Funeral home businesses are essential to providing necessary services during difficult times. Funeral homes must develop SMART goals to remain competitive and successful in their industry.
By establishing these goals, the business can focus on what needs to be accomplished. It can also help the company prioritize the tasks and resources needed to succeed.
This article provides 13 examples of SMART goals for your funeral home business. Make sure to use them as a starting point to develop an effective goal-setting strategy.
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What is a SMART Goal?
As you navigate running a funeral home business, the SMART system can be an invaluable tool for setting actionable goals. SMART is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based.
If you’re unsure about how this applies to you, let’s break down each aspect:
Specific
Avoid vague objectives that lead to misdirection and resource wastage. Instead, define precise goals that provide a roadmap for your funeral home’s growth.
Determine what steps need to be taken, who is responsible, and what potential challenges may arise. This method will enhance productivity and streamline operations.
Measurable
To gauge your funeral home’s progress, establish measurable goals. That will enable you to track improvements and identify areas that require attention. Without this metric, it’s challenging to discern whether your strategies yield results or if you’re just treading water.
Attainable
While it’s natural to have aspirations for your funeral home, it’s crucial to balance these with realistic expectations and a solid action plan. There is a fine line between ambition and feasibility, so consider your current resources and the timeline for excellence.
Relevant
Create goals that resonate with your core values as a funeral home business. Doing so ensures your targets are meaningful and align with your mission, inspiring you to stay the course even during difficult times.
Time-Based
Establishing a clear time frame for your goals encourages focus and dedication. Success doesn’t happen overnight; having a deadline fosters a culture of hard work and commitment over time.
13 SMART Goals Examples for a Funeral Home Business
1. Increase Customer Satisfaction
“We will improve customer satisfaction by 15% over the 6 months ahead. To do this, we’ll launch a survey to gather feedback on customer experiences with our funeral home and use that data to identify areas of improvement.”
Specific: This goal outlines how you plan to increase customer satisfaction over 6 months.
Measurable: With the help of surveys, you can measure the customer satisfaction rate.
Attainable: A 15% improvement within 6 months is possible with the right strategies and customer feedback.
Relevant: Increasing customer satisfaction is essential to keep your current clients happy and attract new ones.
Time-based: There is a 6-month window for meeting this goal.
2. Offer Personalized Keepsakes
“I want to offer personalized keepsakes that our clients can commemorate their deceased loved one. I’ll create a catalog of options and order all materials needed by next month.”
Specific: This is detailed because the person will create a personalized keepsake catalog and order necessary funeral home materials.
Measurable: Evaluate the success of your keepsake offerings by looking at customer feedback and sales data.
Attainable: This SMART goal is doable if you make a personalized catalog and order all required materials.
Relevant: Offering custom keepsakes helps families uniquely remember their deceased loved ones.
Time-based: Goal attainment is expected by the end of the month.
3. Streamline Online Appointments
“Within two months, I will have better organized my online appointment system so that fewer customers are confused about scheduling their appointments. That should create a more pleasant customer experience and prevent unnecessary frustration.”
Specific: Focus on improving the user experience with an online appointment system.
Measurable: Assess the number of customers confused about scheduling appointments.
Attainable: Reorganizing an online appointment system is possible in two months with sufficient effort.
Relevant: Streamlining the appointment system will benefit those who use it and the funeral home itself as it creates a better customer experience.
Time-based: There is a two-month time frame to accomplish success.
4. Provide Resources to Grieving Families
“I want to allocate a budget for grief counseling resources and contact local mental health professionals to build partnerships by the end of three months. This will ensure that families who rely on my funeral home are supported in their grieving process.”
Specific: This goal is about actively providing grief counseling resources to families of clients from your funeral home.
Measurable: Determine success by allocating a budget and contacting local mental health professionals within three months.
Attainable: Finding local mental health professionals willing to provide resources is relatively easy.
Relevant: Grief counseling can help families going through an emotional time during the funeral home’s service.
Time-based: There is a deadline of three months for goal achievement.
5. Improve Website Quality
“The website will be improved in terms of quality and design after 5 months. You will update the website content, improve page loading speed, and make it look more modern.”
Specific: The specific statement outlines the objectives of improving the website quality and design within the deadline.
Measurable: You can measure success through metrics like user experience ratings or page views.
Attainable: Five months is a reasonable timeline to update and improve the website.
Relevant: Improving website quality is important as it’s one of the primary ways customers view your offerings.
Time-based: You have a 5-month end date to achieve the SMART goal.
6. Expand Social Media Presence
“I want to reach more people online and build an engaged social media following over three months. To accomplish this, I will post content regularly on all platforms, engage in conversations with followers, and use analytics to track performance.”
