Having a crematory gives you a chance to talk to cremation families about services and memorialization, which is what funeral directors and cemeterians are really interested in.  But first thing first: Make sure you do it right.

WHAT: Whether you operate a cemetery or a funeral home, whether you've been in business for a year, 50 years or 150 years, whether the cremation rate in your area is 5 percent or 55 percent, you should be thinking about how to serve cremation families.

WHY: For years, the Cremation Association of North America has been compiling statistics and making projections showing that the cremation rates across North America will continue to climb. They still vary a lot from one area to another, but no matter where you are, you can count on serving more cremation families every year-if you want to stay in business.

The most recent Wirthlin Report found that 46 percent of Americans surveyed plan to choose cremation, and CANA predicts the cremation rate will be 43 percent by 2025.

In Ohio, the cremation rate in 2002 was 22 percent; by 2010, the Ohio rate is supposed to be 31 percent. There's no stopping this.

HOW: If you don't already have a crematorium, think about adding one. If you do, make sure you operate it with due diligence. If you're a cemeterian, you need to be constantly thinking of what to offer cremation families.

Spring Grove added a crematory in 1967, placing it in the Memorial Mausoleum, built in 1963 with plans for adding the retorts. We have two retorts. The cremation rate was still very low all across the United States—the national average was 3.5 percent in 1959, but Spring Grove was thinking ahead.

Fife wasn't here yet, but Smitty was working as a student: "I remember being called over by the operators to look at it, and I remember thinking 'This place is full service all the way around."

The sales manager for the mausoleum, Leo Mistak, who served as CANA president in the late '60s, was certainly aware of the need to plan for a rising cremation rate.

He was undoubtedly one of the people making sure Spring Grove added the planned-for retorts sooner rather than later. (Spring Grove has continued its affiliation with CANA; Spring Grove Chief Financial Officer Chris Krabbe is currently second vice president of the association.)

There was one other crematory in the area when Spring Grove added its retorts; today there are many more in Cincinnati and in nearby Dayton, as well. Most are affiliated with a funeral home or cemetery; one is affiliated with a burial vault company.

By the early '70s, we were handling 300 or more cremations a year, though only about 7 percent of our cemetery business involved cremation. Today, with all the competition out there, we're doing more like 200, but 21 percent of our cemetery business involves cremation.

We also sold thousands of cremation certificates years ago. These preneed certificates were a great deal for people, because when they're redeemed, people are getting a cremation performed for a 30- or 40-year-old price!

Even so, it's good for Spring Grove, too. Several people come in every week to redeem these certificates, or funeral directors send along an order that includes contact information.

We make sure we call people and ask if they can come to the cemetery so we can share with them the wonderful cremation memorialization opportunities we have here—a lot more than we had in 1967! (And which we'll describe in detail in the next issue.)

Training and maintenance
We keep four or five staff members trained as cremation technicians; they take turns working on Saturdays. All have gone through CANA training and been CANA certified.

All the cremation technicians spend time learning from James King, our main cremation tech, who also takes care of the building. We then send them through the training program CANA runs down in Orlando, Florida.

Because we're only doing about 200 cremations annually, our cremation technicians are doing other things most of the time. They probably only spend 20 percent of their time on processing and doing cremations. They are also responsible for handling inurnments and shipping cremated remains.

Even though we're not a high-volume operation as far as our crematory, we make sure the crematory is run according to the same high standards people expect from anything associated with Spring Grove.

Periodically a crematory operation somewhere receives a "black eye" that gets in the press. You want to make sure your facility is above reproach. If your operation is not CANA certified, you probably need to be.

Most of the training revolves around paperwork, making sure everything is documented correctly and proper signatures are gathered. Every "i" has to be dotted and every "t" has to be crossed.

In addition to that initial training, we routinely schedule training meetings for the cremation technicians, usually each quarter.

Someone different from the staff runs through the entire procedure of processing a cremation, from start to finish. We just want to make sure every technician is handling cremations the same way.

Even though we're training four people to handle about 200 cremations, because of the repercussions that would be involved if we didn't do everything exactly right, we believe proper training is very cost effective.

You simply cannot run a crematory and take the attitude that it costs too much to send people to CANA for training or to have periodic procedure review sessions.

You also have to budget for maintenance. When you're talking about something where the temperature is 1,800 degrees every time you do a cremation, there are going to be maintenance and repair costs. Periodically you have to rebuild and reline the inside of the retort, and occasionally the stack will require repair.

Of course, Spring Grove's crematory is old. If you install a new unit, you'll be getting something much more efficient. The people who sell and install your crematory should be able to give you guidance on maintenance schedules.

When you have a cemetery, one of the ways you hope to balance out the cost of running and maintaining a crematory is by providing memorialization options that are so exciting and compelling that people are choosing inurnment or interment at your property.

The fact is, when you look at the charge for simply performing a cremation, it's a wonderful service for the customer, but for the cemetery the dollars are pretty low when you consider the training and professionalism involved in providing the service.

Capturing a big percentage of your cremation customers on the memorialization side is how you generate income that makes cremation a win-win situation for families and for the cemetery.

