Recently we conducted a mail-out and social media survey, asking some important questions about your needs from a funeral home. It was a random mail-out, so maybe some of you received them on or near your 30th birthday. If that happened, sorry! No, we weren’t trying to tell you anything!
These surveys are random, and we don’t know how they’ll be received. Still, you all have been responding to them enthusiastically. We have some great answers to review, so thank you.
Callaway-Jones has been fortunate to be chosen, in public voting, as your choice of the Best in the Brazos Valley. Yet, we’re always looking to improve what we offer you. We stay current with new trends, while maintaining the kinds of service you’ve always known from us. We can do this because we’re locally owned and our reputation depends on how you see what we do. We’re accountable, not to corporations or stockholders, but strictly to you.
Those of you who’ve filled out the forms via Facebook also know that you can reach us anytime day or night using our Facebook page or our website to leave a message or ask a question. You can also call us on the phone, answered by people, not machines. These are the ways we try to be there for you before you need us, when you need us, and always after.
Next month, you’ll be seeing a few new faces in our funeral and cremation center, and that’s because we’re adding new team members in addition to the ones we have now, to assure that you can have a funeral service whenever you can bring people together at your convenience. Your choosing us to serve you allows us to grow our family, too.
We’ve been so uplifted when the mail arrives, because you’ve taken the time to write us a note and share your thoughts with our team. We value your feedback and appreciate hearing from you. Callaway-Jones is locally owned and always here for you.
Whenever you send out a survey to a particular zip code you run the risk of the questionnaire landing at the absolutely right home, because the person or family inside might have seen our television commercials, and they’ve been thinking they would like to make plans ahead of time. Or, at least they want to know what their options look like.
On the other hand, we’ve received some good-natured feedback from people who received the surveys in the mail on or near their birthdays. I assure you it is absolutely random when we mail these questionnaires out. Still, you all have been glad to have us reach out to you because final planning is one of those things you always meant to do.
Planning for a funeral today is the same in many ways as it was when our parents made those decisions, but just as times have changed, so have some of the options and opportunities for you to create the kind of funeral you’ve always wanted.
Don’t laugh when I say the “kind of funeral you’ve always wanted,” because when you’ve responded to our survey, you are clear in exactly the kind of service you DON’T want to have.
We’ve all been there—attended the service where you walk out with a list of “Well, I certainly don’t want ‘this’ or ‘that’ or instructions to your spouse about “Let’s not do ‘that’ at our services, right? Starting with two basic choices, burial or cremation, many of you are already clear that you know what you would like as a starting point.
And yet, there’s a big difference in knowing that you will one day need to make these plans, perhaps for a senior that you are caring for in your home, or in town, and they’ve relocated here after living most of their lives somewhere else, and the need to make these decisions immediately following the unexpected loss of a loved one.
Many of you note that you know at least one or more of the people who are on our team, whether it’s our funeral directors, our family services team, or our advanced planning consultants, Sarah and Shelby.
For those who’ve selected cremation as an option, we find that you like our Magnolia Suite as an option for your private goodbyes with loved ones, followed by visitation and services in our Bluebonnet Room chapel. There’s still a strong preference for using your home church as the central place for your services, but you’ve also asked if we can co-create a service there, together with church clergy and staff. The answer is “yes, we can.” Others are favoring the use of our facility and having your reception catered right here, so you can remain in one location. We also meet another need you ask for, the ability to offer a Life Celebration at an entirely unique location.
Speaking of which Life Celebrations are something you’ve said that are important to you. It looks like it’s about 50%-50% divided between traditional burial services and cremations where both services include a true lifting up of the person’s life, where the stories of their lives are told through words, photos, and music as directed by our own storyteller and Certified Life Celebrant Dawn Lee Wakefield. You’re embracing these alternative services for your loved ones to allow many people to share in telling the life stories of those you love.
Selecting a casket is important to you. You’ve specifically rated us as “Excellent” in our transparent pricing, which is very clear on our own web site. Not to diminish anyone else by lifting ourselves up, because there’s always room for as many choices as you wish, but Callaway-Jones is the only locally-owned funeral home who post our prices on our web site. We offer No Hidden Fees, and a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. That’s the way we’ve always done business. Again, it’s up to you who you want to trust with your final arrangements, but you’ve told us time and again that you trust us with your loved ones, and we thank you.
You like our timeliness in responding to your calls and questions. We see that in the thank-you notes that you’ve sent us. We appreciate your taking the time to write us and share your experiences. When you’re 100% satisfied, we are too.
There are no more important “final decisions” that you make than to plan ahead for your family’s sake. Once you make your arrangements, you can take a deep breath and enjoy the rest of your life, knowing that you’ve not left things up to loved ones who will be missing you deeply and less likely to remember what you mentioned to them that you wanted, or they’ll second-guess whether it’s what you would “really” want.
Leave nothing to question, please call us at (979) 822-3717 or visit CallawayJones.com and you’ll find many resources there to guide you through before you give us a call. And, you’ll find a link there where you can request our Free Planning Guide. That’s always a good first step to take. Surveys say: You Choose Callaway-Jones, and we appreciate each of you who’ve entrusted your loved ones to our care. We’re here for you.
