The Hidden Training Tool Inside Local Services Ads
By Welton Hong, founder and CEO, Ring Ring Marketing
In an earlier article, I went into some detail the steps funeral homes should take before initiating a Google Local Services Ads campaign, which can be a great way to protect and boost market share.
Now let’s get to what I consider one of the most valuable — and overlooked — benefits of Local Services Ads.
Most funeral home owners look at incoming calls and ask one question: Did these become customers?
Every first call tells you something about your business.
Each one tells you what prospective families are asking, how staff communicate and whether people are confused about your services. These calls also reveal what prices callers are asking about, whether employees sound confident and compassionate, or if they seem rushed.
And if you’re not listening to those calls, you’re guessing.
In the United States, businesses can listen to phone lead recordings through the Local Services lead inbox. Inbound calls generated through Google’s forwarding number are recorded, with callers notified through a prerecorded message.
That is a remarkably powerful training resource.
Think about a hypothetical funeral home that receives 20 LSA calls in a month. The owner may know that four of those calls resulted in arrangements. But what about the other 16?
What happened?
Maybe eight were legitimate price shoppers. Maybe three were people outside your service area. Maybe two were looking for a service your funeral home doesn’t provide. Maybe a few were families who simply weren’t ready to make a decision.
But you might also discover that whoever answers your phone is making mistakes that lead families to call someone else.
My point is: You can’t fix what you don’t hear.
I recommend that funeral home owners and managers regularly listen to a sample of their LSA calls with their team. This shouldn’t be a disciplinary exercise. It should be a coaching exercise.
Leadership Transition at FT North America: Miller Retires and Edwards Appointed GM
FT has announced the retirement of Mike Miller, chief operating officer of FT North America, effective Sept. 30, 2026, following more than three and a half years of transformative leadership and growth for the business.
Since joining FT, Miller has played a pivotal role in strengthening the company’s presence across North America. Under his leadership, FT built a strong and respected brand, significantly expanded its business throughout the region, and established a solid foundation for continued profitable growth.
Beyond the organization’s commercial success, Miller is widely recognized for building a high-performing team culture rooted in trust, collaboration, and accountability.
“Mike’s contributions extend far beyond business results,” said Jan Masschelin, global CEO. “He built a team that trusts and values him, created an environment where people can succeed, and positioned the business for continued growth. He will be greatly missed by colleagues, customers, and friends across FT.”
Following a comprehensive search process, FT is pleased to announce the appointment of Dustin Edwards as general manager, FT North America, effective Aug. 31.
In his new role, Edwards will lead FT’s operations across the United States and Canada, with full regional profit and loss responsibility and accountability.
Edwards brings extensive executive leadership experience from a distinguished career spanning aerospace, industrial manufacturing, and advanced engineering sectors. He has held senior leadership and P&L management roles with ITT Corp., Textron Aviation, and GKN Aerospace. Most recently, he served as president of Enjet Aero and vice president and general manager of Capital Spring, where he successfully led a three-year growth strategy that secured nine major new customers, increased revenue by more than 35%, and oversaw 12 complex new product introduction programs in highly regulated aerospace, defense, and industrial markets.
His broad expertise includes operations, commercial leadership, process engineering, quality, supply chain management, and automation.
“We are excited to welcome Dustin to FT,” said Masschelin, “His track record of driving growth, operational excellence, and customer-focused innovation makes him the ideal leader to guide our North American business into its next phase of success.”
To ensure a seamless transition, Edwards will begin his role on Aug. 31 and report directly to Masschelin.
The overlap period with Miller will include joint customer and employee engagements, allowing for continuity and a smooth handover of leadership responsibilities.
As FT enters this next chapter, the company extends its sincere gratitude to Miller for his outstanding leadership and dedication and welcomes Edwards to the organization.
A Grave Affair: How Ashlynn Rickord Werner Is Helping Cemeteries Tell Their Stories
What if cemeteries could become more than places of remembrance? Ashlynn Rickord Werner believes they can—and should—serve as classrooms, community gathering places, historical resources and even sources of new revenue, according to an article published by CemeteryVision.com.
With years of experience in cemetery management and public history, Rickord Werner launched A Grave Affair in January 2026 to help cemeteries develop tours, educational programs, events and other strategies for engaging their communities.
