Wednesday, July 28, 2010
New Tribute Center Update Coming
We are proud to announce another new update for the Tribute Center that is coming out September 1, 2010! We have been working extremely hard to turn the Tribute Center from a DVD software to an all-in-one suite. The new suite will include the ability to do dvds, printing, and webcasting! There have also been several small updates to the DVD portion of the software. More details coming soon...
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Funeral Webcasting Press Release
Frazer Consultants Offers Affordable, Convenient Webcasting Solution
Integrated software allows funeral homes to bring families spread out
around the world together for a loved-one’s final tribute
Contact: Matt Frazer
866-372-9372
Waunakee, Wis. – As technology continues to advance and enhance the number of services available to families, Frazer Consultants has cleared two obstacles for funeral homes that would like to offer funeral webcasting as an option, but until now have been afraid of the added cost or the degree of difficulty to implement such a service.
With the introduction of its integrated DVD Tribute software with webcasting, Frazer offers a program that is easy-to-use; technologically reliable and priced to make sense for the funeral home and the families they serve.
The how-to process couldn’t be easier. After using the Tribute Center software to create a personalized video for the family, you can broadcast a service live, record it and later burn both to the same disc. “In the same software that allows a funeral home to create a DVD Tribute video is a webcasting application,” said Matt Frazer, president of Frazer Consultants. The obvious benefit is that a funeral director will only have to know how to use one software program, which is as easy to operate as point and click. All you need to go live is a video camera, laptop computer and a tripod. And making sure you have access to the web from any location is as easy as calling your cell phone provider.
If the family does not want a live webcast but still wants the service recorded, no problem. When the final version of the webcast is uploaded, it can be available online for viewing for 45 days at no extra charge. All the traffic will go through the funeral home’s web site and not to a secondary location.
An editing feature allows superfluous footage to be excised from the finished product, as well as allowing for the possibility of transitional edits between areas of the service. Also, the software offers the capability of superimposing titles or captions. “If the service is a multiple location, you put the live video on hold while you travel to the cemetery,” Frazer said. “You can insert a prepared slide that might say that ‘the webcast will resume at 1 p.m., we are currently en route to the cemetery.’” All these tools are available so it will be just point and click for the user. (Note: No matter what your user level we will be there to assist you every step of the way.)
“A lot of funeral homes think this is harder than it really is because they never had anyone show them how to do it,” Frazer said. “Once you actually see how this works, they will be confident that they can take the camera, set it up at the funeral home or in church and hit record. When the service is over, hit stop. It is that easy.”
Frazer has contracted with a state-of-the-art server company to ensure optimal quality and reliability from virtually any point around the world. “Let’s say that there is military personnel in Afghanistan or Iraq who wants to watch a service back in the states,” Frazer said. They will be able to log in, and since they offer hundreds of servers spread across the globe, they will connect with the server closest to their location and receive a high quality stream of the web cast.
“We’re built on a platform or a backend technology that will allow more than a million people to log on and view a service simultaneously,” Frazer said. “It was important to align ourselves with the best technology that is out there and that is what we did.”
Frazer added that the key to the service is affordable pricing that won’t drive up the funeral bill, nor does the service lock in the funeral home to a punitive contract. “We offer the service to funeral homes in two ways that makes the most sense,” he said. For funeral homes anticipating a high volume of webcasts per month, a $145 per month fee offers unlimited service on a month-to-month basis. For those not sure how many families will opt for this service, Frazer offers a pay-as-you-go model for $40 per service with no contract or minimums.
This program offers value on many levels. First, it connects a group of family and friends together to share in a solemn event no matter where they may be. Second, the end product for the family will be one disc that includes the video tribute and the recorded funeral. “What I think it does for the family and for the funeral home, it provides a lot more value on one disc for the family,” Frazer said. “And I think that funeral directors will see their order rate for the duplicates skyrocket.”
