussion with leaders on the results of this study and what it means for cremation memorialization today and in the future. Register to see this can’t-miss research: goCANA.org/CANA22
​

CANA Members can access the full Annual Statistics Report in the latest issue of The Cremationist. The next issue will cover key takeaways from the brand-new memorialization research, so stay tuned! Not a member? Consider joining your business to access tools, techniques, statistics, and advice to help you understand how to grow the range of services and products you can offer – only $495

Picture
Barbara Kemmis, CAE is Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America, where she promotes all things cremation through member programs, education and strategic partnerships. After more than 20 years of experience in association leadership, Barbara knows that bringing people together to advance common goals is not only fun, but the most effective strategy to get things done.
​
Barbara has served two prior professions as the Director of Member Services at the American Theological Library Association and Vice President of Library and Nonprofit Services at the Donors Forum (now Forefront). Barbara earned a master’s degree in library science from Dominican University, a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from North Park University and a B.A. from Earlham College. In 2021, Barbara earned the Certified Association Executive credential in recognition for her expertise and experience.

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR IS CHANGING – ARE YOU PREPARED?

12/8/2021

 
Picture
Earlier this year, our Foundation Partners marketing team embarked on a three-pronged research project to better understand the online habits of the post-COVID deathcare consumer. After conducting hundreds of online surveys, one-on-one interviews and focus groups, we partnered with CANA in November 2021 to present the results in a webinar entitled, “How Consumer Attitudes Toward Online Deathcare are Changing.” Our presentation team included Sally Camm, whose firm Astound Commerce conducted the research, Luke Frieberg, president of eFuneral, Foundation Partners’ Vice President of Marketing Scott Ankerholz and me.

Our panel of digital marketing experts shared five broad consumer trends impacting deathcare and outlined steps you can take today to stay ahead of the curve. If you missed it, no worries; simply click here to watch the recording and download the slidedeck.

five trends that will shape our future

After hundreds of surveys and conversations, five key trends emerged that are impacting the deathcare purchase journey.

1. WELLNESS
Consumers are increasingly focused on wellness, which encompasses not just physical but mental, spiritual and environmental concerns as well. As a result, younger consumers (under 45) want to engage in a different, more positive conversation about death and deathcare. In general, they have a broader definition of death preparedness than previous generations. Instead of who will get what, the conversation is more about how they can have their affairs in order — emotionally, spiritually and relationship-wise — so they can enjoy their lives now and ease the burden on family members.
With this in mind, you may want to expand your preneed marketing efforts to include younger families. Additionally, your services don’t have to stop after memorialization or permanent placement services are done. Today’s families appreciate aftercare services, like grief support, assistance obtaining death certificates and other “concierge” services that help them navigate the myriad of tasks required to close the affairs of a loved one.

2. INDIVIDUALITY
As the focus on religious funeral services wanes in the U.S., families are opting for services that celebrate the life and uniqueness of the individual. Nearly a third of consumers who completed our online surveys reported that religion did not factor meaningfully into how they considered making funeral arrangements. As more funerals become joyous occasions and celebrations of life, we have the opportunity to unleash our creativity to help families say farewell to loved ones in style. This will create new revenue streams as we reimagine funeral services.

3. TRANSPARENCY
During our in-person interviews with both at-need and preneed consumers, 95 percent cited transparency as one of the major reasons for their choice of a deathcare provider. In their 2020 Funeral and Cemetery Consumer Behavior Study, The Foresight Companies found that 75 percent of consumers said they want pricing available online and will not do business with providers who are not transparent. Fifty-two percent said they will ONLY do business with companies that provide online pricing options.

But these consumers are not just looking for price transparency; they also want process transparency. Why? Because process transparency puts them in charge and, during the highly stressful at-need time, it allows them to maintain some semblance of control when their lives have been changed forever. Consumers have become accustomed to tracking their online transactions and their expectations during the deathcare journey are no different. Deathcare providers who can offer up-to-the-minute notifications of things, like when loved ones will be cremated and when those remains will be ready for delivery or pick-up, will have an advantage over their competition.

