OneRoom Blog

When the pandemic gripped the globe in early 2020, the funeral industry needed a live-streaming solution—and fast. As non-essential businesses shuttered and quarantine protocols were put in place, many funeral directors turned to existing technology such as Facebook live to meet the needs of families and offer a meaningful ceremony for their loved ones. 

“No news is good news”  “Silence is golden” We have all heard these common sayings - but what if those statements are not always true when it comes to business and understanding our customer’s needs?

Benjamin Franklin put it best: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  Though the Founding Father of the United States coined this phrase to remind Philadelphians about the importance of fire awareness, nearly 300 years later it can still apply to many aspects of modern life—our industry included.

Global Funeral Streaming Leader OneRoom Leverages its Reliable Technology Beyond Funeral Chapel Walls

All the skill and care delivered to each family is on display during the funeral or memorial service you arrange for their loved one. Balancing their wishes with your guidance delivers a respectful goodbye and a critically important outlet for their grief. Traditionally this has been conducted as a unique, ‘one and done’ occasion. Now, through the power of video, the reach and benefit of a service can be watched, shared and replayed wherever needed. This is a transformational opportunity to showcase and expand your value.

When funeral directors ask OneRoom what we think the most beneficial thing they can do for the families they serve is, we unwaveringly say to record everything. Every funeral is so important to every one of them, putting it on replay extends the benefit and value of the healing experience you provide for generations to come.

“No one wants to plan their own funeral,” says James Montgomery, OneRoom’s national sales director, in a recent interview. His frank admission is based on nearly 15 years of industry experience, including a decade-plus tenure at Service Corporation International. “You’re essentially planning the worst day of your life, so it's easy for someone to put off,” he continues. As funeral professionals, you recognize this hesitancy better than anyone. 

For many professionals who have selected to delve into the world of the funeral director, it is more than just a career path but a calling. I have been a licensed funeral director for over 20 years in New York and more recently in Texas. I have served client families in different roles throughout my career ranging from daily operations, embalming, leading teams in pre need sales, managing cemeteries and crematories as well as presenting to other professionals at events.

For over 80 years, Krause Funeral Homes and Cremation Services have served the greater Milwaukee region with professionalism, empathy, and a deep reverence for life celebrations. With approximately 80 employees spread across four locations—Brookfield, Milwaukee - Brown Deer Road, Milwaukee - Capitol Drive, and New Berlin—Krause offers funeral, cremation, and burial options, as well as grief services. 

Einan’s at Sunset Funeral Home at Sunset Gardens, a valued OneRoom customer, has been serving Richland, Washington, for over 60 years. Always ahead of the curve when it comes to technology and innovation, Einan’s installed OneRoom’s live-streaming solution in its chapel and event center in 2019. “Families wanted it and expected it,” says Holley Sowards, service and operations manager. “If you want to stay in the game, you need to have this technology. It's critical.”

Funeral directors have the delicate task of supporting grieving families, while organizing a streamlined service that respectfully honors their loved ones. This challenging job, however, has grown even more difficult amidst a global pandemic that’s limited safe travel and constrained in-person gatherings. 

These are the most mournful times many of us have ever known, which makes our inability to mourn together frustratingly ironic. Directives from the nation’s governors that people help decrease the number of people dying by congregating in groups no larger than 10 mean that when people do die, we can’t gather to say goodbye to them. We can’t embrace their bereaved family members. Or join the rest of the community in providing a pot-luck feast.  

Funeral directors must organize an event that does justice to a person’s life, while also bringing mourners together under highly emotional circumstances. This can be a demanding and delicate task, but when done well, funeral directors create a unique and personal blend of sorrow and joy, reflection and hope, strength and meaning.

The grieving process is never easy. But that’s why families and loved ones come together to honor the person who has passed and help one another through a challenging time. 

How to respond to a global pandemic is a skill all governments, businesses and families have had to polish up on in recent months. Compassionate funeral directors looking to deepen relationships and build empathy with clients can do so by livestreaming the funeral, which allows all attendees, physical and virtual, to partake in the healing process.