For more information please visit http://www.frazerconsultants.com/WebcastingSoftware.aspx
Integrated software allows funeral homes to bring families spread out
around the world together for a loved-one’s final tribute
Contact: Matt Frazer
866-372-9372
Waunakee, Wis. – As technology continues to advance and enhance the number of services available to families, Frazer Consultants has cleared two obstacles for funeral homes that would like to offer funeral webcasting as an option, but until now have been afraid of the added cost or the degree of difficulty to implement such a service.
With the introduction of its integrated DVD Tribute software with webcasting, Frazer offers a program that is easy-to-use; technologically reliable and priced to make sense for the funeral home and the families they serve.
The how-to process couldn’t be easier. After using the Tribute Center software to create a personalized video for the family, you can broadcast a service live, record it and later burn both to the same disc. “In the same software that allows a funeral home to create a DVD Tribute video is a webcasting application,” said Matt Frazer, president of Frazer Consultants. The obvious benefit is that a funeral director will only have to know how to use one software program, which is as easy to operate as point and click. All you need to go live is a video camera, laptop computer and a tripod. And making sure you have access to the web from any location is as easy as calling your cell phone provider.
If the family does not want a live webcast but still wants the service recorded, no problem. When the final version of the webcast is uploaded, it can be available online for viewing for 45 days at no extra charge. All the traffic will go through the funeral home’s web site and not to a secondary location.
An editing feature allows superfluous footage to be excised from the finished product, as well as allowing for the possibility of transitional edits between areas of the service. Also, the software offers the capability of superimposing titles or captions. “If the service is a multiple location, you put the live video on hold while you travel to the cemetery,” Frazer said. “You can insert a prepared slide that might say that ‘the webcast will resume at 1 p.m., we are currently en route to the cemetery.’” All these tools are available so it will be just point and click for the user. (Note: No matter what your user level we will be there to assist you every step of the way.)
“A lot of funeral homes think this is harder than it really is because they never had anyone show them how to do it,” Frazer said. “Once you actually see how this works, they will be confident that they can take the camera, set it up at the funeral home or in church and hit record. When the service is over, hit stop. It is that easy.”
Frazer has contracted with a state-of-the-art server company to ensure optimal quality and reliability from virtually any point around the world. “Let’s say that there is military personnel in Afghanistan or Iraq who wants to watch a service back in the states,” Frazer said. They will be able to log in, and since they offer hundreds of servers spread across the globe, they will connect with the server closest to their location and receive a high quality stream of the web cast.
“We’re built on a platform or a backend technology that will allow more than a million people to log on and view a service simultaneously,” Frazer said. “It was important to align ourselves with the best technology that is out there and that is what we did.”
Frazer added that the key to the service is affordable pricing that won’t drive up the funeral bill, nor does the service lock in the funeral home to a punitive contract. “We offer the service to funeral homes in two ways that makes the most sense,” he said. For funeral homes anticipating a high volume of webcasts per month, a $145 per month fee offers unlimited service on a month-to-month basis. For those not sure how many families will opt for this service, Frazer offers a pay-as-you-go model for $40 per service with no contract or minimums.
This program offers value on many levels. First, it connects a group of family and friends together to share in a solemn event no matter where they may be. Second, the end product for the family will be one disc that includes the video tribute and the recorded funeral. “What I think it does for the family and for the funeral home, it provides a lot more value on one disc for the family,” Frazer said. “And I think that funeral directors will see their order rate for the duplicates skyrocket.”
For more information please visit http://www.frazerconsultants.com/WebcastingSoftware.aspx
Friday, February 19, 2010
Uniting Families Around the World for a Final Tribute Really Is As Easy as Point and Click
By Matt Frazer
The reason why many funeral directors have been reluctant to embrace webcasting is a kind of a phobia about it, which calls into question the reliability of the technology. After all, the last thing a funeral director wants to tell a family is that there has been technical difficulties beyond his or her control. There is also the fear that maybe the funeral director might feel webcasting may be a little advanced, which would require an IT person being retained on staff. Further, both the funeral director and the family need to be wary of the costs involved to pull off such an event.
These are all valid concerns and before my company decided to introduce our new funeral webcasting solution, I made sure to address all of these concerns to win the confidence of both the family who wants this service and the funeral home that will provide it. The technology exists; it is just a matter of finding the right solution.
