Are You Creating or Killing Customer Loyalty? 

Culture and Customer Loyalty Keynote Joan Fox at CANA’s 107^th Convention 

WHEELING, IL— The last 25 years of funeral service have brought unpredictable and incalculable changes to this industry. Adapting and pivoting are more than buzzwords—they’re a matter of survival. A change in mindset is also required if you want to grow. In the light of these developments, Joan Fox, President of Inspired Solutions, will show you what it really takes to succeed with customers and grow your business at the Cremation Association of North America’s 107^th Annual Cremation Innovation Convention in Phoenix this August 6-8. 2025. 

In her keynote session, Are You Creating or Killing Customer Loyalty? sponsored by National Guardian Life (NGL), Joan Fox proves why customer satisfaction isn’t enough—loyalty is needed. “Many mediocre companies satisfy their customers every day,” explains Joan. “They deliver a product or service without painful snags, and yet their customers exit by door, phone or internet, having been served. Customers get what they want with reasonable ease and courtesy, and go on with their lives—not dissatisfied and not ‘wowed.’” Attend Joan’s session and you’ll learn the most common “killers” of customer loyalty and the organizational “must haves” to create customer loyalty. 

Joan Fox is a results-driven performance expert. With noted expertise in improving the customer experience, organizational culture and leadership teams, Joan has worked with some of the world’s best companies through her consulting firm. She understands the unique and intimate connection between deathcare practitioners and customer loyalty which drives profit, growth and brand reputation.  “Truly extraordinary client experiences occur when we resurrect the passion that led us to choose this work path and demonstrate our desire to serve – when we do what we are asked because we want to help,” emphasizes Joan. “Ours is the privilege of working with human beings at a very vulnerable time of their lives.” 

Further your business growth as you respond to changes to the profession in each session at the CANA Convention: 

• Take a close look at Ethics in Cremation: A Colorado Case Study with Faith Haug, Program Director of Arapahoe Community College Mortuary Science Program, and explore three pivotal cremation cases and how they directly influenced Colorado’s funeral service laws and public trust. 

• Two experts take the stage to share Data-Driven Digital Marketing Fundamentals with advice to build your business. Scott Jensen, Co-owner of FirstCall Marketing, offers Steps to Take to Know If Your Marketing is Working or Not. Then, Zack Moy, Co-founder/CTO of Afterword, guides you through The Efficient Funeral Home: A Data-Driven Look at Technology Implementation.  

• Succession planning and driving enterprise value should always be top of mind, so Jake Johnson, President & CEO of Johnson Consulting, will show how to Exit with Success: Succession Planning and Your Business. 

• In Historic Cemeteries Facing the Future, Regina Harrison, Director of Sales of Mount Auburn Cemetery, shares how to think creatively with options for cremation memorialization—whether you’re managing historic grounds or guiding families through end-of-life choices. 

• Barbara Kemmis, Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America and Chance Parker, Chief Research Officer of Fortitude Research + Marketing, present the Cremation Practitioner Benchmarking Study of insights into current practice and provides strategies to address future challenges. 

What could be better than what’s happening on the CANA stage? It might be the backdrop! The Convention hotel is the Arizona Biltmore which offers seven relaxing pools, five appealing shops featuring hand-curated pieces, three unique dining experiences, two picturesque golf courses, and one award-winning spa and salon – plus two iconic bars where you can revel in a tequila sunrise. You’re invited to explore, to discover, and to feel inspired by the colors, culture and the captivating energy of the Valley of the Sun. Make your reservation now at canarooms.com. 

To make the most of the resort experience, the CANA Convention schedule is revamped so you can enjoy all that Phoenix has to offer in the cool desert nights and mornings. First is a 9-hole scramble on The Estates Course at the Arizona Biltmore Golf Club with an 8am shotgun start. Not a golfer? Take in the scenery with the Arizona Biltmore History Tour to explore the bold Frank Lloyd Wright-influenced architecture, get the scoop on historic celebrated guests, and view the meticulous restoration. Moving at a different speed? Put relaxation first and take a yoga class or book your appointment at the award-winning Tierra Luna Spa and Sol Garden. Or take advantage of the resort pools open around the clock. 

A choice is before us. We can either rely solely on heritage and traditions from the past or take control of the future. Learn the value of customer loyalty over satisfaction and gain strategies to develop staff to grow your business with Joan Fox at CANA’s 107^th Annual Convention this August 6-8, 2025. Special rates are available for teams to learn, grow, and implement strategies together. Plus, the schedule is redesigned to ensure you can explore the Valley of the Sun in the cool mornings and evenings and fully savor the networking and learning in the air-conditioned Convention hall during the heat of the day. Visit cremationassociation.org/CANA25 to learn more and register today! 

