Reclaiming Control: Data Ownership and the Future of Funeral Home Technology
By Zack Moy, Co-founder and CTO, Afterword ••
#press#FuneralDataAlliance
This article originally appeared on FuneralVision.com here.
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Let’s face it — technology runs a big part of your funeral home now. From tracking your cases and services, to handling the books, to getting the word out, software in some form or another is pretty much essential.
This wave of innovation brings amazing chances to be more efficient, personalize your service to families, and communicate clearly. With new capabilities and companies coming out every day, there’s no better time to use tech in your funeral home.
But just like any tool, tech can be used well … or not so well. As we rely more on software, big questions pop up about how data is kept safe and how to control it. While many software companies offer perks, some play games with data ownership and sharing. They’re creating a “lock-in” that holds funeral homes back, and, ultimately, affects families.
The Problem: Your Data Held Hostage
Almost every funeral home uses some kind of software to run its business. Even if you make arrangements with pen and paper, you’re likely using software for your website, digital properties like Facebook and Google Maps, or even your state’s vital registrar. And for those who already use digital management systems, you benefit from added security measures, easy-to-access archives and data redundancy to prevent losing any information.
The trouble is some tech providers put tight restrictions on who really owns the data and how easily you can move it or use it. This causes some real headaches:
Switching Providers is a Pain: Funeral homes often find it incredibly hard, maybe even impossible, to switch providers, because of how difficult it is to access data. Your data gets locked into their system, making moving to a new platform a massive, expensive project. Almost worse is if they export some data, but it’s incomplete or unorganized.
Paying to Get Your Own Data Back: Some companies charge ridiculous fees to export the data that belongs to your funeral home. They’re essentially holding your data hostage, forcing you to stick with them even if you’re unhappy with their service or price hikes.
Systems That Don’t Talk to Each Other: Now there are some companies that allow others to integrate with their software. But more often than not, the different tech platforms used in the profession can’t communicate. This includes your website, case management, preneed CRM, eSignature platform, payment processor, in addition to other partner systems like a cemetery or crematory. This lack of connection, or “interoperability” makes working smoothly with multiple software companies much harder and may deter you from using multiple providers at all.
Sound familiar? Have you switched your cell phone company, your bank, or home insurance recently? Did they slap you with a big fee just to leave? It’s a similar feeling. These tactics really put the squeeze on funeral homes:
Less Choice, Less Freedom: You’re stuck with limited options for tech solutions, making it hard to find the best tools for your specific needs and budget. Instead of picking the best software for each job, you might have to stick with one provider for everything.
Higher Costs and More Hassle: Paying extra to get your data or dealing with systems that don’t work together adds costs and headaches for your team, when you already have enough work on your plate.
Vendor Lock-in (and Feeling Ripped Off): When you can’t easily switch, you’re locked in. This leaves you open to sudden price hikes and feeling like you’re being taken advantage of.
How This Hits Families: A Ripple Effect
It’s not just about the business side – these problems directly affect the families you care for. At a time when they’re grieving and vulnerable, families trust you to handle sensitive details smoothly and carefully. Data roadblocks can throw a wrench in the works:
Not Using the Technology Most Suitable for You. Without the freedom to switch providers or add services that integrate with your existing software, you’re limiting how you can serve families by the providers you already have.
Trouble Moving Preneed Plans: If a family moves or wants to use a different funeral home for prearranged services, data restrictions can make transferring that information a nightmare. This adds unnecessary stress during an already painful time.
Risk of Errors in Arrangements: If you do switch providers, and the exported data is missing or incomplete, that can lead to big errors in arrangements. When mistakes happen, families notice, and they’ll punish you in your reviews.
Learning from Others: The Power of Open Data
The good news? Other professions have tackled similar data headaches using open data standards. They usually involve rules about (1) how data is kept safe and (2) common formats, so everyone’s speaking the same data language. These examples show us the way:
Healthcare (HIPAA): In the U.S., HIPAA doesn’t just protect patient privacy; it also ensures patients can get and move their medical records. This gives patients more control and encourages health care providers to compete on service. You’ve already heard of HIPAA. Likely though, you haven’t heard of the health data standards like HL7 and FHIR, which define how the health data is structured, so it can be shared between providers.
Finance (Open Banking): Think about apps that securely connect to bank accounts. Every financial institution will follow strict standards for handling credit card data (PCI DSS) to make sure you’re only sharing financial data securely with apps you trust. This sparks competition and new financial tools. Standards like ISO 20022 help make sure the data format is consistent across accounts.
Travel (GDS): Ever booked a flight and hotel online easily across multiple airlines or hotel networks? That’s often thanks to Global Distribution Systems (GDS) like Amadeus or Sabre. They create a common language for airlines, hotels, car rentals, and travel agents to share info smoothly. This lets you compare options and book easily because the systems rely on shared data formats.
These examples show how open data standards boost competition, spark innovation, and give customers more power. They also don’t give one company any advantages — they create an ecosystem within a profession where everyone shares the same goals.
It’s Time to Take Back Control: Why Open Data Makes Sense for Us
A similar open data approach in the funeral profession would unlock huge benefits:
More Competition and Better Tools: Open data would make it easier for new tech companies to enter the market. More competition means more innovation to serve families better, better software choices for your unique needs, and likely better prices for you as a business owner.
Smoother Workflows and Teamwork: Imagine easily sharing data between your funeral home, merchandise suppliers, transport services, the cemetery, the crematory, and even other funeral homes (for transfers or out-of-state cases). Things would just work better. This includes making it simple to move your data if you decide to switch software providers.
A Better Experience for Families: When funeral directors aren’t spending precious time wrestling with separate systems — often manually re-keying information — they can dedicate their full attention to what matters most: providing empathetic support and a reassuring experience for those navigating loss.
Doing the Right Thing: Fundamentally, shouldn’t families have control over their sensitive information? And fundamentally, shouldn’t you own your data without having to jump through hoops? Open data respects the idea that when you own data, you and only you have the right to decide how it’s used and shared.
Let’s Make This Happen: Introducing the Funeral Data Alliance (FDA)
So, what do we do about it?
To tackle this data challenge head-on, we’re excited to announce the Funeral Data Alliance (FDA). Our mission is simple: push for the creation and use of Open Data Guidelines that put data ownership, easy transfer, and system compatibility first – for the good of funeral homes and the families you serve.
Afterword is spearheading this initiative, and we invite everyone involved – tech companies, suppliers, funeral homes, industry groups, national and state associations, and anyone else with a stake in this – to join the effort at funeraldata.org.
We’re eager to assemble all interested companies so we can:
Define standard ways to format and exchange data seamlessly.
Create clear rules around data ownership, access, and moving data.
Share the best ways to keep data secure and private, especially as new technologies emerge.
Advocate for policies that support open data, especially when they protect the families we serve.
Join the Movement
Owning your data and having open standards aren’t just “nice-to-haves” — they’re crucial for the future of our profession. The Funeral Data Alliance is ready to lead this change, and we hope you’ll join us in creating a more open, secure, and collaborative funeral profession. We’re confident that by embracing these ideas, we can all work together better and innovate in ways that truly benefit the families we serve.