Specific: The statement is clear: expanding the funeral home’s social media presence.
Measurable: The individual will post content regularly on all platforms and use analytics to track performance.
Attainable: Funeral homes can surely use social media to reach more people and build an engaged following.
Relevant: Growing a social media following is essential for increasing awareness of the funeral home’s services.
Time-based: Completion of this SMART is anticipated after three months.
7. Reduce Business Expenses
“I aim to reduce business expenses by 10% in one quarter (three months). I plan to review current operating costs and look for areas to cut back. Additionally, I will negotiate with vendors to reduce prices or opt for generic options where available.”
Specific: You must review operating costs and negotiate with vendors.
Measurable: Track business expenses to measure a 10% reduction in one quarter.
Attainable: With proper cost management, this goal is absolutely possible.
Relevant: This helps you reduce costs to make your business more profitable.
Time-based: The goal should be achieved within three whole months.
8. Create Digital Memorials
“I’ll make it possible for customers to create beautiful digital memorials for their loved ones. I want a complete digital solution available within 6 months that allows customers to choose photos, music, and other elements to pay tribute to the deceased.”
Specific: The SMART goal tells you to create a digital memorial solution and the timeline for completion.
Measurable: Check the number of digital memorials created in a certain period and customer feedback.
Attainable: This is feasible because existing tools could be used to create a user-friendly digital memorial experience.
Relevant: This statement will increase the value of the services offered by the funeral home and provide customers with a way to honor their loved ones.
Time-based: There is a 6-month end date for reaching the goal.
9. Build On-Site Event Venues
“To attract more clients and improve our overall services, I’ll build two on-site event venues that are fully furnished and ready for use by the end of 12 months. These venues should provide much-needed space for memorials and other ceremonies.”
Specific: The goal is well-defined, stating what needs to be done and by when.
Measurable: By building two on-site event venues, we can measure the number of clients attracted and overall services improved.
Attainable: This can be done with a well-thought-out plan that includes assessing space requirements, budgeting for the buildout, and working with a general contractor.
Relevant: This goal is suitable as it attracts more clients and improves our services.
Time-based: You’ll have a time frame of 12 months for goal completion.
10. Encourage Referrals From Existing Clients
“I will revamp my referral program by offering a discount or reward for existing customers who refer new clients to our funeral home in two months. I’ll advertise this program online, in print advertisem*nts, and with promotional materials.”
Specific: This outlines what you need to do (revamp the referral program) and how you plan to do it (by offering discounts/rewards and creating promotional materials).
Measurable: You can assess the number of customers who refer new clients.
Attainable: Offering discounts or rewards and using multiple promotion channels are achievable actions.
Relevant: The goal pertains to your business as it encourages referrals from existing customers.
Time-based: Within two months, this particular goal should be fulfilled.
11. Invest in Training for Employees
“Over the next 10 months, I’ll invest in employee training and create a learning environment encouraging growth. This includes offering professional development workshops and providing free access to online courses.”
Specific: This is explicit since you’ve identified what actions will be taken to foster an atmosphere of ongoing education.
Measurable: Count the number of employees attending workshops and completing online courses.
Attainable: Training can be provided in-house or through external partners, making this a realistic goal.
Relevant: Investing in employee training is critical for business success.
Time-based: Success is expected to be reached after 10 months.
12. Strengthen Online Reputation
“I will improve my funeral home’s online reputation by getting more positive reviews on Google and Yelp. I’ll create a system where customers are asked to leave reviews after their visit. I also want at least 80% of the reviews to be positive within one year.”
Specific: You know the overall objective, what will be done to attain it, and the deadline.
Measurable: Measure the number of reviews and the percentage of positive reviews.
Attainable: This goal is achievable because it can increase positive reviews online with a system for customers to leave feedback.
Relevant: Improving an online reputation is vital for any funeral home business.
Time-based: There is a one-year timeline to complete this SMART goal.
13. Launch a Funeral Planning Guide
“Within three months, I want to create and launch a funeral planning guide for families. This guide will outline the steps involved in making funeral arrangements, from choosing a service type to selecting flowers and memorials.”
Specific: The statement clearly outlines what to do (create and launch a funeral planning guide).
Measurable: You can count the number of guides created and launched.
Attainable: Creating a funeral planning guide is doable with enough research and effort.
Relevant: Providing families with guidance on making funeral arrangements will boost your credibility as an industry expert.
Time-based: You should expect goal achievement in three months.
Final Thoughts
The SMART methodology is essential for the success of your funeral home business. Not only do these well-defined goals help you stay on track, but they also allow you to hold yourself accountable along the way.
By following the examples listed above, you can understand how to set goals that benefit your business in the long term. From creating digital solutions to launching a planning guide, your funeral home will progress steadily.
