No More Excuses: How to Easily Obtain Email Addresses
Why is it so hard for my funeral home to gather email addresses?
I have been asked this question time and time again by various end-of-life professionals. In any other instance, I would never give this a second thought as I have regularly provided my email information for as long as I can remember. A space for an email address exists on almost every contact form at a doctor’s office, exercise class, legal paperwork, or to make a reservation at a restaurant. However, it is not necessarily common practice in the funeral industry yet, and obtaining email addresses is something I routinely hear is a struggle for funeral directors. I have found that once you convey the necessity for an email address, you have quelled the family’s concerns.
Here are some common questions and suggested responses.
Is a family wary of an abundance of emails? Explain the reasons you need their email address. You may wish to email pricing information and merchandise options, gather missing statistical information, or send any necessary paperwork to families.
Is there information that you will need them to send you? Families can use email to provide your location with an obituary, images of their loved one, and shiva or repast details.
Is a family streaming their loved one’s funeral service? If a family member does not wish to publish this information online or prefers it sent to them directly, you will need their email address to share the streaming or recording link.
Do you need them to check the spelling of names and addresses on important paperwork? You can email them a copy of any necessary documents to review as an email attachment. In addition, they can quickly reply with any alterations or additions, expediting any changes.
Does your funeral home provide Aftercare to families via email? Explain the benefits of Aftercare to families, what information they will receive, and that they can opt out of emails if they no longer wish to receive them.*
Some funeral homes have added a section for email addresses to their first call sheets, while others have made it part of their funeral cards or folios. Regardless of how your funeral home obtains statistical information or whether it is handwritten or input into a case management system, there should be a space for an email address so that asking for it becomes habitual.
If you have additional questions or want to speak further about obtaining email addresses, please do not hesitate to contact me at aresnick@aresnickcommunications.com or 516.987.8639.
*Please note: any automatically generated emails should have an “opt-out” feature, where those who do not wish to receive any more emails can unsubscribe themselves or contact you to remove them from an email list.