First, I researched a number of server companies to ensure optimal quality and reliability from virtually any point around the world. After all, once the service is started, keeping the video streaming is out of the funeral director’s hands. Tribute Center webcasting is built on a platform, or a backend technology, that will allow more than a million people to log on and view a service simultaneously. To accomplish this, it was important to align ourselves with the best technology that is out there and that is exactly what we did.
Let’s say that there are troops in Afghanistan or Iraq who want to watch a service back in the states. They will be able to log in, and since our streaming server company offers literally hundreds of servers spread across the globe, they will connect with the server closest to their location and receive the highest quality stream possible of the web cast.
Next, we specifically had the funeral home in mind. The Tribute Center software is the same software that allows a funeral home to create a DVD tribute video in the funeral home. But now in the same software program it has an application for webcasting so it is an integrated solution. The huge benefit for the funeral home is that it only has to know how to use one software program. If you can make a Tribute DVD you will be able to make a web cast with point and click. All you need to go live is a video camera, laptop computer and a tripod. And making sure you have access to the web from any location is as easy as calling your cell phone provider for wireless Internet service.
Before the service, the software will allow the funeral director to create a unique, personal video tribute for the family. Then, after they finish, the staff can prepare the service for the webcast. The hardest part of the preparation will be where to set up the camera and tripod to get the best vantage point of what will take place.
Later, whether the service is broadcast live and/or recorded, it can be burned onto one disc with the video tribute. It’s a convenient memento for the family, and it is easy for the funeral home to produce and run off as many additional copies as the family requests. If the family doesn’t choose a live webcast, the service can be recorded and uploaded later. There is always a substantial number of people who want to see the service live, but others will only be able to watch it when time permits. When the final version of the webcast is uploaded, it can be available online for viewing for 45 days at no extra charge. All the online traffic will go through the funeral home’s own web site and not to a secondary location.
I think a lot of funeral directors have shied away from offering webcasting for so long because they assume that it is harder than it really is, and because they never had anyone show them how to do it. Once they actually see how this works, they will be confident that they can take the camera, set it up at the funeral home or in church and hit record. When the service is over, hit stop. It is that easy.
Just as easy are some editing tools built into the software that allow you to create a more professional presentation. What if there is a delay before the start of the service? Any superfluous footage can easily be edited out. Or what if the family only wants to use just a portion of the whole webcast, that’s easy to do too. The software also allows for titles or captions to be added to the video. If they are moving location, if you start at the funeral home to do the visitation and you put the video on hold while you travel to the cemetery, you can insert slides with the funeral home’s logo that might say, “The webcast will resume at 1 p.m., we are currently en route to the cemetery.” These tools are available so it will be just point and click for the user.
Finally, we look at the cost to do this. As I said, the funeral home does not have to invest in a lot of equipment since many probably already have what they need — a video camera, tripod, laptop and connecting cable. Plus, we offer some convenient terms that are based on how well the program works within your community. If it is very popular, a funeral home might want to consider a monthly charge of $145 for unlimited usage. For those who would like to try it out, and see how popular it is within the community, we offer a pay-as-you-go rate of $40 per service. And there is never any contract, and the funeral home pays for only what they use.
The many funerals of celebrities that were broadcast in 2009 helped many in the general public grieve and heal. By offering webcasting to your families you give them the option to say goodbye to all the important people in their lives — let everyone, both near and far, deal with his or her own grieving process and allow them to move toward healing.
Today’s increasingly transient society is making it more difficult to bring family and friends together for scheduled events. And for unscheduled events, like the death of a relative or dear friend, it is often more difficult. Job commitments, travel considerations, finding sitters to watch small children and many other obstacles can make getting away to attend a funeral a logistical nightmare. There comes a point when a person realizes that despite their best efforts, it just isn’t going to happen.
However, even though families and friends spread out around the world, in some ways, the world is becoming smaller. Thanks to social networking sites, long-lost friends have now been found. And with video chat capabilities on the home computer, “seeing” old friends is even easier. But for those events that are truly once in a lifetime, technology can get you there.