4. OMNICHANNEL SERVICE
Today’s consumers want an integrated, seamless journey across digital and physical experiences – online, by phone and in person. While recent consumers of deathcare services report that in-person remains their preferred method of arranging, we saw a greater willingness among those who have not yet purchased to turn to online arrangement options.

Luke Frieberg shared a case study in which an eFuneral partner encouraged families to review their options on their website before the arrangement meeting. Some of these families completed their purchases on the website, while others came into the arrangement meeting with more clarity around their decisions. Of those families that completed their purchases online, 93 percent upgraded the casket generating additional revenue. Overall, the cost of arrangements made online were 20 percent higher compared to purely in-person meetings and resulted in additional revenue. The firm also reported that families were more relaxed and that funeral directors had a better experience when meeting in person after providing this online option.
​
5. TIME STARVATION
Time, and the lack of it, was a primary concern in our interviews, particularly among the at-need consumer. At a time of high stress, especially during COVID, consumers look for us to remove the friction from the decision-making process and to do it in a timeframe that suits them. One of the key ways consumers save time is by doing online research themselves to narrow the selections before they call. Our online cremation consumer survey also showed that both cremation users, and non-cremation users, value the convenience of online arrangements and the ability to browse options on their own terms. Both consumer groups reported that they were either “somewhat satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their experience.

​ARE YOU ADOPTING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES?

Industry research, including our own, overwhelmingly indicates that Americans are more comfortable than ever blending tradition with modern preferences. As more families search online for deathcare information and funeral homes, having a website that presents information and options that are clear, transparent and easy-to-use is essential. eCommerce options have gone from a “nice to have” to a “must have” in today’s environment. Consumers say they want us, as the experts, to show them the entire process they are going to experience so they can be prepared, informed and make better decisions that they can feel good about. These tech-savvy, questioning consumers will put pressure on all of us to do better in 2022. It’s a challenge that presents unlimited opportunities for us to reimagine funeral services in a way that reinforces our value to grieving families.

Picture
Lee Senderov is Chief Marketing & Digital Officer at Foundation Partners Group. A digital marketing veteran, she has more than 20 years’ experience in digital marketing, sales, business development and e-commerce in both public and private equity-backed companies. As a member of Foundation Partners’ senior leadership team, Lee is responsible for driving sales growth, advancing the company’s digital strategies and developing new e-commerce solutions.

SUPPLIER INNOVATIONS IN A YEAR OF DARKNESS

8/25/2021

 
Picture
Larry Stuart, Jr. and the exhibitors and sponsors of CANA’s 103rd Cremation Innovation Convention in Seattle discussed innovative solutions created by CANA Supplier members during the pandemic. These are some highlights from that session.

Without suppliers, we have nothing. Can I get an amen on that?
​
We need these guys to run our businesses, we need these guys to run our businesses well. This is a new session from CANA. And I'm kind of excited about it. It's all about innovation.

FT THE AMERICAS (FACULTATIEVE TECHNOLOGIES)
ERNIE KASSOFF

Did cremations go up during the pandemic? The problem with higher capacity, and even with the dispensation by some of the governors who waived all the environmental capacity limits, is what happens to cremation equipment? It breaks. How do you get it fixed if no one can travel? Keeping the wheels turning in creative ways can be just as important.

FT had to come up with a protocol to keep themselves safe and to keep their customers safe. All of our technicians were vaccinated early. And we had strict instructions from Europe – a five-page document that everybody was required to sign off on. Kelly Vinning and I were back on the road in May of 2020 going out to see customers. We had to do daily reports on what we did to maintain safety, and we have not had anybody contract COVID in our company at all.

It wasn't also just emergency services work – we were able to maintain all of our preventive maintenance schedules throughout. So we did not miss any preventative maintenance from Canada, throughout the US, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. We made every PM on time.

