1. Funeral Administrator Unit AD6
Professional Organisations, the Funeral Profession and Customer Service
Funeral Administrator
Unit AD6

2. Learning Outcomes: The learner is able to:
Describe the role of Trade Associations in the modern world and in the Funeral Profession in particular
Understand the key elements and obligations of a code of practice
Be aware of the values of arbitration, conciliation, redress and consumer’s rights
Understand and appreciate the role of the Funeral Director in modern society and in his/her community

3. Professional Organisations

4. Why belong to a trade Association
Consumer confidence
Support
Information
Relevant training and education
Financial savings on goods & services

5. Customer Care – Face to Face
Face to face communication accepted as the most effective
Research suggests that the impact on the recipient is as follows
7% what we say (i.e. the words alone)
38% How we say it (i.e. tone, pace, inflection)
55% Non-verbal signals (i.e. body language

6. Customer Care – Telephone
Benefits
Two way
Quick, convenient and cost effective
Drawbacks
May be perceived as a quick fix
No visual clues and no record

7. Customer Care – Written
Letter, (and Fax!)
Benefits
Permanent record of what is said
Relatively secure
Drawbacks
Takes longer than a phone call
May be seen as too formal in some cases

8. Discuss
3 Complaints Scenario
(on next slide)

9. Complaints Scenarios for discussion:
Mr Brown has ordered and paid for a memorial. He signed the layout proof but now he has seen the memorial in place says he that it looks awful, that it is of very poor quality and you misled him.
What can you do? What would your company do?
Mrs Black is accusing you of not looking after her daughter properly as when she came to the chapel of rest her daughter appeared to look a bit green. She had paid for embalming.
Miss White didn’t like the way that the civil celebrant led the ceremony for her mother. She felt it wasn’t dignified as the celebrant smiled throughout and didn’t look particularly smart. She also thought that the celebrant called her mother by the wrong name once during the ceremony.

10. Customer Care – Complaints
Listen to the views of the other party
Focus on solutions rather than problems
Use language they will understand
Be aware of body language
Ask questions and invite feedback
Seek a win-win outcome
Try to empathise

11. Customer Care – Complaints
Interrupt
Make over optimistic promises
Let it become personal
Shirk responsibility
Assume anything
Think there must be a winner and a loser
Blame others

12. How the profession has changed
A profession of its own
Provision of additional services
After care and bereavement support
Memorial services
Memorial items
Funeral planning

13. Funeral Directors are often actively involved in their local communities