Whether pre-planning a funeral or you just lost a loved one, finding the right funeral home is not an easy task. Taking time to reflect on funeral home services can help you make the best decisions for a decent send-off. The following questions are critical when selecting a funeral home. 

When Did You Start Operations?

When selecting a funeral home, you want to ensure that the business has extensive experience. One of the best strategies for assessing experience is evaluating the length of business operation. A funeral home with a long operation history is more likely to have valuable experience organizing different services for varied clientele. Typically, a suitable funeral home should have at least three years of experience. Besides, when you ask how long the company has operated, you may know whether the funeral home is a national chain or an inter-generational family business.  

Are You a Member of Professional Association? 

A funeral home requires state licensing to provide funeral services to the public. However, funeral homes are not legally required to belong to professional associations. Yet, a funeral home that is a member of professional organizations is more likely to offer high-quality services. Typically, professional associations require their members to maintain the highest health standards in their premises. Also, they need their members to demonstrate professionalism, hire trained staff, and commit to continuing education. Thus, find out if the funeral home is a member of associations such as the National Funeral Directors Association or Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice. 

What are Your Funeral Service Packages? 

The most suitable funeral home will offer various services to ease your funeral arrangement needs. Such services can range from a basic package to an all-inclusive funeral plan. As a best practice, do prior research on specific funeral services to make your selection easy. However, the funeral home director can also clarify the different services offered. Notably, find out the budget and payment options for the package, including working with insurance companies. 

The following are the different types of services provided by funeral homes:

• Processing documents like the death certificate and burial permits 
• Organizing funeral ceremonies like wakes, viewing, memorial service, graveside service  
• Managing a traditional funeral service or cremation 
• Arranging for a casket, cemetery plot, and tombstone
• Arranging for body donation to medical and research institutes 
• Auxiliary services such as transportation, catering, décor, clergy services  

Can One Customize the Funeral Services? 

A funeral should reflect the needs, desires, lifestyle, and beliefs of the deceased and their loved ones. Thus, the ideal funeral home offers flexibility in creating a funeral plan. Besides guiding the clients, the funeral home director should accommodate your unique request to customize the funeral service. For instance, you can customize the memorial service, obituary, graveside rituals, or have virtual funeral services. Also, you may wish to a funeral with full military honors. However, keep in mind that some customized services may come at an extra cost. 

Funeral homes exist to support you through each stage of the funeral process. Having a list of questions to ask the funeral director will help you narrow down the search to the most reliable funeral home.  

For more information on funeral services, contact a professional near you.