Trevor Bradley
Mortuary Science Student at Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science, Cincinnati, Ohio
A Funeral Director assumes several roles in his/her execution of duties. The profession is more than simply completing a removal, holding an arrangement conference and directing a funeral. There are several critical and essential components related to being an efficient and effective Funeral Service Professional. The question put forth is how would I as a Funeral Director reach out to other allied professionals to make a difference in serving my community?
A Funeral Directing is part ministry, part event planner, part accountant, part scientist, part community activist and caregiver. An effective Funeral Director, such as the one I plan on being, is capable of delicately balancing multiple roles all rolled into one while competently serving families and the community. Part of the care that we provide to families is to make certain that no detail is overlooked. Our duty is to take on the role of caregiver and problem solver. My approach is a holistic approach to funeral service. By this I mean that it is imperative that I take into consideration most or all of the small parts that make up the whole.
It's the attention to detail and exemplary completion of family that service that separates a good Funeral Director from a great Funeral Director. My idea of holistic funeral service means that I, along with our staff, work with each agency, person, organization or widget to make sure that the family can rest assured that every detail has been considered and acted upon. Forming and maintaining relationships is an ongoing and lifelong experience. Forging and maintaining position relationships are paramount to the completion of a holistic approach. Public relations, community building and community mobilization are duties that I would assume and master.
Good relationships generally yield good results. My goal is to stay in contact with the Coroner’s Office, Vital Records, Hospice facilities and workers even if there is not a service pending. Maintaining positive relationships helps to insure that when needed, the positive relationship will yield positive results. Some would call it becoming a politician; I will call it common sense and being proactive. Holding community forums or open houses are excellent ways to provide information and maintain lines of communications with the community and those with whom we have to work. Holding a monthly breakfast at a location outside of the Funeral Home is also a way that the Funeral Director and other allied professionals can meet and greet and exchange information. Naming the event the Networking Forum and getting together on a regular basis will go a long way in terms of positive public relations.
Maintaining a high level of integrity and customer service is what I plan to do. All things being equal, families, allied professionals and the community in general prefer to deal with people or business that project a positive image. Making people feel good about working with me and my firm are my goal. As I mentioned earlier, developing and maintaining positive relationships is an ongoing process. Passion for what we do is essential to positively projecting what it is that we deliver. We provide a very specialize and valuable service to the community. Our job is to always operate honestly and with integrity. Putting our best foot and best face forward goes a long way.