Her philosophy was shaped in part by her nearly two years as director of city cemeteries in Providence, Rhode Island, where she learned firsthand that cemetery management involves far more than maintaining grounds and selling interment rights. It also requires strategic planning, customer service, preservation, programming and community outreach.
One of her key lessons? Start small. A cemetery doesn’t need elaborate productions or expensive events to attract visitors. A simple walking tour featuring a dozen notable residents—or a program exploring gravestone symbolism—can introduce an entirely new audience to the cemetery.
And there can be a financial benefit. Admission fees, donations, sponsorships and vendor fees can generate revenue, while events can also introduce potential future customers to a cemetery who may have never considered it before.
But for Rickord Werner, the value goes beyond dollars and cents. Cemetery tourism is ultimately about building community and helping people reconnect with local history, culture and the stories of those who came before them.
Read the full Cemetery Vision profile to learn more about Rickord Werner’s journey, her approach to cemetery tourism, the fascinating stories she has uncovered and why she believes bringing death back into life can help cemeteries build stronger connections with their communities.
New Colorado Funeral Establishment Regulations Take Effect
Colorado is moving forward with new regulations for funeral establishments as lawmakers and regulators attempt to balance the concerns of death care professionals with those of families affected by serious misconduct within the industry, KKTV reported.
House Bill 26-1258, a bipartisan measure widely viewed as legislation intended to refine and clarify existing reforms, addresses several aspects of Colorado’s death care regulations. Its provisions include increasing the penalty for abuse of a corpse from a Class 6 felony to a Class 5 felony, clarifying the operation of the state’s new licensing system for funeral home operators, and simplifying fees associated with the new regulatory structure.
The legislation follows years of concern about Colorado’s historically limited oversight of the death care industry and several high-profile cases involving the mishandling of human remains.
Beginning in 2027, funeral home directors in Colorado will be required to obtain licenses. Until now, the state has imposed relatively few requirements on individuals seeking to operate a funeral home. Under the previous system, a person generally needed to be at least 18 years old and have no criminal record.
That will change under Senate Bill 24-173, which established a licensing requirement that Colorado had previously lacked.
Under the legislation, businesses must now register as funeral establishments, a category that includes both funeral homes and mortuaries. The new framework creates registration requirements that differ from the state’s previous systems for funeral homes and crematories and also establishes enforcement provisions for newly licensed professionals.
The law also introduces requirements involving affiliate locations.
Chicago Sues South Side Funeral Home Owners After 56 Decomposing Bodies Discovered
The City of Chicago has filed a lawsuit against the owners of a South Side funeral home after authorities discovered 56 decomposing bodies inside the facility, CBS News reported.
The lawsuit names funeral home owners Clark and Johanna Morgan, along with several business entities associated with them.
City officials cited 23 alleged building code violations in the lawsuit. Among the allegations are that the property was not maintained in a clean, sanitary, and safe condition; that the building lacked fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors; and that unauthorized construction had been performed on the second floor.
The city is asking the court to impose a fine of $11,500 for each day the alleged violations remain unresolved.
The investigation began after authorities discovered 56 decomposing bodies inside the South Side funeral home.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation suspended Johanna Morgan’s funeral director license after regulators determined that human remains were being stored in severely unsanitary conditions. The conditions reportedly included infestations involving rodents and maggots.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has been working to identify the deceased individuals. As of Aug. 21, nine of the 56 bodies had not yet been identified, although the identification process was continuing and that number may have changed since then.
Families affected by the discovery have also been urging authorities to pursue criminal charges.
Fohn Funeral Home Expands Cremation Services with On-Site Crematory and Chapel
Fohn Funeral Home, the family-owned funeral provider serving Cassville, Wheaton, and the surrounding Southwest Missouri communities, has expanded its offerings to include cremation services alongside its traditional funeral and burial options. The expanded services give families the flexibility to choose the type of service that best reflects their loved one’s life and aligns with their own wishes.
The facility includes an on-site chapel, viewing rooms, reception space, and an on-site crematory. This combination allows families to remain in one comfortable, dignified setting suited to both intimate family gatherings and larger memorial services. Keeping the process at one location means loved ones stay in the care of the same staff throughout.
