Increasing numbers of funeral service providers are embracing information technology, which has not only made their work more environmentally friendly, but also boosted their business volumes.
Liu Yu-chi (劉育綺), founder of Charity funeral service company, which provides traditional Taiwanese Buddhist funeral services, was among the recipients of the Taipei Department of Civil Affairs’ funeral service excellence awards last week.
Liu, 32, runs a firm with an annual revenue of more than NT$2 million (US$60,723).
Liu said she founded Charity six years ago and initially encountered fierce competition from larger companies, adding that it was not until she moved part of her operations onto the Internet that business started to pick up.
The company embraced information technology two years ago, when it set up a Web site, detailing all its services and prices, as well providing a QR code enabling clients to locate and communicate with the company’s staff via an instant messaging app, Liu said.
“The Web site really helped to overturn the funeral service industry’s traditionally negative image, which was caused by some businesses charging clients in an opaque and arbitrary manner. Everything on our Web site is transparent and people can get a better understanding of our services,” she said.
The Web site and QR code have allowed for paper-free operations, which is a stark contrast from past practices of printing large quantities of catalogs and delivering documents to inform the families of the deceased of the time and rules to be followed during rituals, Liu said.
She said that the use of the instant messaging app has also made it easier to respond to clients’ demands, such as receiving custom orders of cremation urns sporting relief carvings of lotuses — a common symbol in Buddhism.
When asked why she chose funeral management as a career, Liu said: “It is a noble job that requires great compassion.”
Taipei Mortuary Services Office deputy director Shih Shu-li (施淑梨) said there are 260 funeral service companies in the city.
The office gave awards to 19 firms which have launched Web sites showing pictures of their work and pricing policies, to encourage more businesses to adopt transparent pricing mechanisms, Shih said.
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