CREMATION SYSTEMS (A DIVISION OF ARMIL CFS)
TOM KROWL

Cremation Systems is a division of Armil CFS which is also an industrial furnace manufacturer. But, during the pandemic, we really didn't have a tremendous amount of the typical casting/forge/heat-treat style business. So, the engineering guys had some time, and we had to occupy their time. We got a call from a disabled veteran of the US Army who had good connections supplying the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He said, “Do you guys think that you could move a retort and building, and put it wherever you want relatively quickly?” And we developed the modular, on-site crematorium – the MOCx™.
​
We've had a number of people go to FEMA, but the federal government doesn't do anything very quickly. So we are selling them to independent businesses now. But it showed us some advantages on where it could go, and people are talking to us about it. It'll fit on a small footprint, so putting this on a small space would work quite well. But again, it's ready for that C-word that none of us like to say: COVID.

FUNERAL INNOVATIONS
ALEX MCCRACKEN

We do digital marketing for funeral homes, and as all of you know, when COVID broke out, everybody put their foot on the brake in terms of how they were communicating with their community. People were scared, people were sensitive, people didn't know how to respond to the new reality we were going into.

A lot of our funeral homes were worried about how they're being perceived by the community. How can you go out and have proactive marketing when people are dying? So, we went through Facebook posts and emails and email newsletters and even websites to modify the content to speak sensitively to that. Additionally, we modified content to make sure that we were providing them solutions on how to do grief support or how to contact offices when you can't actually go in or you can't talk to somebody.
​
It was a tough time. We are still producing a lot of this content for different parts of the country, like how to grieve from a distance or how to memorialize when you can't have a traditional service. We've throttled back on some of that, but as we see the different waves of this pandemic go on, we'll have to adjust accordingly to what each funeral home really feels like they need to do to relate to their community.

C&J FINANCIAL
JEFF HARBESON

During the pandemic, if any of you tried to process any insurance claims, guess what happened with the insurance companies? They had the same issues that we all did: they had people who were working from home, they were backlogged, and they were doing more cases than they ever had in their history. And so that caused a problem for us that do life insurance assignments. So we came up with a program called Quick Claim.

It really started at the end-user – the funeral director or the providers – where you could literally put the information in in 90 seconds. The complete data would go in, what was returned immediately with us was all the documents you needed to have in order to process that claim for that particular company. So we were able to assign life insurance policies for funeral providers and cremation providers in a much more timely manner than we had done in the past.

PARTING STONE
JUSTIN CROWE

When the pandemic really hit in March, we were about four months into our business. We had built our whole business with this really specific model to empower the funeral homes with the selling tools they needed to sell in-person to families. We had just started to see families really being impacted by having a form of remains they could touch and hold. And then, all of a sudden, families were no longer going into funeral homes and funeral directors were redesigning how they were communicating with families over the phone, over email, over Zoom.

So our innovation is that we built a suite of tools for the funeral directors to use that included affiliate links so that our partners could use our website as a selling tool to educate the families. We created PowerPoint presentations, we did trainings on how to use these tools and communicate with families. By the time those stay-at-home orders lifted in June 2020, our funeral homes started to see increased sales and the families were happy.

CREMATION RECYCLING
JULIE BURN

We don't really have a product innovation, but one of the things that we did do, because it was very important to us, is to develop a webinar that would educate funeral professionals about what actually takes place at post-cremation metal recycling. We have an open-door policy, if you're ever nearby please come and you can view the whole thing.
​
I'm very passionate about education. So the purpose of this webinar is to educate every funeral professional about what takes place with metal recycling, because you need to have the correct answers. Somebody in our profession did a YouTube video on what happens if there's gold and says, “well, that all melts, so there's nothing left.” Well, that is incorrect. So again, you need to have the correct information.