Cremation can be paired with a formal or memorial service, a visitation, or arranged as part of a pre-planned and pre-funded arrangement. Preplanning allows families to make these decisions in advance rather than under emotional strain, and it provides a way to record final wishes and manage costs ahead of time.
“Families in Southwest Missouri have told us they want more choices and the ability to keep everything in one place,” said Bethany McCoy, co-owner of Fohn Funeral Home. “Adding an on-site crematory means we can care for a loved one from start to finish without transferring them elsewhere, which brings families a measure of comfort during a difficult time.”
The funeral home continues to provide traditional funeral services, memorial services, graveside ceremonies, and pre-planning resources. Staff also assist families with obituary services, allowing life stories to be shared online where friends and relatives can leave condolences and memories. Grief support resources, including a grief library, are available to help individuals cope in the weeks and months following a loss.
Fohn Funeral Home also offers specialized assistance for military veterans, including the arrangement of military honors and guidance on veterans’ burial benefits. The funeral home has implemented enhanced safety practices at its facilities in response to evolving community and health considerations, adapting its services to remain accessible and comfortable for all families.
“Whether a family chooses a traditional burial or cremation, our focus stays the same,” McCoy said. “We want to help people honor a life in a way that feels right to them, and pre-planning gives them the chance to make those decisions thoughtfully rather than in a moment of grief.”
Fohn Funeral Home has served the Cassville community for more than three decades, with McQueen Funeral Home serving the Wheaton area. The funeral home combines traditional services with modern approaches to grief support and memorial planning, offering funeral planning, obituary services, grief support, pre-arrangement planning, funeral merchandise, immediate need services, and veteran information to families throughout Southwest Missouri.
Owned and operated by Todd and Bethany McCoy, the funeral home has served area families since 1990, bringing more than 33 years of experience to end-of-life care. The addition of Fohn Funeral Home Cremation Services allows the entire process to be handled at a single location, from the initial arrangement through the final memorial.
Chptr Expands into Canada, Extending Its Community Storytelling Network
Chptr has announced its expansion into Canada, marking the company’s first market outside the United States and giving Canadian funeral homes access to broadcast memorial technology for the first time.
For most Canadian funeral homes, extending an obituary beyond their own website, social channels, or traditional newspaper placement has not been a practical option. Producing broadcast-quality content and managing local media distribution require expertise, infrastructure, and cost that typically sit outside the funeral home. Chptr built the technology and distribution model to close that gap for U.S. funeral homes, and its Canadian expansion now brings that capability north.
East Coast Memorial, an independently owned funeral home serving families across Nova Scotia, becomes the first funeral home in Canada to offer the service. Through Chptr, an obituary can be transformed into a professionally produced broadcast memorial announcement and distributed throughout the surrounding community, helping the news reach people who may have known the person, attend the service, or want to support the family.
“Every time we enter a new community, we ask the same question: can we help more people come together around the moments that matter most?” said J.B. Showalter, senior vice president of partnerships at Chptr. “Canada tells us the answer is yes. Funeral service is where we started because there are few stories more important than the ones that bring a community together. That’s true everywhere, not just in the U.S.”
In Canada, Chptr Broadcast extends obituary announcements beyond the funeral home’s own channels and onto local television, giving families a way to share the news of a passing with the broader community through a trusted local medium. Each memorial announcement is professionally produced and scheduled for broadcast in the funeral home’s local market, helping reach people who may have known the person, attend the service, or want to support the family.
The Canadian expansion follows significant momentum for Chptr, which now partners with more than 400 funeral home locations across the United States.
Family Sues Manhattan Funeral Home Over Alleged Wrong-Body Mix-Up
A family is suing a Manhattan funeral home after discovering that the wrong body had been placed in their deceased father’s coffin during his wake. The family is seeking $16 million in damages, alleging that the incident caused severe emotional and psychological trauma, New York 4 reported.
The lawsuit involves the family of Jose Daniel Diaz Felipe, who was 84 when he died earlier this year. Relatives and friends had gathered at R.G. Ortiz Funeral Home in Washington Heights in late May to pay their respects to Diaz Felipe, who was known to loved ones as Danielito.
Instead of finding their father in the casket, however, the family discovered the body of another man.