Next month we'll talk about how cremation memorialization has evolved at the Grove and how we make sure we leave options for future generations.

Next: Cremation memorialization, past, present and future.

When you deal with the basics of cemetery operations, with excavating and backfilling, with lowering caskets and setting stones, it's easy to forget the real basics of cemetery operations: the personal touch so crucial in dealing with families in a caring and compassionate way.

WHAT: We've tried to instill in all our employees the "Spring Grove Basics." This list of 15 basics of service for employees to live by started with Andy Conroy, our former president.

About 15 years ago, he came back from a trip where he stayed in a hotel that had something similar and he decided to adapt the idea for tile cemetery. We have the steps printed out on a trifold card we carry with us.

WHY: We're not really in the grass-cutting or grave-digging business, we're in the memory business. It's easy to forget that as we go about our everyday work.

We start the morning with a meeting where we go over the work we have to handle that day, and it's excavate this and backfill that and get the sod in quickly over there. We start thinking in cemetery jargon and if we don't watch it, by the time we walk out of that room to begin the work, we're acting like automatons.

When we catch ourselves feeling this way, we need something to remind us what business we're in.

HOW: Our 15-step list is printed on a card we can fit in a pocket. Most of the steps deal with how we interact with customers. The 15-step Spring Grove program for giving your families excellent service with a personal touch:

#1. Our duty & our mission will be known, owned & practiced by all employees. Anybody
who joins our team has got to be marching to the same beat. Our duty is to treat every customer with care and respect.

We have funerals every day; our customers do not. If you're doing your job on automatic pilot, like a robot, you forget that the family you're serving today may not have been to a cemetery in a decade—if ever.

#2. The three steps of service will be practiced by all employees. The three steps are listed on another part of the card:

• Give a sincere greeting. Use the visitor's name if and when possible. Give a friendly goodbye.
• Anticipate and comply with the needs of our families and visitors.
• When a customer is upset; let him or her talk—count to 10 before answering. Another way of saying the same thing is "listen, listen, listen," which we don't do enough. We think we do, but as humans we're more likely to respond than to let the person vent and acknowledge what they're saying.

Don't quickly respond to a complaint with something like, "Well, it's been wet. Don't you know it's been raining?" Those kinds of comebacks just infuriate and fire people up. You've got to listen and acknowledge what they're saying. We like to say, "Gosh, if I had the same circumstances you're dealing with, I'd feel the same way."

#3. Smile—we’re all on stage all the time.  Always maintain positive eye contact.

#4. Employees will treat each other with the same respect and helpfulness as they do the customers. We deal with internal customers—fellow team members, colleagues—as well as external customers. If you're not treating your colleagues with respect and care, you're not likely to treat your external customers any better.

#5. It's each employee's job to create a positive workplace and to practice teamwork.

#6. Each employee will be an ambassador of Spring Grove both at work and away from work. Everyone should strive to create a good image for the cemetery. We certainly want our people saying the same things outside the cemetery as they would on the job.

#7. The employee who receives a customer request owns it and is responsible for taking the necessary action.  We don't mean that the sales counselor who's talked to somebody about a sunken marker needs to put on a pair of jeans and go out and lift the marker back up and level it. We're just saying that counselor is responsible to see that the work gets done and to get back to the family. This way the customer is only dealing with one person.

There isn't that "It isn't my job, I'll send you out to talk to the grounds crew" pass-off.

If Betty Jones receives the request, she gets back to the person within 48 hours—which is what our mission says, that we'll get back to the customer and acknowledge the exact concern. We might not be able to fix it in 48 hours, but we're going to look into the problem and get back to the person, then, in two or three weeks, after the problem is taken care of, Betty Jones will call the family again to know that the work has been done. This is another a way of personalizing service.

#8. Respond to customer requests promptly. There's that 48-hour rule. We want to at least get back to the customer and say, "We got it; we understand. You're absolutely correct; that marker shouldn't have settled. We're going to take care of it. We can't do it right now because the ground is frozen, but it will be done within the next 10 days and we'll call you as soon as we get to that point."

Half the time people just want to know that you got their complaint and you're working on it. There's nothing worse than sending in a complaint and never hearing anything back.

#9. When possible, escort visitors to their destination rather than just giving out directions. Often someone will come in and say he can't remember where Mom's grave is; all he remembers is that it's on a hill. We look it up, of course, but then we don't just say, "Here's a map; I put an X on the map, take this windy road here, turn left, then right……”

We're going to try to either have someone meet him out on the grounds, or better yet, radio someone to escort his car out. An employee will drive out to the site, then get out and help the customer locate the grave and ask if there's anything further he can do to help.

#10. Know basic information such as the cemetery hours of operation without having to look it up. So if you're outside working on a flower bed and somebody stops and asks what time the cemetery closes or how long will the flowers she just placed be left on Mom's grave, you should be able to answer without radioing in for help.

#11. Use proper telephone etiquette.  Ask permission before putting people on hold.

#12. Wear proper uniforms and nametags so that people will know you're staff and can address you by name.