The technology has existed for some time now. Video conferencing has allowed executives to “attend” meetings while still being able to tend to the home office. More recently, the technology has been used for some of life’s most solemn and poignant moments. As war raged on around the world, soldiers have been able to witness the services of a fallen comrade through an Internet connection at their base.
More frequently the general public has been asking their funeral directors about webcasting in order to allow relatives and friends to share in a tribute for a deceased loved one, no matter where they are. Funeral homes too have been exploring this technology to accommodate these wishes.
These are all valid concerns and before my company decided to introduce our new funeral webcasting solution, I made sure to address all of these concerns to win the confidence of both the family who wants this service and the funeral home that will provide it. The technology exists; it is just a matter of finding the right solution.
First, I researched a number of server companies to ensure optimal quality and reliability from virtually any point around the world. After all, once the service is started, keeping the video streaming is out of the funeral director’s hands. Tribute Center webcasting is built on a platform, or a backend technology, that will allow more than a million people to log on and view a service simultaneously. To accomplish this, it was important to align ourselves with the best technology that is out there and that is exactly what we did.
Let’s say that there are troops in Afghanistan or Iraq who want to watch a service back in the states. They will be able to log in, and since our streaming server company offers literally hundreds of servers spread across the globe, they will connect with the server closest to their location and receive the highest quality stream possible of the web cast.
Next, we specifically had the funeral home in mind. The Tribute Center software is the same software that allows a funeral home to create a DVD tribute video in the funeral home. But now in the same software program it has an application for webcasting so it is an integrated solution. The huge benefit for the funeral home is that it only has to know how to use one software program. If you can make a Tribute DVD you will be able to make a web cast with point and click. All you need to go live is a video camera, laptop computer and a tripod. And making sure you have access to the web from any location is as easy as calling your cell phone provider for wireless Internet service.
Before the service, the software will allow the funeral director to create a unique, personal video tribute for the family. Then, after they finish, the staff can prepare the service for the webcast. The hardest part of the preparation will be where to set up the camera and tripod to get the best vantage point of what will take place.
Later, whether the service is broadcast live and/or recorded, it can be burned onto one disc with the video tribute. It’s a convenient memento for the family, and it is easy for the funeral home to produce and run off as many additional copies as the family requests. If the family doesn’t choose a live webcast, the service can be recorded and uploaded later. There is always a substantial number of people who want to see the service live, but others will only be able to watch it when time permits. When the final version of the webcast is uploaded, it can be available online for viewing for 45 days at no extra charge. All the online traffic will go through the funeral home’s own web site and not to a secondary location.
I think a lot of funeral directors have shied away from offering webcasting for so long because they assume that it is harder than it really is, and because they never had anyone show them how to do it. Once they actually see how this works, they will be confident that they can take the camera, set it up at the funeral home or in church and hit record. When the service is over, hit stop. It is that easy.
Just as easy are some editing tools built into the software that allow you to create a more professional presentation. What if there is a delay before the start of the service? Any superfluous footage can easily be edited out. Or what if the family only wants to use just a portion of the whole webcast, that’s easy to do too. The software also allows for titles or captions to be added to the video. If they are moving location, if you start at the funeral home to do the visitation and you put the video on hold while you travel to the cemetery, you can insert slides with the funeral home’s logo that might say, “The webcast will resume at 1 p.m., we are currently en route to the cemetery.” These tools are available so it will be just point and click for the user.
Finally, we look at the cost to do this. As I said, the funeral home does not have to invest in a lot of equipment since many probably already have what they need — a video camera, tripod, laptop and connecting cable. Plus, we offer some convenient terms that are based on how well the program works within your community. If it is very popular, a funeral home might want to consider a monthly charge of $145 for unlimited usage. For those who would like to try it out, and see how popular it is within the community, we offer a pay-as-you-go rate of $40 per service. And there is never any contract, and the funeral home pays for only what they use.