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About CANA 

Founded in 1913, the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) is an international organization of over 3,700 members, composed of funeral homes, cemeteries, crematories, industry suppliers, and consultants. CANA members believe that cremation is preparation for memorialization. 

Dead Ringers Welcomes Industry Veteran Brent Thomas and Unveils Enhanced Customer Experience Support Services for Deathcare Professionals 

Cincinnati, Ohio – May 22, 2025 – Dead Ringers, pioneering customer experience expert for the deathcare profession, officially announces the appointment of Brent Thomas as Head of Business Development—alongside a slew of new service options designed to support businesses at a higher level. 

With nearly a decade of research encompassing over 50,000 mystery calls to funeral homes and cemeteries, Dead Ringers has evolved beyond mystery shopping to become a premier training partner for deathcare establishments seeking measurable growth. 

“Bringing Brent Thomas on board represents a pivotal moment in Dead Ringers’ journey,” says Mandie Hungarland, COO at Dead Ringers. “To date, we’ve relied on word-of-mouth to grow—which has worked surprisingly well, but it’s time the world sees what we’re really capable of. Brent’s industry expertise and proven track record in developing effective sales and training strategies align perfectly with our mission to transform CX in the deathcare profession.” 

Brent brings over 28 years of experience in the deathcare profession, beginning his journey in cemetery and funeral preneed sales before quickly advancing into sales leadership roles. Joining Batesville in 2002, he has played instrumental roles, including helping to launch a pet cremation startup, serving as a cremation subject matter expert, and consulting on key accounts. More recently, Brent led the sales training and development team at Homesteaders Life Co. He’s gained award-winning recognition as a business consultant, trainer, coach, mentor, and strategic sales leader. 

“I am thrilled to join Dead Ringers because of the company’s innovation and stellar reputation,” Brent shares. “The extensive training Dead Ringers provides to deathcare professionals daily is remarkable, though often underappreciated. I knew I had to be part of this impactful journey to help funeral professionals deliver the best possible customer experience.” 

In conjunction with this strategic hire, Dead Ringers has formally unveiled its enhanced service offerings. The company’s cornerstone “Growth Plan” establishes a long-term partnership with funeral home and cemetery owners, delivering comprehensive leadership strategy, one-on-one staff coaching, group training sessions, and ongoing CX evaluations. 

Complementing this hands-on approach is CXpertise, Dead Ringers’ new on-demand learning platform featuring video modules, downloadable resources, monthly webinars, and specialized classes. When utilized together, these programs enable professionals to achieve “Dead Ringers Certification,” a new milestone for customer experience excellence in deathcare. 

The results speak for themselves: Clients implementing the Dead Ringers Growth Plan have experienced remarkable revenue increases ranging from 11% to 33%—a figure that is anticipated to increase with the launch of the CXpertise platform. 

This powerful combination of industry-leading expertise and innovative training solutions positions Dead Ringers to continue its mission of elevating the customer experience and helping deathcare professionals thrive. 

About Dead Ringers 

Dead Ringers is the customer experience expert for the deathcare profession, specializing in providing telephone CX evaluation, training and coaching. Through proprietary data collection, comprehensive training programs, and on-demand learning platform, Dead Ringers empowers deathcare professionals to deliver exceptional customer experiences while achieving measurable business growth. For more information, visit deadringers.co.

Johnson Consulting Group (JCG) Announces Recipients of JCG 2024 Excellence in Customer Service Awards, Powered by J3Tech Solutions

The Awards were presented to JCG client funeral homes who achieved the highest Total Value Index Score from family satisfaction surveys sent to each family they served during 2024. The Total Value Index is a calculation of the weighted sum of the Overall Performance Score, the Net Promoter Score and the “value of the price paid for goods and service” question. The Overall Performance Score is a calculation of eighteen independent questions that measure results in four areas: 1) Initial Contact, 2) Arranging Director, 3) Facilities and Vehicles, 4) Staff and Services Provided.

The JCG client funeral homes are divided into three categories based on call volume. Award recipients achieved the highest levels of customer satisfaction among the 576 funeral homes that were eligible in 2024.

