What Do Funeral Service Managers Do (including Their Typical Day At Work)

Job Description

Funeral Service Managers plan, direct, or coordinate the services or resources of funeral homes. Includes activities such as determining prices for services or merchandise and managing the facilities of funeral homes. They also consult with families or friends of the deceased to arrange funeral details, such as obituary notice wording, casket selection, or plans for services.

Other tasks include:

• Direct and supervise work of embalmers, funeral attendants, death certificate clerks, cosmetologists, or other staff.
• Schedule funerals, burials, or cremations.
• Sell funeral services, products, or merchandise to clients.
• Monitor funeral service operations to ensure that they comply with applicable policies, regulations, and laws.
• Offer counsel and comfort to families and friends of the deceased.
• Negotiate contracts for prearranged funeral services.

We asked Funeral Service Managers how satisfied they are with their job. Here is what they said.

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75% of them said they were satisfied with their job and 62% said they find that their job makes the world a better place or helps to make someone else’s life better.

Typical Day At Work

On a daily basis, Funeral Service Managers monitor funeral service operations to ensure that they comply with applicable policies, regulations, and laws. They identify skill development needs for funeral home staff.

A typical day for a Funeral Service Manager will also include:

• Plan and implement changes to service offerings to meet community needs or increase funeral home revenues.
• Complete and maintain records, such as state-required documents, tracking documents, or product inventories.
• Schedule funerals, burials, or cremations.
• Sell funeral services, products, or merchandise to clients.
• Offer counsel and comfort to families and friends of the deceased.

We asked some Funeral Service Managers a few questions to find out what else does their work day look like. Here is what we found.

	Do you have telephone conversations everyday in this job?	88% said yes
	How important is it to work in a team in this job?	73% said very important
	Do you have group discussions everyday in this job?	75% said yes
	Do you talk or work with customers everyday in this job?	73% said yes
	Do you have to deal with angry customers everyday in this job?	14% said yes
	Do you have to make decisions everyday in this job?	63% said yes

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Funeral Service Managers also explain goals, policies, or procedures to staff members. They may also review financial statements, sales or activity reports, or other performance data to identify opportunities for cost reductions or service improvements.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Funeral Service Managers Evaluate the performance of vendors, contract employees, or other service providers to ensure quality and cost-efficiency. They might also Sell funeral services, products, or merchandise to clients.

In addition, they Negotiate contracts for prearranged funeral services.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them Schedule funerals, burials, or cremations.

To some Funeral Service Managers, it is also their responsibility to Offer counsel and comfort to families and friends of the deceased.

Working life

More than 40 hours per week

Irregular work schedule that changes depending on weather conditions, customer demand or contract duration.

In a typical work week as a Funeral Service Manager, you can expect to work more than 40 hours per week.

Is this right for me

People who are suitable for this job tends to like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business..

They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.

You can read more about these career personality types here.

Explore other careers

http://www.bls.gov/OOH/personal-care-and-service/funeral-service-occupations.htm

http://nfda.org/

http://www.nfdma.com/

http://www.cremationassociation.org/