The many funerals of celebrities that were broadcast in 2009 helped many in the general public grieve and heal. By offering webcasting to your families you give them the option to say goodbye to all the important people in their lives — let everyone, both near and far, deal with his or her own grieving process and allow them to move toward healing.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Tribute Video a Healing Tool for Those Who Grieve
Sorting, selecting and viewing photos of loved ones a cathartic way to begin the healing process, says developer of funeral home memorial DVD software.
WAUNAKEE, WI – (Feb. 12, 2010) Loss automatically triggers memory. So when someone loses someone close to them, a common scene would be the survivors picking up the photo album or pulling out an old home movie or video.
The funeral industry has been challenged by consumers to make memorial services more personal and reflective of the essence of the individual. With the help of Frazer Consultants, a funeral home can deliver to a family the personal experience they are asking for.
“Tribute videos, picture collages and online memorials are an integral part of 21st century bereavement ritual,” said Matt Frazer, a funeral consultant from Frazer Consultants, LLC. “Face it. Images are a powerful facet of our culture. Just look at the visuals on CNN coming from Haiti, the photos in magazines after 9/11, the pictures in tabloids and the popularity of Facebook, YouTube and digital cameras. They’re all image-based. That phenomenon has carried over to the funeral industry, too.”
Frazer’s Wisconsin-based funeral consulting firm has recognized these societal changes and has responded. Its Tribute Center offers varied technical services and products, including its newly launched video tribute software.
“I think a video tribute is one of the most compelling tools a funeral home can use to help their families in the grieving process. The combination of music and images helps evoke emotion that offers healing. The process of going home to gather, sort and select photos one by one can play an integral part in the healing process. It comforts the living, and honors the memory of the person who has passed,” said Frazer.
However, cautioned Frazer, relying on companies not in the funeral business is always a little risky.
“Delayed delivery and mistakes are a constant worry, and it’s expensive to use those second-tier services,” he said. “Trying to do a memorial video yourself under pressure isn’t such a good idea either. Outdated, off-the-shelf video tools can be frustrating and stressful, and there’s no technical help available if you run into glitches. That’s why my company decided to do something about this problem. Our software has been six years in the making, but we think we’ve got a winner!”
A funeral home using Frazer Consultants video tribute software can offer a grieving family:
• A video for the visitation hours and funeral service
• Unlimited selection of pictures to honor loved one
• Automatic photograph touch-up
• Access to large library of video clips
• Option to download songs or use music library
• Varied backgrounds and Life Journey themes
• Automatic transition and music sync features
• Professional motion effects for still photos
• Ability to post tribute video on Internet
• Memorial DVDs for family and friends
Frazer Consultants currently is offering a complimentary trial demo. For more information, go to http://www.frazerconsultants.com/ or call 866-372-9372.
WAUNAKEE, WI – (Feb. 12, 2010) Loss automatically triggers memory. So when someone loses someone close to them, a common scene would be the survivors picking up the photo album or pulling out an old home movie or video.
The funeral industry has been challenged by consumers to make memorial services more personal and reflective of the essence of the individual. With the help of Frazer Consultants, a funeral home can deliver to a family the personal experience they are asking for.
“Tribute videos, picture collages and online memorials are an integral part of 21st century bereavement ritual,” said Matt Frazer, a funeral consultant from Frazer Consultants, LLC. “Face it. Images are a powerful facet of our culture. Just look at the visuals on CNN coming from Haiti, the photos in magazines after 9/11, the pictures in tabloids and the popularity of Facebook, YouTube and digital cameras. They’re all image-based. That phenomenon has carried over to the funeral industry, too.”
Frazer’s Wisconsin-based funeral consulting firm has recognized these societal changes and has responded. Its Tribute Center offers varied technical services and products, including its newly launched video tribute software.
“I think a video tribute is one of the most compelling tools a funeral home can use to help their families in the grieving process. The combination of music and images helps evoke emotion that offers healing. The process of going home to gather, sort and select photos one by one can play an integral part in the healing process. It comforts the living, and honors the memory of the person who has passed,” said Frazer.
However, cautioned Frazer, relying on companies not in the funeral business is always a little risky.
