Published in the December 2020 Issue of Memento Mori
By Scott McAfee
The majority of today’s society is immersed in the benefits of technology, and the pet cemetery industry should be no different. Millions of Americans consider pets to be an essential part of their lives and families. As an integral part of the family, pets deserve a dignified treatment in death as well as in life. Pet cemetery software can improve the process of managing deathcare for pets, giving you more time to spend caring for clients and their needs. As mundane as our jobs can be at times, we all have to be reminded to keep the “care” in “deathcare,” and the right technology can do that for our industry.
An Evolving Industry
The deathcare industry is ever changing and constantly evolving. An illustration of this evolution is the growth of pet cemeteries in the industry. According to the Cremation Association of North America, the pet aftercare industry is one of the fastest growing deathcare markets in the United States, with over 700 pet cemeteries in the country to date.
Certain management concerns accompany the rapid growth of this industry. How can all of this crucial data be tracked and organized? How can records be located quickly? In order to provide the best service possible, it is paramount for pet cemeteries to stay organized and efficient, but it’s a daunting task. Fortunately, these issues can be easily addressed by using cemetery management software.
Pet cemetery owners know all too well the grief experienced when a pet is lost. They are aware that when a pet owner is overwhelmed with grief, they are seeking sympathy and understanding; they don’t want to sit across from someone rummaging through stacks of papers or handwriting tons of convoluted forms.
The incorporation of cemetery software gives pet cemeteries a highly detailed way to track records. It provides cemeterians the ability to focus on the family and tend to their needs efficiently and confidently. With the use of technology, pet cemeteries can capture details that may have been overlooked before. These digitized records can easily include additional information not found in traditional burial records—such as species, breed, and pet owner information—all of which are of interest to the customer and the cemetery.
With disorganized physical data comes the possibility for errors. Implementing technology minimizes clutter; it also allows you to provide more memorialization offerings for pets.
Using Technology
Where as traditional cemeteries offer some products and services, pet cemeteries tend to offer even more. Statistically, more money is spent on pet aftercare products and services. Pet owners purchase everything from memorial stones to jewelry keepsakes tourns in order to memorialize their beloved pets. Using technology to make these items easy to purchase allows families the ability to place orders instantly and receive their online memorial or keepsake more quickly.
With the assistance of a modern-day website and software package, the process is made simpler for families and the cemetery staff. No longer will your employees spend hours manually writing down sales orders or visiting a stockroom to check inventory, as most cemetery software has the capacity to keep information up to date. This way, a transaction can be conducted from start to finish in a matter of minutes or even online by the customer.
Integrating Web Services
Speaking of websites and memorialization, most pet cemetery websites are incredibly underutilized! Another way pet cemeteries can adopt technology is by offering services on their website. Memorial pages are a popular service pet cemeterians can offer through a cloud cemetery software provider.
Owners can use this space to write a biography of their pet, including memories and photos. This page can be interactive, so other family members can share memories and anecdotes about the pet’s life from the comfort of their own homes. Having this space to share memories and reflect can be a significant part of the healing process.
A Work in Progress
All types of cemeteries can benefit from implementing a form of grief support into their operations. This is particularly important in the pet cemetery facet of the industry as losing a pet can affect all members of the family differently. Virtual appointments can be booked directly through your website.
While it may take some time for the pet cemetery industry to catch up to other industries in terms of technological enhancements and advantages, there are a multitude of software, marketing, and management solutions readily available right now. Don’t let your pet cemetery and the communities you serve get left behind. Start your journey into the digital landscape today.
Cemetery industry expert Scott McAfee is CEO and co-founder of CemSites. His company provides complete, easy, and intuitive record management software for cemetery organizations. Using cloud-based technology, CemSites strives to improve the workflow of every cemetery with visual data tools, such as GPS grave navigation, finance management, online product sales, and more. Scott is also the owner of Face2FaceMarketing, providing over 20+ years of experience and knowledge on how to stay on top of technology adaptation. For more information on the technological uses of cemetery software, Scott can be reached at scott@cemsites.com.
