Ask the Owner

Written By Jen Graziano, Attorney, Licensed Funeral Director NY/CT Coxe & Graziano Funeral Home By now anyone who’s had a read of my articles will detect the (not so) subtle theme that labor shortages are crippling our industry.  The result is mounting owner frustration, excess burnout and even premature exits from the business. But maintaining good labor, if you’re blessed to already have it, is key to remaining in this game.  If you are lucky enough to have strong players on your team, dedicated to supporting and advancing your funeral home and brand, cherish them….and make sure they are happy and hoping to remain on board. A simple, “check in” to “check up” on your employees will go a long way.  Weekly “roundup” meetings to address any issues or concerns are a good way to take the temperature of your […]

Written By Jen Graziano, Attorney, Licensed Funeral Director NY/CT Coxe & Graziano Funeral Home Independent funeral home owners are facing unprecedented challenges which can force their hands into a premature exit. Labor shortages coupled with declining service revenue margins and increasing overhead costs cause many owners to ponder whether it’s time to hang their hat. Another contributing factor is the decline of generational continuity in the family business. After all, our children have watched us leave the dinner table far too many times to take a death call. The decision to not enter the funeral business has subconsciously been made for them. There is a collective frustration that has permeated the headspace of so many funeral home owners. Repeat families that call upon us often fail to repeat their prior service and merchandise selections. The rising generation of funeral planners […]

Written By Jen Graziano, Attorney, Licensed Funeral Director NY/CT Coxe & Graziano Funeral Home Recent headlines were made in the State of Indiana regarding a “death doula” and a question of her infringement on the stringent rules and regulations that govern the death care industry. As funeral directors are aware that we are bound by both federal and state regulatory guidelines that affect our ability to discuss funeral arrangements with families.  The mere mention of “cost” or “price” trigger a cold and callous passage of price menu into the client’s hands.  (That’s a conversation for another day).  Despite the federal and state confines we’ve long been placed under, which dictate how we charge, what we can charge for and how we can present said charges, in comes the “doula” with free-flowing discussions on these same topics.  It’s a quandary, but […]

Written By Jen Graziano, Attorney, Licensed Funeral Director NY/CT Coxe & Graziano Funeral Home If funeral directors were surveyed and asked how many times they’ve heard a family call say, “I’m just looking for a simple cremation” the numbers would be astounding.   These calls seem to come with far more frequency these days.  Funeral directors often find themselves in a tug of war, fighting to keep the family yet also fighting to protect their bottom line.  To all those who have longed looked with envy upon our industry for its inherent “recession proof” nature, rest assured, we are fighting for our life every day in the battle against a new consumer, a consumer with no regard for the sacred nature of our work. While volume may rise each year for a funeral home, revenue margins per case are noticeably shrinking […]

Written By Jennifer Graziano, Coxe & Graziano Funeral Home There are many seismic shifts that have rattled the foundation of funeral service in recent years.  The funeral consumer has changed; it’s all about getting the most while paying the least.  Couple this with industry challenges; a dire shortage of labor and a steady decline of qualified candidates seeking entry into the field, and the situation grows grimmer.  The challenges we face on both the consumer and labor fronts are not readily solvable but there are steps we can take to mitigate the impact. Among them, employing a cooperative and combined approach amongst funeral homes and working together to rebrand the industry by setting new norms and standards. On the consumer front, we can attribute this latitudinal shift behavior to the post-Covid societal trends of the world we live in.  Everything […]