“Delayed delivery and mistakes are a constant worry, and it’s expensive to use those second-tier services,” he said. “Trying to do a memorial video yourself under pressure isn’t such a good idea either. Outdated, off-the-shelf video tools can be frustrating and stressful, and there’s no technical help available if you run into glitches. That’s why my company decided to do something about this problem. Our software has been six years in the making, but we think we’ve got a winner!”
A funeral home using Frazer Consultants video tribute software can offer a grieving family:
• A video for the visitation hours and funeral service
• Unlimited selection of pictures to honor loved one
• Automatic photograph touch-up
• Access to large library of video clips
• Option to download songs or use music library
• Varied backgrounds and Life Journey themes
• Automatic transition and music sync features
• Professional motion effects for still photos
• Ability to post tribute video on Internet
• Memorial DVDs for family and friends
Frazer Consultants currently is offering a complimentary trial demo. For more information, go to http://www.frazerconsultants.com/ or call 866-372-9372.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Ride the Technology Wave to Improved Quality, Service
By Matt Frazer
The best thing about today’s new technology is you can do so much more than was thought possible 10, or even 5 years ago. But also, what you can do today is so easy that you don’t need a degree from M.I.T. to use it.
You hardly hear anyone digging up that old expression, “he can’t even program a VCR.” I guess when the technology becomes obsolete so do the expressions. “He can’t even program a DVR” just doesn’t sound right. And besides, who can’t program a DVR? The old family VCR has joined items once thought of as household staples in the technology museum. I think the VCR is on display right along side of the fax machine. Does anyone use a fax machine any more? Really?
Twenty years ago, those households that had home computers used them pretty much super word processors. A 40-kilobite hard drive and 3 megabytes of RAM was all we were going to need, right? Now the home computer is the home entertainment center — a sound system, a TV, video player, video recorder, etc.
But technology is often boiled down into “bells and whistles” except when it answers the question, “how does this help me?”
As funeral directors, every firm’s mission revolves around providing the best possible service to families who are seeking a unique, personalized tribute to a loved one. Is there anything more disappointing to a family than going home after saying goodbye, thinking back at the service and concluding that funeral could have been for almost anyone — so rote, so generic.
Technology has provided the tools in the funeral director’s tool belt to allow him or her to rise to the challenge and creating a meaningful memorial. And the personalized service should start the minute the family walks through the door of the funeral home.
One of the most tangible areas where technology has intersected with personalization is in the area of the memorial products a funeral home can provide a family for a service. Usually the first thing a visitor will do upon entering the funeral home is sign his or her name to the register book, or select a memorial card. If you think about the memorial cards you might have taken from past visitations, should any two be alike? I don’t think so.
Sure there are a lot people who share the same hobbies or occupation. That’s not making something personal. At best, a funeral home that has some broadly themed stationery is just putting a family’s loved one into a fairly general subgroup.
The way to do personalization properly is to start with a blank piece of paper. Then shared memories are turned into words, and photographs are selected to create an iconic image that is personal, unique and specific. Recently, Frazer Consultants has introduced Life Journey Celebration Stationery, which leaves the generic behind and allows a funeral home to work with a family to commemorate a loved one’s life well lived — all from that same blank piece of paper.
The two technological components behind the Life Journey Celebration stationery include easy-to-use software and a printer that can handle your volume. The inspiration behind the Life Journey Celebration model is print-on-demand capabilities. The benefits are threefold. One, it reduces the need for a wide variety of preprinted inventory in your funeral home; two, you are not sweating out a delivery from a third party when a visitation is about to begin; and three, the funeral home will realize a significant savings on printing costs. Plus, no one will go home empty-handed because restocking supply is as easy as clicking “print.”
As I said earlier, not only is technology more comprehensive but also it is easy to use. The starting point for the Life Journey Celebration program is an easy-to-use software package that offers more than 450 themes available to capture a loved one’s interests, hobbies or occupation. Each theme includes a layout for a register book, memorial folder, prayer card, acknowledgement, bookmark, sign and DVD packaging to allow funeral directors to provide their families with personalized stationery that matches any interest, hobby, occupation or religious background.
