How Saskatoon Funeral Home Maintains A Legacy of Compassionate Care

Company experience

Saskatoon Funeral Home has been a beloved care service in the community since 1910. With a local commitment and a legacy lasting four generations, the business has offered trusted support that the community can depend on. Through consistent innovation and a dedication to collaboration, the funeral home has maintained a modern edge that allows them to deliver an exceptional level of service despite the rapidly changing needs of clients. Saskatoon Funeral Home, along with its complementary services provided through the Edwards Family Centre, is always looking for end-of-life solutions that enhance the client experience: that’s why they chose Cadence.

Personal experience

For Morgan, making a difference in the community has always been a passion and priority. After completing a degree in business, he entered the non-profit environment by working to develop jobs for those with disabilities. In 2006, 10 years later, Morgan returned to his family’s business and slowly worked his way through each role of the home, eventually becoming the President and General Manager. Working with his family has created a level of care that is united through shared values. 

Assisting families during their darkest times is a difficult task that requires active attention and readily available support. To maintain such a high quality of service, funeral directors like Morgan must balance their business responsibilities, continuously adjust to the personalized needs of their clients, and be sure to allocate time to personal obligations. Funeral directors can’t do it all— they must make sure that innovative solutions are routinely adopted to ensure success.

Industry challenges

During our discussion with Morgan, he highlighted the most pressing challenges that Saskatoon Funeral Home has faced and continues to address in their day-to-day solutions.

1. Changing Needs

Demands of clients have rapidly changed in the past 5 years which has created a higher need for more customizable experiences and schedule accommodations. The traditional “cookie-cutter” funeral is far less frequently opted for. The services offered both in the pre-need and after-care sectors should reflect this need for personalized solutions and offer control beyond the arrangement room.

‍“Families are wanting to be more involved in the creative process as opposed to letting things roll out as they used to”

2. Lack of Guidance

With the unknowns of estate settlement, executor tasks can quickly become confusing. Many families will turn to the funeral home for support but are then redirected to estate lawyers and other legal professionals. The absence of a middle ground where families can access guidance and self-directed tools can make the settlement process feel disjointed. It also lengthens the time for a file to be closed, further extending the payment period.

“They have to plan this funeral, but at the same time, they’re not sure how to wrap up the affairs.”‍

3. The Pre-Planning Process

Planning for the inevitable has typically been a difficult message to promote, resulting in an under-addressed issue that has a direct impact on the death care industry. Funeral homes are left to witness the effects of unprepared families facing high stress situations and feelings of guilt for making decisions on their deceased loved one’s behalf. However, with a new generation looking to take control of their legacy, the pre-planning process must be streamlined to eliminate a tedious and antiquated process.

“There’s a definite trend towards people just wanting to actually discuss real things and be more proactive [about death-care]”

Solutions brought by Cadence

For over two years, Saskatoon Funeral Home has chosen Cadence as their solution to complicated industry challenges. After being introduced to Co-Founder and CEO, Rachel Drew, Morgan saw enormous potential in her vision and compelling story of Cadence's mission. Partnering with Cadence, a company local to Morgan’s funeral home, was an obvious choice. He trusted the genuine and compassionate people behind the brand and their commitment to fulfill the unmet needs of his clients.

Funeral directors are born-and-bred problem solvers: they want to make the entire end-of-life process as easy as possible. Cadence allows funeral directors at Saskatoon Funeral Home to finally eliminate the roadblock between resources and referrals. A reliable and user-friendly tool ensures a smooth transfer from the funeral home to Cadence, giving families peace of mind during a difficult time.

With the help of Cadence, Morgan has seen a vast increase in client satisfaction and retention. For over ten years the funeral home has sent out client service surveys to track any changes in experience from added features or facilities. Since integrating Cadence into their continuing care offerings, they have seen a higher number of excellent scores.

Morgan is adamant about retaining a human touch in the care program and sees Cadence as a complementary tool to their service staff. When families use Cadence, they feel supported. Reflecting on families who have experienced multiple passings, Morgan explains that Cadence’s Executor Assistant has helped ease the settlement process to become one familiar and continuous service. The newly introduced Legacy Planner has also shown promise to clients by alleviating the stress from being unprepared making it a successful addition to the home’s expanding pre-planning offerings.

In the rapidly changing atmosphere of funeral service, Saskatoon Funeral Home has stayed ahead of the curve with their deep understanding and attention to client needs. Cadence helps their clients gain the collaborative advantage and sense of control they desire, all while providing the feeling of human touch in a technologically enabled solution. In an industry perceived as traditional, Morgan’s willingness to integrate innovative tools has provided families and funeral directors with a sense of ease like never before. Through his successful partnership with Cadence, he advises others in the business to follow in his footsteps: “Use the tools out there and dive into them, they can save you a lot of time.”

Ready to take your client service to the next level? Fill out the form below to chat with a Cadence representative and discover how you can transform your pre-planning and aftercare programs!