August 2020

Page A36 AUGUST 2020 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A Phone: 877-770-TIES (8437) Fax: 276-466-3474 E-mail: customerservice@tiesforyou.com www.tiesforyou.com STYLISH MATCHING TIES FOR PROFESSIONALS Any Size Group or Organization Time may be only a moment so keep a memory Necklace Urn Pendants for an Everlasting Keepsake. Urns hold a portion of the cremains. Sterling Silver and Gold pieces in stock. orders or catalog : www.cremationkeepsakes.com cremationkeepsakes@comcast.net 877-303-3144 CREMATION KEEPSAKES Attend virtually Safely connect with your friends and colleagues via a state-of-the-art virtual experience! Registration Opens August 17 2020 NFDA International Convention & Expo convention.nfda.org Refocus. Refresh. Reinvigorate. 2020_Convention_Ad4_NOMIS.indd 1 7/13/20 1:30 PM News Educational ContinueD MKJ introduces Virtual Arrangement Training Program some people are comfort- able, maybe too comfort- able, re-entering daily life, but according to June re- search from both Statista and Gallup, only 40 per- cent of adults are com- fortable going to a res- taurant, fewer will go to a shopping mall, or go on vacation. If older Ameri- cans are hesitant to go to a restaurant or shopping mall, they will definitely be reticent to visit a hos- pital, church or funeral home. They may have to go to a hospital, but they don’t have to go to a fu- neral home. Many would appreciate an alternative. Whenever consumers are concerned about the traditional means of ac- complishing some objec- tive, they seek a digital solution. Now, they can receive medical and le- gal consultation via the phone, Skype or Zoom. They can shop any prod- uct via the internet. There will be consumers who will want to make funer- al arrangements without visiting a funeral home. If funeral directors don’t make remote arrange- ments available, they will likely select cremation without services using one of many ecommerce cremation arrangement websites, or worse, they will find a funeral home that offers virtual arrange- ments. Some funeral direc- tors may offer to make arrangements via the phone, but this introduc- es even more challenges. Phone arrangements typ- ically involve one, maybe two people, which means, they are dependent upon that person to deliver their message effectively. They need to be as informed as they are when communi- cating options. Also, how do they present their fa- cilities, execute forms or show merchandise on the phone? They can’t. Again, given the challenges the family will likely opt for minimal cremation. The accumulated experi- ence funeral directors have making arrangements can certainly be transferred to a virtual arrangement, but it involves more than simply activating Zoom. The consumer will expect them to be as profession- al making virtual arrange- ments as they are perform- ing all funeral director functions. Being professional on Zoom takes thought and preparation starting with working with the family to join the arrangement meeting. Sounds simple, but it’s not. Secondly, they want to create rapport with the family just as they do in person which re- quires looking each partic- ipant in the eye. This isn’t accomplished by looking at the screen. How will fu- neral directors give tours of their facility, show mer- chandise, distribute forms for signatures? MKJ has been con- ducting communica- tion skills training for 40 years, and has applied that experience to build- ing the Learning Man- agement System training program “Making Virtu- al Arrangements”. MKJ has researched and prac- ticed virtual arrangements to identify the challeng- es and devise solutions all of which is communicat- ed through the new LMS based training program. This program will take the funeral director through the entire arrangement process demonstrating so- lutions to the challenges any firm will encounter when they adopt virtual arrangements. Due to state conven- tions and seminars being cancelled and postponed for the foreseeable future, many funeral directors will be challenged to maintain currency with their con- tinuing education hours. MKJ’s LMS “Making Vir- tual Arrangements” pro- gram will be credited for continued education in most states. To learn more about “Making Virtual Arrangements” and MKJ’s Advance U online training university, visit advanceu. mkjmarketing.com or call MKJ at 888-655-1566. Indiana Board waives In-Person ConEd INDIANAPOLIS,IN— The Indiana State Board of Fu- neral and Cemetery Ser- vice has waived the 5-hour in-person requirement for license renewal. The 10 hours of required continu- ing education may be ob- tained solely through dis- tance learning until the expiration of the state’s public health emergency. For more information vis- it  https://www.in.gov/pla/ funeral.htm. PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 Fax 1-800-321-9040 Email info@nomispublications.com FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Class Officers and Administrators: Send Us Your News! LARGO,FL— Every li- censed funeral director is experienced making fu- neral arrangements be- ginning with training in mortuary school, and has practical experience with families. Every family is different with their own questions, needs, chal- lenges, but funeral direc- tors learn to work with them regardless of the sit- uation. Nearly all of that experience is person-to- person, in their arrange- ment room, in their com- fort zone. As Americans progress through the pandemic,