The 450 themes offer quite an inventory, but it doesn’t end there. These themes merely act as a frame to allow a funeral home and a family to take the process a step further and incorporate personal family photos, which create a truly unique expression that reflects a wide range of personal memories of a loved one. Think about the “wow-factor” in the family’s eyes because the package allows for endless design possibilities.
Think of the bond forming between you and your families. You are engaged in personal conversations with a family, talking about their personal memories and sharing family photos. Think of how you can use this information in other aspects of your service.
To create the final product, a funeral home has the option to use its own printing equipment, or subscribe to one of Frazer’s three printing solution packages. Not every funeral home is going to want a high-end printer in their business office and I can’t blame them because the price to keep some these thirsty printers in toner can be prohibitive.
We spent two years researching the printing side of this equation and as a result we partner with two equipment manufacturers, with whom we have developed an equipment-leasing program where a funeral home can sign up for a fixed cost per page program. Each package is based on a per click charge that requires the funeral home only pay per page printed, which helps reduce expenses.
Per month, the funeral home would have to pay for the lease of the equipment (which is a standard 36-month term), anywhere from 6 to 8 cents per color print and 1 to 1.5 cents for a black and white print. Let’s say at the end of the month if they run 1,000 color prints, lets say they are set up at 6 cents a print, their costs are $60 for those color prints. Those same 1,000 prints would probably go through a full set of toners, which might cost about $600.
In a challenging economy, businesses that have more control over their costs enjoy a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
When you talk about personalization, how can a funeral home be happy if they only have seven or eight themed stationery packages? That’s a pretty narrow spectrum when you think about all the different interests, hobbies, occupations or religious backgrounds. What we’ve developed is a way for funeral homes to get rid of all of their preprinted stock. The only thing they have to inventory with us is blank, perforated stock.
For the family, they don’t have to be confined to a memorial template to create a personal tribute to a loved one, Life Journey Celebration Stationery lets every family create their own.
The response has been tremendous.
“I have never seen a more personal, professional product that generates more public awareness than the Frazer line,” says Marty Mitchell, owner of the Mitchell Family Funeral Home, Marshalltown, Iowa. “We find that the memorial folders are being kept, people who normally don't notice, do notice and we have the chance to be proactive on this product in the community.”
In time, a family member or friend will be going through a scrapbook or prayer book and they will see this memento created with the Life Journey Celebration package. You know what, not for a second will they wonder from whose funeral did that card come from. It could be from only one.
For more information, please visit our website.
The best thing about today’s new technology is you can do so much more than was thought possible 10, or even 5 years ago. But also, what you can do today is so easy that you don’t need a degree from M.I.T. to use it.
You hardly hear anyone digging up that old expression, “he can’t even program a VCR.” I guess when the technology becomes obsolete so do the expressions. “He can’t even program a DVR” just doesn’t sound right. And besides, who can’t program a DVR? The old family VCR has joined items once thought of as household staples in the technology museum. I think the VCR is on display right along side of the fax machine. Does anyone use a fax machine any more? Really?
Twenty years ago, those households that had home computers used them pretty much super word processors. A 40-kilobite hard drive and 3 megabytes of RAM was all we were going to need, right? Now the home computer is the home entertainment center — a sound system, a TV, video player, video recorder, etc.
But technology is often boiled down into “bells and whistles” except when it answers the question, “how does this help me?”
As funeral directors, every firm’s mission revolves around providing the best possible service to families who are seeking a unique, personalized tribute to a loved one. Is there anything more disappointing to a family than going home after saying goodbye, thinking back at the service and concluding that funeral could have been for almost anyone — so rote, so generic.
Technology has provided the tools in the funeral director’s tool belt to allow him or her to rise to the challenge and creating a meaningful memorial. And the personalized service should start the minute the family walks through the door of the funeral home.
One of the most tangible areas where technology has intersected with personalization is in the area of the memorial products a funeral home can provide a family for a service. Usually the first thing a visitor will do upon entering the funeral home is sign his or her name to the register book, or select a memorial card. If you think about the memorial cards you might have taken from past visitations, should any two be alike? I don’t think so.
