That was also the year Funeral Director J. Wells Greeley decided the time was right to change the selection room in his Waynesville, N.C., funeral home. The large rectangular selection room that had served the funeral home for a dozen years was packed with merchandise. Twenty full-size caskets, four full-size cremation caskets, 10 or 15 urns and a vault display shared one large space. "I wanted it to be more up-to-date," he explains. "I wanted to make it as consumer-friendly as we could. I liked the idea of a modular display because I thought it might make it easier for families, who wouldn't have to open the selection room door to face a sea of caskets."

Designed for Families
Wells started the renovation process by talking with suppliers who understood the funeral service industry. "Aurora had the better offer," he recalls. "I also liked the fact that Aurora is a family-owned business, although that wasn't the deciding factor. We knew if we were going to compete, we had to get the best offer possible."
Taylor Sword, Aurora sales representative for Wells Funeral Homes, Inc. & Cremation Services, analyzed the funeral home's sales and proposed a mix of products that would work well for consumers as well as for the funeral home itself.

The resulting Total Solutions Room offers more choices for families in an easy-to-navigate layout, complete with personalization ideas. "One section of our selection room shows every conceivable personalization product available," Wells says. "Corners, panels, memory boards, video tributes, pictures and other items are displayed in the first area families see. We also have themed areas for males, females and veterans."

Although it brims with product choices, the selection room does not overwhelm families. Three full-size caskets, 27 casket segments, four cremation casket segments, 28 urns, and a variety of vaults are carefully arranged to invite families to see, touch and explore their choices.

Demonstrating the value of personalization, each selection room module bears the English crest of the Wells family, a mark that has long been associated with the funeral home. "Our selection room is personalized with our crest," Wells adds. "We were very pleased we were able to do that."

A Positive Response
When the two-day installation process was completed, Wells was pleased with the result of the selection room makeover. He wanted to be sure families were comfortable with it as well, so he began asking for feedback. Their comments confirmed he had made the right decision. "Families told me that the worst part—the thing they were dreading more than anything—was selecting a casket," he says. "They said they liked this kind of display much better than the room full of caskets. They commented that it was very tasteful."

Because the room helps families understand the range of choices available to them, Wells Funeral Home has seen a significant increase in both casket and urn sales. "We offer more to families," Wells says. "Our cremation area includes cremation caskets, urns, keepsakes and jewelry. It helps our funeral directors to have merchandise to show families who are considering or who have decided on cremation."

View the Casket Display
View the Urn Display

The Bottom Line
Families do not choose a funeral home based on the merchandise it carries, Wells advises. "Consumers call you based on your reputation and service offerings," he says. "A selection room that meets families' needs just enhances that experience. They are relying on us to provide merchandise choices and to direct them in those decisions."

Wells has discovered an unexpected bonus in his new selection room: employee pride. "When you invest in the facility, employees respond to that because they have a new challenge, a better way to do things," he says. "Our employees are able to offer families more choices, and they are taking more pride in our services.

"Regardless of how we display our merchandise, we have to continually improve our people skills and product knowledge so our staff can better present products to the families we serve," he adds. "The relationship we establish with families external of merchandise sales is very important."

And that is the bottom line. Says Wells, "The room was well worth the investment."