The last three items address the relationship between employees and Spring Grove. These simply recognize that we have responsibilities to our employer as well as to our customers.

#13. Notify your supervisor immediately of any hazards, injuries or equipment needs you may have.

#14. Assume ownership of equipment you use; be responsible for its maintenance and repair.

#15. Take responsibility for protecting the assets and grounds of Spring Grove.

Simple & effective: A mausoleum journal

In our mausoleum, we have a stand where we keep a remembrance book for visitors to write in. Anyone who comes in is welcome to write a note to his or her departed loved one.

This is a very simple idea—you can do it for almost no money, since all you need is a journal-type book and a stand or table—and it's just great.

We have a book similar to a diary, with 365 pages. There's a red ribbon like you might find in a Bible we use to mark the current date. A member of the security staff opens the book to the correct page first thing in the morning.
If you want to bring yourself back to what our business is all about, to understand the power of what we do and the need for sensitivity in dealing with our customers, all you have to do is open that book and start reading. You'll come out of that mausoleum with your eyes filled with tears.

A businessman may stop in on his way to work and write, "Betty, I was thinking about you this morning. I loved our years together and the memories you left me with."

It's amazing the details people will share with the world. They'll write about a special day they shared with the departed, where they went, what they did, how much they enjoyed their time together. It's so touching to see what people are willing to share, knowing that other people may read what they've written.

When we first put the book out there, we kind of had the feeling in the back of our minds, "Oh, this is never going to work. Nobody's going to write in it." But what a hit it's been!

People don't forget those who have gone before—you can see that in what they write. It's been a wonderful way to complement the grieving process.

We know what you're wondering: With something open to the public like that, are kids going to come in and write a bad word on the page? Absolutely not. We've had a journal out there for 10 years and we've never had a problem. Our experience with this has been fabulous.
     --Smitty & Fife

Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen:

The request from my esteemed friend, Mr. Salway, to prepare a paper for this convention came at a most inopportune time, during my busiest time of the year, so that I could not take the time to devote to intelligently handle anyone subject, even provided I could find one, which had not already been ably presented at previous meetings. Reluctantly consenting to the request, the best I can do is to ask, your indulgence to accept a few thoughts jotted down at odd times.

As far back as the Richmond Convention, one of our departed members presented some views and ideas on the derivative benefits of this Association. In a semi-sarcastic tone he told of how some six or eight members (of course without mentioning their names) had been pointed out to him as the brains of this Association and who were repeatedly called upon to furnish papers to be read at the conventions. He went on to say that these papers were elegantly worded, fluent in diction and usually quite instructive. He proceeded to criticize the manner in which these papers had been received, often passed up in silence and without discussion voted to become incorporated in the proceedings. He further contended that instead of reiterating subjects under new or different headings that we select from these records papers and topics for discussion and argument. Personally I agree with this idea and believe it should be done in the future. Our records for the past 30 years teem with papers and addresses embracing every known topic relating to cemetery matters; it would be difficult to point out one single phase of our work, which has not been taken up and thoroughly written about. Without taking up any time to enumerate or point out the most valuable material contained in these records, it is sufficient so say that the perusal and study of any of them will prove to be of much value to everybody engaged in cemetery work.

It would be very interesting to note whether the assertions set forth and recommended in many of these papers can be substantiated, also whether the reforms in cemeteries today bear out the predictions made for such reforms.

I want to say that it is a great pleasure to again visit Spring Grove Cemetery; it was here where many years ago I had the pleasure and privilege of meeting the Superintendent at that time, the late Adolph Strauch, who was the acknowledged originator of the Lawn Plan in Cemeteries.

It was here where I received the first and indelible impressions of what a Rural Cemetery should be. In later years when this beautiful cemetery came under the management of its present superintendent, Mr. Salway, more advanced reforms and pronounced improvements became noticeable and, I believe I may state without fear, of contradiction that Spring Grove today stands preeminently out as the model cemetery of this country.
What better place could have been selected thirty years ago for formation and organization of our Association? Here were to be found the bold and truly sensible reforms and advanced ideas over conditions prevailing some years before in Mount Auburn, Laurel Hill and Greenwood Cemeteries which, as you know, were the earliest types of rural Cemeteries, and in which efforts had been made for affording better methods in planning their improvements.

The originators of these cemeteries at that time already recognized the want of something more in harmony with nature, but they permitted features to be introduced that were superfluous and useless to such an extent that it interfered with existing quietness and charm of natural beauty.

It remained for Spring Grove to improve on these conditions; it became the pioneer in simplicity and attractiveness and since the inception of our Association I dare say that we all more or less have been following along those lines, which are embodied here to such wonderful extent and completeness. Those of us who remember Spring Grove as we saw it years ago and compare what we have then seen with what is to be seen now will realize what wonderful and marvelous improvement has been accomplished. Not a little of which we may lay claim to be due in a measure to the influence of our organization.

From the publication:
“AACS - Proceedings of the 33rd Annual Convention held at Cincinnati, OH"
September 24, 25 and 26, 1919