Whether you’ve been in death care for decades or you’re getting started with your first funeral home, it’s essential to keep learning. This could be educating your team on new techniques, adopting technology to improve your family experience, or getting knowledge from vets in the profession. 

In a rapidly changing industry like death care, your funeral home’s success nearly depends on your commitment to continued growth; here’s why. 

 

The Profession is Evolving

During the peak of the pandemic, many funeral homes embraced new types of ceremonies such as virtual memorials that allowed people to “gather” safely. Alternatively, we also saw a sharp increase in the rates of cremation. While the former trend might have proven a temporary solution, the popularity of cremation shows few signs of slowing down, making it essential for funeral directors and owners to incorporate cremation services into their business model. 

Additionally, while the majority of Americans still identify as Christian––and are thus likely to align with traditional burial practices––the number of secular Americans continues to grow

While it’s impossible to make a blanket statement about this group’s preferences for death care practices, one can assume that we’ll see resulting upticks in the popularity of alternative burial methods like human composting and aquamation.

 

To Engage Employees

If you want to keep quality talent at your funeral home, the statistics show that you’ll need to provide continued learning opportunities. In fact, 86% of employees want their employers to provide ongoing education and training. Job development is specifically important to millennials who will make up 75% of the workforce by 2025. 

You should collaboratively draft out a plan that allows them to uplevel their skills, earn more money, and provide greater value to your business. This could mean advancing their knowledge through courses, providing workshops, or even partnering them with a mentor. 

 

Sparking Continued Growth

More than simply avoiding complacency, growing your funeral business requires consistent and interactive learning, regarding both your funeral home and the profession at large. In both of these areas, it’s helpful to turn to experts in the field. 

Not only can consultants provide an objective perspective on the current operations of your business, but they can also help you develop a plan to grow more efficiently, one that accounts for the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities faced by your funeral business. 

At Johnson Consulting Group, our team has worked with funeral businesses at every stage of growth, from new funeral homes to establishments that have spanned generations. Owners and directors of funeral homes themselves, each member of our team is familiar with the day-to-day operations of funeral businesses, as well as greater trends in death care. 

If you’re looking to learn some tricks in the funeral business and incorporate them into your operations, then our consultants can help you out. Armed with decades of experience, our consulting team can collaborate with your management to help your business adapt and engage its team members.