MATTHEWS ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS
ANDREW STRYKOWSKI

We at Matthews saw the double-edged sword of supplies during COVID spikes. The supplies you need are quadrupling and supply chains are breaking down – so the backlog of everything is expanding. Our supply program – the Burn Box – works with the facility. We talk about what caseload you have, what kind of caseload you're expecting to have, what your usage rate is for different supply items, what supply items you use a lot, what you use very little, and we basically break down a shipping schedule for the coming year. So your supplies are showing up right before you need to call and order them again.
​
It has been extremely convenient for our customers. Owners and operators know that there's a few things that you need without fail when cremating: your rollers, your temporary cremation containers, utility urns, and your mailers. Having those come on a cycle without you having to think about it means you can dedicate all your time to your families and the million other things happening right now in the cremation space. It really makes life easier for the operator, the crematory managers, and the facilities themselves.

INSIGHT INSTITUTE
GLENDA STANSBURY

We train celebrants all over the world. We have about 4,500 people who've been through celebrant training in the last 20 years. And a lot of us are very actively involved in offering services on a very regular basis. And so, when lockdown happened, I went, “this is going to change how we do service. It's going to change so much about how we reach out to families, and how we talk about death in this time.”

So I just sent out a call to Celebrants, and we brainstormed over a weekend and put together a resource book. if you go through celebrant training, you get a 600-page resource book full of full services. This one was about 40 pages of suggested services, suggested words, suggested ceremonies that you could do that would still be effective on Zoom or from a distance. And we called it Ceremonies to Celebrate Together from Afar. We just put it together, we sent it out, and we said “we want you to have this, we want you to have words.” Because, in my world, words are the most powerful thing we can have.
​
We're still having to deal with having services that are unique, different or distanced. We still understand that these times are requiring us to think differently about ceremony and how we do things. So we put this together and have offered it to anybody who wants it. We try so hard to create meaningful things that you can use with your family. So take it, use it, and think of celebrants: Ceremonies to Celebrate Together from Afar.

KYBER COLUMBARIUM & CONSULTING
DEREK MAHER

My business partner, Melanie Turner, actually came up with it. During the pandemic, we had a lot of time to sit and think so we tried to come up with some new ideas. With my background, – being a funeral director, a cemeterian, building niches for almost 20 years now – we’re trying to come up with something for the for the funeral home and the cemetery so that the family sees the value. Simple can be the best thing sometimes, and you don't get much more simple than the Urn Committal Shelf. It goes on and off the front of certain styles of niches, and it just clicks in in less than 10 seconds. The urn sits on there so you have a perfect spot for presentation when you're doing a final committal service. They always look at cremation as the final step but of course, we know that's not the final step. People need to do something with the cremated remains afterwards. This adds to the ability for people to be able to do something like that.

​FULL-CIRCLE AFTERCARE
MATT VAN DRIMMELEN

​WA quick case study: We were helping a lady who was taking care of her husband. As she was helping him out of the tub, she fell and broke her hip right when COVID hit. Her husband was on hospice care and he passed away a few days later. Unfortunately, the intern who was helping report her information reported to social security that she had passed away, not her husband. So, as we start helping with the benefits, we call Social Security, they figure out that they have the wrong death report and they cut off all of her benefits.

Normally, we would need to go and take the death certificate into the Social Security Office, but with everything closed, they couldn't do that. So we reached out to the Senator from Alaska (which is where this lady lived) in Washington D.C., and the next thing I know is the social security administrator from Washington D.C. called my cell phone and said, “I need to get this fixed.” It ended up being a happy story: we got her benefits turned back on.

A lot of our innovation came from helping families and trying to help them work with companies that were shut down or people working from home and they didn't know how to work with their systems. So we helped keep families safe by allowing the family to be at home while Full-Circle deals with all of the companies and government agencies.

