LocalFuneral.co.uk

Four months ago the first at-need funeral enquiries were received from families visiting LocalFuneral.co.uk, and since then more than 400 branches have signed up to participate in the pilot phase.

The first business to carry out a funeral originating from the site was Scollen & Wright Funeral Service, based in Sunderland. Having witnessed the growing number of funeral comparison sites popping up online, General Manager Nigel Marston decided to opt-in his business to appear on LocalFuneral.co.uk.

Nigel said: “I was somewhat cynical as to whether someone would choose one of these sites in a search rather than go direct to a funeral director, but I felt I had to try and see for myself. The service is free and operated by Golden Charter, so it seemed a good place to start.

“The initial set up was very straightforward. There were some teething problems where the system didn’t work as intended but presumably these are now ironed out, so there’s nothing to lose in trying it.”

Feedback from Nigel and other funeral directors involved in the trial has impacted the look and feel of the site, as well as refining the processes behind it that deliver at-need enquiries to independent funeral businesses.

Another business to receive one of the first enquiries via the site was M. K. Ginder & Sons, based in Watford. Funeral director Adam Ginder shared his thoughts on why this family had chosen to go online to find a funeral director, and how the process worked for him.

He said: “The deceased’s next of kin did not live in the area, and had Google searched ‘local funeral director Bushey’ and came across LocalFuneral.co.uk, leading him to us.

“When I received the email I accepted the link and called them within the time requested. They had selected the simplest funeral arrangement option on the site, however when they came into the office they chose a traditional funeral arrangement.

“The payment for the funeral was made in advance direct to us and the service went ahead as planned a few days later.”

For more information contact your local Golden Charter representative or email LocalFuneral.co.uk.

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