Klicker- Chaper 1 Flashcards
When does the funeral begin?
with the first call
How many percent of first contacts are made by telephone?
98 percent
What contributes to the caller’s evaluation of the image of the funeral home?
Salutation tone of voice speed of questions and pronunciation diction volume phone image
salutation. the person answering the phone should give:
- the name of the funeral home
- his/her name, (how he/she would like to be addressed, e.g. Mr. Smith, David Smith)
- “May I help you?”
- avoid using “good morning” or “good evening”
tone of voice
sympathetic, yet professional, not overly sad or cheerful. avoid sounding monotonous or bored.
speed of questions and pronunciation
slightly slower than that of a normal telephone voice
diction
clear and crisp. no eating drinking or chewing.
volume
not too loud, not too soft
phone image
professional, sympathetic, sensitive image. want the caller to feel secure and comforted. begining of relationship of trust starts here.
first call sheet typically has:
- name of deceased
- location of deceased
- name, and relationship of caller
- phone number of caller
- name of next of kin if not the caller
- phone number of next of kin
- name of attending physician
- has physician or medical examiner been notified?
- age of deceased
- permission to be embalmed
if deceased at hospital, nursing home, or hospice you should ask:
- has release form been signed and by who
- is there going to be an autopsy performed?
- organ donation
- is refrigeration available?
Age of deceased:
age is asked to avoid misunderstanding.
release:
most hospitals will not allow funeral home to transfer deceased without a signed “release of deceased” form.
permission to embalm:
must be received before embalming can begin.
organ and tissue donation:
routine referral act requires that hospitals contact the local organ procurement organization (OPO) and tissue and eye banks about each death, or pending death that occurs in the hospital.
if the person is eligible for donation the OPO must offer the family the opportunity to donate. in some areas the OPO has the authority to place a hold on the release of the deceased until the family has been contacted. In these instances, the funeral home will have to contact the organ or tissue agency to check on when the deceased body will be released.
