The Competitor You Don’t Know You Have Might Be Winning Your Families

By Greg Grabowski, Co-Founder, FuneralHRM.

I recently sat through a demonstration of a hospice electronic medical record system. As the presenter navigated through the software, something caught my attention. There was a section dedicated specifically to funeral homes. Not only were funeral homes listed, but the hospice was tracking information about them. That observation led me down a path of curiosity.

A few days later, while reviewing another hospice’s electronic medical record, I searched the funeral home section. Two funeral homes appeared prominently in the reports. It was obvious these organizations were being selected frequently by hospice families.

What I began to wonder was this:

Did those funeral directors know they were being tracked?

Did they realize how often families associated with that hospice were choosing them?

Did they understand how the hospice team perceived their funeral home?

Did they know why they were winning?

More importantly...

Did the funeral homes that weren’t appearing on those reports realize they were losing?

Hospices Pay More Attention Than You Think

Many funeral directors still view hospice relationships as informal. A nurse likes them. A social worker knows them. A chaplain has had good experiences with them. While those relationships certainly matter, today’s hospices have become increasingly sophisticated. Many organizations now track:

•      Funeral home selections by families

•      Frequency of use

•      Family satisfaction feedback

•      Response times

•      Service quality

•      Follow-up interactions

•      Community reputation

•      Bereavement support participation

•      Memorial event collaboration

In some organizations, this information is discussed openly among team members. In others, it becomes part of strategic planning conversations. The question is not whether hospices are paying attention. The question is whether funeral directors are.

The Hidden Competition

Here’s where things become interesting. Imagine two funeral homes serving the same market. Both have excellent facilities. Both provide quality services. Both have compassionate staff. Yet one funeral home consistently receives more hospice family referrals than the other. Why?

Often the answer has little to do with price, facilities, or even funeral services. Instead, it comes down to value. Not value as defined by the funeral home.

Value as defined by the hospice.

Many funeral directors spend substantial time marketing their services to consumers while investing very little time understanding what hospices truly need from a professional partner.

Hospices are asking questions such as:

•      Are they responsive when a family is in crisis?

•      Do they make our team look good?

•      Do they educate families effectively?

•      Do they support memorialization and bereavement efforts?

•      Are they professional with our staff?

•      Can we trust them with our families?

•      Do they help us fulfill our mission?

The funeral homes that understand those questions often become preferred partners. The ones that don’t may never realize why opportunities continue to pass them by.

You Are Being Evaluated Every Day

Whether formal or informal, every interaction creates an impression. Every transfer. Every phone call. Every family meeting. Every community event. Every follow-up. Every interaction either strengthens or weakens your position. The reality is that many hospice professionals discuss funeral homes far more often than funeral directors realize.The hospice nurse driving home after a difficult death.The social worker helping a family make arrangements. The chaplain supporting grieving loved ones. The bereavement coordinator planning a memorial event. These professionals collectively influence hundreds of funeral decisions each year. And they talk.

The Better Question

Most funeral directors ask: “How can I get more hospice referrals?” The better question is:

“How can I become more valuable to hospice professionals and the families they serve?”

The funeral homes that consistently grow their hospice business are rarely focused on asking for referrals.

Instead, they focus on becoming indispensable partners. They educate. They support. They collaborate. They solve problems. They help hospice teams achieve their mission. As a result, families hear their names more often.

A Final Thought

As I looked at those hospice reports, I couldn’t stop thinking about the two funeral homes that appeared at the top of the list. Perhaps they knew they were winning. Perhaps they didn’t. What I know for certain is that somewhere in that same market were funeral homes that weren’t on the report at all. They probably had no idea they were being measured. No idea they were being compared. And no idea they were losing opportunities every single month.

In today’s healthcare environment, relationships are no longer built on occasional lunches and business cards. They are built on measurable value. The question every funeral director should ask themselves is simple: If a hospice pulled a report on funeral home utilization tomorrow, would your funeral home be one of the names that stood out? And if not, do you know why?

Want to learn how leading funeral homes build strategic hospice relationships that create lasting value for families, hospices, and their business?

Visit our Healthcare CRM resource center to discover how the most successful funeral homes manage and grow their healthcare relationships. www.funeralhrm.com