A lot of the suppliers didn't participate in this because we're all busy. Though not everyone did participate, everyone is working their butts off to serve you so that you can serve our families. Follow up with the ideas above and find a full list of Exhibitors at CANA's 103rd Cremation Innovation Convention on the event website: goCANA.org/CANA21
Looking for more? Review the full directory of CANA Supplier Members on the CANA website: goCANA.org/SupplierMembers

Picture
Larry Stuart, Jr. is the Founder of Cremation Strategies and Consulting, and the former President of Crematory Manufacturing & Service, Inc., a leading manufacturer of technologically advanced cremation equipment. Cremation Strategies and Consulting provides expert leadership, planning, organization, training, education, process improvement and strategic planning for the cremation profession. Larry is also a Certified Funeral Celebrant and believes that every life deserves to be honored in celebration remembrance.

THE CLOUD: WHAT, WHY, AND HOW?

4/7/2021

 
Picture
Many business owners approach the Internet and its options with a touch of uncertainty. We've all heard of "the cloud," but what exactly is it, and why should you trust your important business data to a place that you can't see or touch?

If you are in need of a safe, secure, and highly accessible location for your cemetery or funeral home's data, then maybe you should trust what the cloud has to offer.

what is "the cloud"?

Many definitions of the cloud seem to be long-winded and difficult to understand. But simply put, the cloud refers to secure, centralized computers that process requests and deliver data to users over the Internet.

For example, your email is in the cloud. While you access your email either through a browser or app intended specifically for email, anything you send or receive is actually stored in the cloud. And it's not just text. Any attachments that you include or insert into an email, including documents, pictures, videos, and more, are all now in the cloud. Imagine you upload an image of a burial service and send it to a family via email. But then your laptop breaks, and you lose that image. You can simply use a different computer to go back to the previously sent email and retrieve the file, as it is now stored in the cloud. You – and whoever you sent it to – can access it when they want to.

HOW DOES "THE CLOUD" WORK?
​
When understanding how the cloud works, it's important first to understand the phrase "software as a service" because it's fundamental to the concept. "SaaS" means applications that are available in the cloud on-demand, often procured via a subscription. These applications are fully functional in their own right. You won't need anything else to set them up as all the details – the servers, the databases, the network setup, and everything else – are taken care of by the provider, completely invisible to the customer. Instead, the customer is provided with a unique web address from which they can access the software just by opening a web browser, and they are ready to start.

​WHY SHOULD YOU USE "THE CLOUD"?

Storing your data in the cloud offers your cemetery or funeral home many new options and benefits. Advantages of using the cloud include cost, flexibility, accessibility, and security.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?

​The most important, and most obvious, reason to use the cloud is that it makes financial sense for your business. Users have access to high-performance software at a lower cost because they're sharing the space with multiple users. While many people might do the math and determine that it is cheaper to buy an on-premise server than pay monthly subscription costs, they may not be factoring in the prices for upgrades, maintenance, and even factors like electricity.

Along with the financial benefits, the cloud provides the convenience of flexibility. As your cemetery or funeral home grows, you can adjust your subscription based on your capacity or capability needs—all with very little effort on your part.

Another advantage of using the cloud is accessibility. You may keep several filing cabinets in the back office to handle all of the information that you deal with every year, but this is unnecessary with the cloud. It can safely and securely hold all of that data without the necessity of keeping a paper copy on site. You can quickly and efficiently pull up a single record or search a whole section of your cemetery, all with a few computer clicks. Plus, this reduces the chance of filing errors, like when you accidentally filed the 'Smyth' records under 'Smith.'

The cloud is highly accessible in yet another way. The past year saw many companies transition to stay-at-home work schedules due to the global pandemic. Those that were already using cloud-based management software had it much easier in this respect. Staff could continue working from home without missing a beat, accessing the software, and all of their data via the cloud.

Using the cloud for data storage also offers an attractive benefit of safety from data loss. Your data is highly valuable to your company. However, your computer has a limited lifespan that is measured in years, not decades. Typically there's no warning that your computer is about to die. When it does, you'll lose everything you have on it unless you back it up, which you can do with the cloud.