Sure there are a lot people who share the same hobbies or occupation. That’s not making something personal. At best, a funeral home that has some broadly themed stationery is just putting a family’s loved one into a fairly general subgroup.
The way to do personalization properly is to start with a blank piece of paper. Then shared memories are turned into words, and photographs are selected to create an iconic image that is personal, unique and specific. Recently, Frazer Consultants has introduced Life Journey Celebration Stationery, which leaves the generic behind and allows a funeral home to work with a family to commemorate a loved one’s life well lived — all from that same blank piece of paper.
The two technological components behind the Life Journey Celebration stationery include easy-to-use software and a printer that can handle your volume. The inspiration behind the Life Journey Celebration model is print-on-demand capabilities. The benefits are threefold. One, it reduces the need for a wide variety of preprinted inventory in your funeral home; two, you are not sweating out a delivery from a third party when a visitation is about to begin; and three, the funeral home will realize a significant savings on printing costs. Plus, no one will go home empty-handed because restocking supply is as easy as clicking “print.”
As I said earlier, not only is technology more comprehensive but also it is easy to use. The starting point for the Life Journey Celebration program is an easy-to-use software package that offers more than 450 themes available to capture a loved one’s interests, hobbies or occupation. Each theme includes a layout for a register book, memorial folder, prayer card, acknowledgement, bookmark, sign and DVD packaging to allow funeral directors to provide their families with personalized stationery that matches any interest, hobby, occupation or religious background.
The 450 themes offer quite an inventory, but it doesn’t end there. These themes merely act as a frame to allow a funeral home and a family to take the process a step further and incorporate personal family photos, which create a truly unique expression that reflects a wide range of personal memories of a loved one. Think about the “wow-factor” in the family’s eyes because the package allows for endless design possibilities.
Think of the bond forming between you and your families. You are engaged in personal conversations with a family, talking about their personal memories and sharing family photos. Think of how you can use this information in other aspects of your service.
To create the final product, a funeral home has the option to use its own printing equipment, or subscribe to one of Frazer’s three printing solution packages. Not every funeral home is going to want a high-end printer in their business office and I can’t blame them because the price to keep some these thirsty printers in toner can be prohibitive.
We spent two years researching the printing side of this equation and as a result we partner with two equipment manufacturers, with whom we have developed an equipment-leasing program where a funeral home can sign up for a fixed cost per page program. Each package is based on a per click charge that requires the funeral home only pay per page printed, which helps reduce expenses.
Per month, the funeral home would have to pay for the lease of the equipment (which is a standard 36-month term), anywhere from 6 to 8 cents per color print and 1 to 1.5 cents for a black and white print. Let’s say at the end of the month if they run 1,000 color prints, lets say they are set up at 6 cents a print, their costs are $60 for those color prints. Those same 1,000 prints would probably go through a full set of toners, which might cost about $600.
In a challenging economy, businesses that have more control over their costs enjoy a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
When you talk about personalization, how can a funeral home be happy if they only have seven or eight themed stationery packages? That’s a pretty narrow spectrum when you think about all the different interests, hobbies, occupations or religious backgrounds. What we’ve developed is a way for funeral homes to get rid of all of their preprinted stock. The only thing they have to inventory with us is blank, perforated stock.
For the family, they don’t have to be confined to a memorial template to create a personal tribute to a loved one, Life Journey Celebration Stationery lets every family create their own.
The response has been tremendous.
“I have never seen a more personal, professional product that generates more public awareness than the Frazer line,” says Marty Mitchell, owner of the Mitchell Family Funeral Home, Marshalltown, Iowa. “We find that the memorial folders are being kept, people who normally don't notice, do notice and we have the chance to be proactive on this product in the community.”
In time, a family member or friend will be going through a scrapbook or prayer book and they will see this memento created with the Life Journey Celebration package. You know what, not for a second will they wonder from whose funeral did that card come from. It could be from only one.
For more information, please visit our website.
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