On behalf of Johnson Consulting Group, we want to congratulate the following winners:

Category One: 24-150 Surveys Sent

• Coastal Cremations and Funeral Care – Jacksonville
• Care Funeral & Cremation Service – Moundsville
• Garrett-Sykes Funeral Service – Ahoskie Chapel
• Walker Brothers Funeral Home – Spencerport
• Halls of Waldoboro
• Foley-Cook New Day Cremation and Funeral Care
• Miles-Sterling Funeral & Tribute Center
• Wells Funeral Home – Canton
• Goodlettsville
• Alexander 
• Baue O’Fallon Funeral Home
• Riemann – Biloxi
• Opatovsky Funeral Home – Dempster Chapel
• Aria – Irving
• Weigel Funeral Home

Category Two: 151-300 Surveys Sent

• Mountain View Cremation & Funeral Care
• J. Verne Wood Funeral Home
• Billow Funeral Homes & Crematory – Fairlawn Chapel
• Buonfiglio Funeral Home
• Jersey Memorial Group, Old Bridge
• K.E. Pike Funeral Home
• Harper & Lucas Funerals & Cremations
• Alpine Funeral Home
• West Funeral Home
• Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel
• Chancellor Funeral Home – Florence
• Smith & Buckner Funeral Home
• Posey Funeral Directors
• Biggers Funeral Home
• Aria – Northwest Hwy

Category Three: 300+ Surveys Sent

• Cremation Society of Virginia – Southside Chapel
• Cremation Society of Virginia – Peninsula Chapel
• Simply Cremation
• Fremont Chapel of the Roses
• Hansen Chapel
• Heartland Funeral Home – Early
• Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors Walled Lake
• Menke Funeral & Cremation Center
• Miles Funeral Home
• Ott & Lee – Brandon
• Horan & McConaty – Wadsworth
• Roper & Sons Funeral Services
• Thomas McAfee Funeral Homes & Cremation Center – Downtown Chapel
• Thomas McAfee Funeral Homes – Northwest Chapel
• Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home
• Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home Bueler Mortuary

The JCG Performance Tracker X tool provides funeral homes and cemeteries timely, accurate measurements of customer service and sale performance.  The software offers comprehensive reporting that shows business owners what they are doing well and identifies the areas that need fine-tuning and improvements.

Johnson Consulting Group started its customer survey program in 2008. This large amount of survey data has proven invaluable to providing insight into customer needs and satisfaction. The company attributes the program’s growth based on its ability to offer the program with no contract to sign, a low monthly cost, and accessibility to its management professionals for interpretation and usefulness of the reports.

“With the commoditization of products and services in our society, providing an exceptionally high level of customer service is critical to differentiating us from our competition. At the average sale of a funeral today, the loss of even one family can have material impacts on a business and its value. The answer to continual improvement is to survey our customers, ask the difficult questions, ask for a review online, and recover when there’s an issue”, says Jake Johnson, President and CEO of Johnson Consulting Group.

For more information about Johnson Consulting Group or the Performance Tracker X tool, email info@johnsonconsulting.com or visit us at www.johnsonconsulting.com.

Express Funeral Funding Promotes Adam Setty to Client Operations Manager & Welcomes Rachel Schmelz as Customer Service Manager

JEFFERSONVILLE, IN – Release 9/23/24 – Express Funeral Funding (EFF), the the nation’s largest privately held, FASTEST and EASIEST at-need insurance assignment funding company is pleased to announce the promotion of Adam Setty from customer service manager to client operations manager and welcome Rachel Schmelz as customer service manager. 

Setty, an 18-year EFF veteran brings a wealth of knowledge and years of claims operation experience to this new role. As client operations manager Setty will oversee EFF’s core business relationships and ensure these customers receive the support and priority-attention needed to receive the ultimate funding experience, only EFF can provide. 

“Adam was one of the first employees we hired at EFF,” said Michael Wilson, co-founder and vp of operations. “He knows exactly what our customers’ needs are and I’m confident his leadership and invaluable skillset will provide an even greater experience for the funeral homes and cemeteries we serve nationwide.”

EFF is also pleased to welcome Rachel Schmelz as customer service manager, assuming Setty’s previous role.

Schmelz comes to EFF with over a decade of experience in business development management for engineering and law firms and possesses a background as a paralegal.

“With the addition of Rachel, we can now expand and further develop tailored processes and services to best serve our customers wants and needs,” said Adam Setty. “I am proud to have served our clients for nearly two decades and look forward to starting this new position and deepening my connections with our clients, who I truly consider family. 

EFF boasts a top rated customer service and USA-based concierge team dedicated to providing the ultimate funding experience. To reach Adam or Rachel directly contact; adam@expff.com, rachel.schmelz@expff.com or text 415.949.CHAT (2428) on your mobile device. 

Express Funeral Funding has been providing funeral homes and cemeteries nationwide the ultimate funding experience since 2002. EFF eliminates the challenges of working with insurance companies by limiting administration, providing immediate payment, and advancing complete policy funds. For more information on Express Funeral Funding, please visit www.expressfuneralfunding.com, email contact@expff.com or call 812.949.9011. 