Storing data in the cloud also means that it's safe from disaster—not just from fire or another major calamity—but from Jane who accidentally spills her Coke across her desk or from Bob with his bad habit of misfiling paperwork. In the cloud, your data is all in one centralized location, is automatically backed up, and is protected from natural disasters or other interruptions.

When stored in the cloud, your data is also highly secure from cyber attacks. While cloud servers might offer a tempting target to cybercriminals, cloud service providers are highly trained and financially backed to prevent such a breach. Individual office computers have a higher risk of being compromised than data managed by cloud storage companies.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES?

We can't say that the cloud is without its share of challenges. For instance, with cloud storage, you rely heavily on your internet connection. Everyone in the office and all remote workers will need a reliable internet connection with reasonably fast speed and acceptable bandwidth. You're at the mercy of your internet provider, and if you experience an internet outage, you will be without access to your data until your provider repairs the issue. However, it's important to realize that almost every business must rely to some extent on the Internet, so this challenge is not unique to cloud users.
​
A commonly perceived challenge is that of the amount of control you maintain. This is a myth and can be easily mitigated. Be sure that you fully understand the terms of your agreement with the cloud provider to learn the degree of control you have over the system and service. It is important to note that when you move to the cloud, you still maintain full ownership of all of your data, at all times, forever. You also retain control over who is using your system and what is done with your data.

​SO, HOW DO YOU GET INTO "THE CLOUD"?

The cloud is everywhere today. Zoom has become a noun, verb, and adjective, as well as a household name ever since the pandemic changed the workforce. What is Zoom but cloud meetings? Dropbox is ultimately just cloud storage. Netflix? Cloud movies. The cloud is everywhere, and you probably already use cloud-based apps regularly – they have become so ubiquitous that nobody gives them a second thought.

It has never been easier or safer to transition your business' data to the cloud. And because your cemetery or funeral home's data can be more accessible, safer, and more efficient using a cloud-based system, now is the time to switch. Get in touch with us today to talk about how cloud-based cemetery or funeral home management software could work for you.

This post originally appeared on opusxenta.com

Learn more technology solutions for your business from Stephen Carter and other experts at a virtual roundtable experience on Wednesday, April 7, 1pm CT. Marketing, technology, death doulas… oh my! Registration is free for CANA Members and just $15 for non-members, so join us for a Crucial Conversation on Tools to Generate New Business.
​
Not a member yet? See why CANA keeps growing

Picture
Stephen Carter is Regional Sales Associate of OpusXenta. While new to OpusXenta and the death care industry, Stephen has spent the last several years working in the financial services industry on servicing and technology solutions. He has enjoyed spearheading projects and spending time working at conventions and with trade industries to better companies and assist in improving processes.

    RSS Feed

    The Cremation Logs Blog

    Cremation experts share the latest news, trends, and creative advice for industry professionals. Register or log in to subscribe and stay engaged with all things cremation.

    Categories

    All
    Aftercare
    Alkaline Hydrolysis
    Arranging
    Body Preparation
    Business Planning
    Celebrants
    Cemetery
    Communication
    Consumers
    Covid19
    Cremation Specialists
    Education
    Embalming
    Events
    Green Practices
    Grief
    Guest Post
    History
    Hr
    Inspiration
    Installation
    Leadership
    Manufacturers
    Marketing
    Memorialization
    Personalization
    Pets
    Preplanning
    Processes And Procedures
    Professional Development
    Public Relations
    Safety
    Selfcare
    Services
    Statistics
    Storytelling
    Suppliers
    Technology
    Tips And Tools
    Transportation

    Archives

    July 2025
    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Copyright 2000-2025 Cremation Assoc. of North America. All rights reserved.
499 Northgate Parkway, Wheeling, IL 60090-2646
v 312.245.1077 f 312.321.4098
[email protected]
Privacy Policy | Liability Disclaimers

Quick Links

home
about
media
statistics
contact us
login
Picture