Ever had a conversation like this?
Hey, the family’s here and they’re ready to order their urn.
Great! I’ll be right in.
Are all the engraving documents ready to sign?
I think so; let me find them.
Did you get the email they sent with the art they wanted?
Um, maybe?
They wanted you to find that clip art; did you find it?
I can’t remember …
And the font — did you find that font they were asking for?
I’m not sure …
You need to call the company and see if they even make that font.
Yeah … So, maybe we should reschedule?
The last thing you want to do is let a family down or even make them wait, but you have to admit that the traditional process of personalizing an urn to a family’s exact specifications can test your patience. And the worst part is that preparing for that meeting is just the half of it. There’s still faxing in your drafts to the manufacturer (better make sure you have an extra roll of circa 1990 thermal paper!), emailing the family proofs for approval, emailing them again with a reminder, and finally calling them to make sure they can sign off on the final version — if that is, indeed, the final version.
It’s time to stop the insanity of the manual 20th-century paper-pushing personalization process and try Terrybear’s timesaving, all-digital QuickProofs™ technology through the Memory of a Lifetime online portal.
Specifically built to simplify your life
Highly-personalized deathcare products and services aren’t just a trend or occasional request; today, they are expected. They’re also your opportunity to turn a simple cremation into a truly memorable experience.
“Personalization turns an urn into a memorial,” says Brent Thorson, Manager of Client Success & Growth at Terrybear. “And it’s a value-add for the funeral home. But I’ve seen so many funeral directors who dread it because of a complicated process. Terrybear’s QuickProofs process changes that for them.”
Above: Benefits of Memory of a Lifetime.
Thorson explains that Terrybear approached the QuickProofs™ personalization technology with the mindset of a funeral director.
“They need an easy way to get a family to sign off,” he says. “They need an easy way to showcase the product with the customization and to show a couple of features. And they need the ability to let the family see different options. We want them to stop doing this manually.”
Save paper, time, and your sanity
Terrybear introduced its online platform, MemoryofaLifetime.com, in 2019 to give funeral homes easy access to the products in their extensive catalog. The platform allows directors to let a family browse for urns and other products as well as create an engraving proof while they’re still in the arrangement room.
You can also create a unique URL to email to families who just aren’t ready to select a product during the arrangement session. QuickProofs™ displays what they type in real time so they can see exactly what it will look like on the selected product. Families can save multiple drafts with different fonts, art, or words to share with others for additional feedback, as well. This is just one more time-consuming task that Terrybear’s portal removes from the funeral home’s list of responsibilities.
Above: Personalization of a 5220L, Trinity Moonlight Blue, Full Size Urn.
This 24/7 online shopping option allows families to shop from the comfort of their own homes on their own timetable. When an order is placed, you’ll receive a notification and details so you can still manage the order. The Terrybear team takes it from there, providing lightning-quick turnaround on all orders.
“We have a full staff dedicated to personalization,” says Thorson. “It’s blown up at our company, and I don’t think it’s going to slow down. With QuickProofs™ and Memory of a Lifetime, we’re offering that Etsy-like experience. Families can go to a digital tool, type in the text, select everything they need, and never even have to talk to a person. But they’re not buying from Etsy; they’re buying from your funeral home.”
Customized for you, too
“One of the things we’ve heard in the last several years is that families are ordering their urns online; they’re going to Amazon, they’re going to Etsy,” Nikki Nordeen, Terrybear’s Director of Marketing & Business Development, shared with Connecting Directors recently. “We wanted to offer funeral homes the ability to have their own ecommerce site so they can compete with the Amazons and the Etsys and offer a great, beautiful user experience — and not lose those sales to online vendors.”
The recently revamped Memory of a Lifetime portal allows you to customize and brand the site and make it your own, complete with your own logo, unique URLs, and your firm’s retail pricing.
“The site looks like it’s part of your funeral home’s website,” said Nordeen. “You can upload your retail prices so the families will see all of the pricing that matches exactly the way you want to sell it. It’s not like we choose a price and you make a commission. With the new site, you choose 100% how much money you want to make. It’s 100% in the hands of the funeral home.”
The new pricing feature also helps you adhere to The Funeral Rule and ensures that your online pricing matches your General Price List.
Above: MemoryofaLifetime.com, How does it work.
Don’t wait any longer
It’s time to stop pushing paper, feeding a fax machine, and spending hours of your already-limited days chasing after approvals. Terrybear’s QuickProofs™ technology will forever change the way you approach personalization, and your families will thank you for it.
You can try out Terrybear’s Memory of a Lifetime digital portal at absolutely no cost, and trust that Terrybear will deliver the quality, service, and support you’ve come to expect. To get started, simply visit Terrybear.com/join to register. If you need additional assistance do not hesitate to call Terrybear directly at 1.888.588.8767, they will ensure you get set up to begin using this free tool.
Written by: Patricia Hartley