The American economy keeps spending, yet we hear that families are getting squeezed by the combination of high prices and high interest rates.  We also hear that high interest rates don’t seem to be stopping the consumer which in turn would put a turn-down on the economy making a reason for lowering interest rates.

In some ways that juxtaposition just doesn’t make sense.  How can America keep spending in record numbers and dollars, yet we hear the stories that families are hurting.  If the families are hurting financially, wouldn’t the spending stop?

Oddly enough, that’s a discussion my family had at the Easter table on Sunday.

Then on Monday, I found some proof from what I have long expected. . . . .There is much more than one America and there is a pretty easy explanation for all of this when you look at what is happening in credit scores.  I came across this article titled, “Delinquencies rise in February as diverging consumer credit trends emerge”.

The article gives some reason and rationale to the fact that America is diverging in a lot of areas. . . one of which is the ability to secure credit.  The article deals with what is called the “VantageScore” of credit.  It lists three tiers where most people fit into the credit rating categories. . . .

• A credit rating of between 781-850 is called “SuperPrime” and is the top category
• A credit rating of between 600-780 is called “Prime” and is the next best category
• A credit rating of between 300-600 is called “SubPrime” and is the lowest category.

According to the article the “Prime”, or middle, category is contracting in number of consumers and as it does those people that move out of it move either up into the “SuperPrime” category or down into the “SubPrime” category.  In essence America’s borrowers are either “Better Off” or “Worse Off” than before but less and less are in the middle-class category which has been where the essence of America has been for decades.

According to the article, here’s why that movement is important, “The divergent trends of healthy Superprime consumers, compared with struggling Subprime consumers, “could complicate the Federal Reserve’s efforts to effectively engineer a smooth landing because VantageScore Superprime consumers are still spending and borrowing while VantageScore Subprime consumers are finding it increasingly difficult to stay current on credit payments”.

So, that is interesting, but does it, or will it effect your funeral business?  I think it does simply by creating more of an inexact knowledge of who your customer is.  Is there no problem extending some type of credit?. . . . Or does this client family have no apparent means to pay the funeral services bill?  That’s a difficult problem to have and think about when sitting around the arrangement table.

Where does this situation go when you have settled on a services plan that costs $10,000 and the client family can only come up with $2,000 on a credit card.  Think of that with the knowledge of this recent CNBC article which states that 44% of American’s can not come up with $1,000 for an unexpected expense.

On Easter Sunday I also took time to catch up with some of my reading from NFDA’s The Director magazine which is delivered to my Minnesota home while I”m in Florida for the winter.  In the February edition I came across an article by Johnson Consulting Group’s Kristen Szymborski about managing cash-flow.  In it she makes this sensible comment, “Collecting fees at the time of arrangement and time of services rendered is a crucial practice that ensures a steady influx of cash“.

Great advice and it probably should be followed. . . . . but what do you do in my example when that family has got to the point of choosing services and then realized the total amount is not within the reach of their current financial abilities?

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  In this situation I’m probably the worst guy to ask.  By any banker or credit manager’s standard I was way too lenient on lending credit to all kinds of clientele.  Call me naive, but I simply had faith in the goodness of people. . . .Yep, I got taken a few times, but at the end of the day, I think we came out okay.

I don’t think there was anybody who simply did not want to pay for their mom or dad’s funeral.  Whenever I didn’t get paid there was a pretty good probability that they had no resources to pay me.

I also always kept President Lincoln’s quote close knowing that the only way we would be able to extend credit to those with an apparent lack of resources was that the funeral home had to be financially strong first of all.  Lincoln once said, “You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong”.  

We didn’t accept credit cards.  You either had a preneed account or paid us by check within a week.  I’m guessing that over all we probably lost about 2% of our sales to credit loss.  But, by not taking credit cards all of the other accounts had no fee taken from us for credit card processing (this was before the advent of SeeNoFees credit card processing). . . and that 2% loss was worked back into our basic service overhead pricing.  So, in essence, maybe it is not fair, but those that paid on time and in full helped me extend credit to those with difficult situations.

Finally, I used to rationalize that “Nobody ever asks for a death in a family”.  Maybe it came at the worst possible time and there were other pressing needs that the family had to tend to.  I used to think “If I don’t give them a break, who will”?

Funny thing that happened with those families that we gave a break to via the extension of credit when they should not have qualified.  They weren’t down and out forever.  They became some of our most loyal clientele and best advocates in the community.

Credit and how it is extended is an inexact science.  Know your limits, know your situation, be judicious, and most of all, know your customers if you can.

Finally, build your funeral home’s financial base with wise financial moves so that you can have the option of extending credit if you need to. . .If you are not strong in the first place, you have no ability to help others when they may need it.

Related Article — What is the average credit score in the U.S.?  Experian

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