Page B4 November 2022 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on B Security National Life Announces “Green” Updates to Corporate Campus Funeral homes can choose to customize the avatar used to deliver the message. Instead of showing a generic avatar, AVA can look – and sound – like the funeral home owner or any member of the staff. Strategic Funeral Resources Introduces Innovative AVA Software BARRIE,ON— Strategic Funeral Resources, the consulting company that helps funeral homes innovate and transform, has recently introduced its Automated Virtual Arranger (AVA) software. The AVA process takes the best types of human interactions – engaging, warm and emotional connections – and combines them with revolutionary Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to create a lifelike, interactive experience with a digital personal assistant; think Alexa or Siri for funeral planning. “The AVA digital avatar presents families with funeral options in an easy-to-understand format and helps them understand the whole process before they ever need to speak with a funeral director or visit the funeral home,” said Curt Fitzsimmons, president of Strategic Funeral Resources. “It’s important to understand that AVA is designed to enhance the arrangement experience, not to replace the face-to-face interaction with funeral directors.” AVA comes to life with one click on a funeral home’s website. The lifelike virtual personal assistant leads families through a self-guided journey that covers everything from cremation and burials to caskets, urns, service offerings, and pricing. While some funeral homes shy away from technology believing it will impact foot traffic to their facilities, the opposite can actually occur. AVA puts families at ease. They are better informed and therefore feel they are making better decisions. “Our software helps funeral homes generate what we like to call ‘educated’ leads. Families now arrive at the funeral home enlightened about the services and products they want and are speaking ‘funeral’,” added Fitzsimmons. “I strongly believe the more information a family has before making a decision, the better value that decision will be when they come to make their final arrangements. It’s a win-win for both the family and the funeral home.” Before the pandemic began impacting in-person meetings, technology has altered how families shop – whether for clothes, cars, homes, or funeral-related items. While a portion of the population still wants to make pre-need or atneed arrangements inside a funeral home, a growing subset prefers to browse the options from the convenience of the home, the office, or even the hospital. “AVA guides the family through a complete funeral service from start to finish based on what the family selects,” says Fitzsimmons. “If the family wants, they can even pay and sign contracts online – they never have to enter the funeral home. Of course, this is not our preferred method of contact, but as funeral home owners, we need to be ready to meet their demands.” While a standard script for funeral homes is provided, many funeral homes choose to customize both the content and the avatar being used to deliver the message. Instead of using a generic computer-generated avatar, AVA can look – and sound – like the funeral home owner or any member of the staff. The program can run in multiple ethnicities and languages to eliminate cultural barriers, and the software is not just limited to arrangements. It can also be used to market new products and services, run contests, or even train staff. “I believe online arrangements are a very important option for families,” emphasizes Fitzsimmons. “Some people will always prefer to go into a funeral home, but many people out there today are looking for different ways to arrange a funeral – whether at-need or pre-need. This viable, easy-to-use, informational software allows them to do just that.” Strategic Funeral Resources is a boutique funeral solution firm that provides outstanding, customized client service and solutions, just like your funeral home or cemetery. Over the years, the firm has provided a wide range of services for burial or cremation opportunities, both tactical and strategic. Strategic Funeral Resources’ arrangement office focus has helped their funeral home clients tobuild their businesses profitably while implementing new ideas and concepts for the future. To learn more about AVA, the automated virtual arranger, visit www.strategicfuneralresources.com or contact Strategic Funeral Resources at 647-207-2878. SALT LAKE CITY,UT— Security National Life Insurance Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Security National Financial Corporation (NASDAQ-SNFCA) is pleased to announce an initiative to expand their Corporate Social Responsibility goals and assist in the local water conservation. As the Company has built their corporate campus in Salt Lake City, they have made great efforts to construct an environmentally sound development that utilizes the most efficient building practices. In the planning phase of the development the company chose to add intelligent building systems and build offerings to encourage employees to take advantage of more green modes of transportation. Most recently, the Company chose to utilize a low water landscape plan to lessen the ecological footprint of the development. In doing so, they revamped the landscape plan and removed approximately 12,000 square feet of grass in the common space. By doing so, the company projects to save hundreds of thousands of gallons of water yearly. This change comes at a time where the region is facing drought conditions and many communities have turned to landscaping to lessen those negative impacts on the area. Scott Quist, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Security National Financial Corporation stated, “Being good stewards of our environment is important to SecurityNational and its employees. The costs borne by the company is substantial, but we believe it’s a vital part of making smart decisions for our community. This drought that we all face puts us in dire situations and Security National will do its part to help our region as we all endeavor to execute on a strong environmental plan.” For more information, visit www.securitynational.com. Homesteaders Life Company Recognized as Top Iowa Workplace WEST DES MOINES,IA— Homesteaders Life Company has been named a Top Iowa Workplace for the eighth consecutive year. Homesteaders was one of 40 Top Iowa Workplaces that were also recognized nationally. “I’m proud that Homesteaders has once again been recognized as a Top Iowa Workplace,” said Steve Shaffer, Homesteaders president, CEO and board chair. “Our team’s dedication and our strong company culture influence everything we do, helping us provide exceptional service and innovative solutions for our policy owners and partners. Being selected eight years in a row based on employee feedback exemplifies the excellence and commitment we have in our team and how much our employees believe in everything we do.” The Top Iowa Workplace award recognizes companies that demonstrate strong employee satisfaction and overall organizational health. Recipients are chosen based on the results of an employee feedback survey conducted by The Des Moines Register in conjunction with Energage, LLC. On average, fewer than 3% of eligible organizations earn a prestigious Top Workplace designation. Homesteaders was one of only eight employers that were recognized in the top 50 of their size categories regionally and nationally. “Our recognition as a Top Iowa Workplace is truly a reflection of how our employees bring their best every day,” said Judy Ralston-Hansen, Homesteaders executive vice president-human resources. “We know the work we do here makes a difference and have cultivated a caring and flexible workplace to help support it. Our employees consistently demonstrate our core values each and every day in the work that they do.” Homesteaders employs 176 employees at its home office in West Des Moines and a team of 35 sales staff in the field. In addition to its people-first culture, the company offers competitive compensationandbenefits,professionaldevelopment opportunities, a success-sharing program, an incentive award program and commitments to employee health, inclusion and community outreach. 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