Funeral Home Shopper Call
Secure the shopper to secure the call!! Consider the shopper your opportunity of the day and get ready to shine. Remember this could be your only chance and what you say and how you say it can make ALL the difference. The only reason they are calling is because a death has occurred or is imminent and they have not yet made a decision of which funeral home they will use.
The average phone shopper:
- Does not want to “Shop Around”
- Does not have time to personally visit funeral homes
- Does not know what to ask or why
- Knows nothing about your exceptional services and caring professionalism
- Needs information and has only time to talk with you once.
Answering the Call
- You should have a standard answer and include a “buffer”. The caller won’t hear it but they will hear what comes next, the name of the funeral home. Anything you say after your name erases your name.
- Don’t sound rushed. Get warm and fuzzy so you can establish a trusting voice.
- Always have your first call form handy or pen and paper, so you don’t have make the caller wait as well as sound unorganized. Write the information down as you hear it, so you don’t have to ask questions when the info was already given. Having to ask again lets them know you really weren’t listening.
- Speak in the present tense. As in does (not did) your husband have a pacemaker. What is (not what was) your husband’s name. What is the name of your husband’s doctor.
- Use simple plain language. Everyone who answers for the funeral home needs to be on the same page, speak professional, soft and not scary or panicky. Laundry gets picked up. People get taken into your care!
First establish the nature of the call
Caller: How much is a cremation service. Answer: Has a death occurred? Now you have a better idea of how to respond more accurately. At need has a different style of call then pre-need.
Take Charge of the Call. Whoever is answering your phone should have full knowledge of your services and prices so they can paint a positive picture of your firm and the services you offer. Establish authority and show that you are an expert in your field. Serve the caller……get the shopper!
Remember
- You may be the first place the Caller calls and you may not be the last, but you CAN be the best.
- They don’t even know what to ask, so guide them with your own pointed questions or you could be in for a very long and confusing call.
- The Caller could be in a hospital, at a crime scene, in a nursing home with no holding and may be in a rush. They may not want a conversation, just answers, so feel them out and don’t assume anything.
- The Caller has no idea what a funeral home does or why they do it. They don’t know what they are paying for and they don’t know what they need.
- Educate the Caller and give them the information they ask for. Don’t read a menu of packages and prices. Give them the information they need to make a choice in funeral homes, the rest of the information you can get at the arrangement conference.
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