The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

February 2, 2008

Funeral directors don’t see advantage in online expansion

Outlook 2008

By Joe Zentis

If you’re looking for examples of advancing technology, the funeral business is not a good place to start. There is good reason for that. Invention (or innovation) is mothered by necessity, and few funeral directors see the need for — or the advantage of — incorporating hi-tech systems into their operations.

While most other kinds of businesses have latched onto the Internet, few in the funeral business have. Only four of Mercer County’s 16 funeral homes have Web sites. Only two more have sites in development, though several others are thinking about it.

Businesses use the Internet because it makes possible two-way communications, not only with local clients, but also with those far away. It makes good business sense if that increases sales and client satisfaction. The Internet may not provide funeral homes with that kind of a cost-effective competitive advantage.

“The Web site is a necessity, I feel, but I don’t know how much business it creates for me,’’ says Chris Loutzenhiser, of the Loutzenhiser-Jordan Colonial Funeral Home in Greenville.

Like most other funeral home Web sites, Loutzenhiser’s provides potential clients with basic information about kinds of services, preplanning, and after-care, as well as photos of the facilities and directions to the home. It also allows people to send condolences to the family of the deceased.

Some funeral homes include obituaries on their Web sites, but Loutzenhiser can’t see how that creates any kind of a competitive advantage.

“If I put the obituaries online so people in Iowa can read them, how much business does that get me in Greenville, Pa.?’’ he asked. “I’m just not staffed heavily enough to keep up with all of that.’’

Instead of committing money and resources to the Web site, Loutzenhiser is focusing on technology that will have more of a local impact.

“Right now we’re installing big 50-inch plasma screens to show the family DVD tributes during calling hours. We are investing heavily in that because everybody who comes through my door is going to say, “Wow, did you see that?’’

And those people, Loutzenhiser believes, will spread the good word right in Greenville, drawing other clients to the home.

Some funeral homes in other parts of the country have gone so far as to include live “Web cams’’ on their sites. That way people thousands of miles away can still witness the services and, in some cases, the calling hours. No funeral home in this area has done that, but John Flynn plans to incorporate one into his redesigned Web site.

“I love technology,’’ Flynn said. “I’m always looking for ways to do things better. My friends call me the ‘Gadget Guy.’ ’’

Five or six years ago, Flynn bought a Web cam that could swivel and zoom in on different areas of the room, but he wasn’t happy with the results. While it did an adequate job when it focused on the person conducting the service, it couldn’t pick up a good sound or picture when someone else in the room stood up to say something. John hopes that problem will be overcome with newer technology.

“We will only Webcast the actual services, not the visiting hours,’’ Flynn said. “Of course we’ll only do that at the request of the client. We can have the Webcast password-protected, so only people who have been given the password by the family can see it.’’

Like some other area funeral homes, Flynn’s already has a 50-inch plasma TV. He himself produces the video tributes that are shown on it. In fact, he produces two for each funeral — one with static pictures shown during the calling hours, and a second one with music and motion for a more enhanced and effective visual experience. This second video is played at the end of the service, and Flynn plans to have them available for viewing on the new Web site.

Flynn’s innovations are mothered more by a personal predilection for technology than by a sense of necessity, or by a conviction that they will provide a competitive advantage. But if they turn out to provide a reasonable competitive advantage, other funeral homes may find it necessary to follow his lead.

See today's print edition for the first section in the annual Outlook series of stories published on Sundays in February.

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