According to the lawsuit, the body was dressed in Diaz Felipe’s clothing, but several physical characteristics immediately raised concerns. Diaz Felipe was bald and stood approximately 5 feet 3 inches tall, while the man in the coffin had hair and was significantly taller.
The family sought an explanation from the funeral home and initially disputed the facility’s insistence that the body in the casket was their father.
After the wake and funeral services had concluded, the funeral home acknowledged that the bodies had been mistakenly switched. According to the lawsuit, the mix-up occurred because the funeral home had received two individuals with the same name and confused their remains.
Join Welton Hong and Other Thought Leaders in Philadelphia at ‘Mastermind’
Welton Hong, the founder and CEO of Ring Ring Marketing is excited to invite readers of this newsletter to “Mastermind: Elevating Your Funeral Service Business to New Heights” — an educational and networking event created specifically for forward-thinking funeral professionals.
Hong will be speaking alongside an outstanding lineup of industry leaders, sharing practical marketing strategies that funeral homes can put to work immediately to generate more calls, build stronger brands and prepare for the future of consumer search.
Whether you’re an owner, manager, or future leader, you’ll leave with actionable ideas you can implement the moment you return home.
Here’s what you can expect:
- Practical sessions focused on growing your funeral home.
- Marketing, technology, leadership, operations and consumer trends.
- Outstanding networking with funeral professionals from across the country, particularly from the Northeast.
- Opportunities to connect with suppliers and industry innovators.
- A full day of ideas designed to help your business thrive.
The event has been approved for continuing education credit in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, and Maryland, and is also approved by the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice, making it an excellent opportunity to earn CEUs while investing in your business. The event also provides a great opportunity to invest in the professional development of your staff.
Save $100 on Registration
As someone in the Ring Ring Marketing network, Hong is offering a $100 discount on any tickets.
Simply enter Promo Code “100” when you get to online checkout – and then hit “Apply” before entering registrant information.
Register today at www.MastermindFuneral.com.
Philadelphia Family Alleges Funeral Home Cremated Father Before Viewing
The family of 89-year-old Clifton Moore says a Philadelphia funeral home cremated him before his scheduled viewing, leaving relatives unable to see him one final time and prompting questions about how his funeral arrangements were handled, 6 ABC Action News reported.
Moore died Aug. 1. According to his family, they hired Savin Funeral Home to embalm his body, arrange a viewing and then complete the cremation process. The family says the agreed-upon cost was slightly more than $3,800.
The original plan called for Moore’s viewing to take place at Savin Funeral Home on North 12th Street. Because the facility could accommodate only approximately 100 people, the family decided to relocate the service to Bright Hope Baptist Church to allow more people to attend.
Moore was known in Philadelphia for operating Mr. C’s BBQ for many years.
Chrystal Moore said she went to the funeral home to drop off a photograph that was intended for acknowledgment cards in advance of the Aug. 22 service. During that visit, she said she was informed that her father’s body had already been cremated.
The family says this occurred before the planned viewing, meaning relatives—including Moore’s children and grandchildren—lost the opportunity to see him and pay their final respects.
The circumstances have left the family seeking an explanation for why the cremation took place before the scheduled service.
Some Families Face Funeral Delays Following TruStage Cyberattack
A Collinsville, Illinois, family says it can finally move forward with the funeral of a loved one weeks after her death, following delays they attribute to a cyberattack affecting her life insurance company, First Alert 4 reported.
Marvin Farmer said his 71-year-old sister, Mary Farmer, died unexpectedly on Aug. 8. He described Mary as the family’s matriarch and said her death has been especially difficult for her loved ones.
Since her death, Mary’s body has remained at Officer Funeral Home in East St. Louis while the family waited for payment from her TruStage life insurance policy. According to the family, a cyberattack against TruStage on July 11 disrupted the claim and delayed the funeral arrangements.
Farmer said the family had continued paying premiums on the policy with the expectation that the coverage would provide financial assistance when it was needed. The uncertainty surrounding the delayed payment has added to the family’s emotional burden.
TruStage’s website indicated that its retirement, consumer insurance and annuity contact centers had become operational again as of Aug. 12. However, the company is also facing 14 class-action lawsuits alleging that its extended recovery from the cyberattack has delayed the processing and payment of insurance claims.
The Missouri Funeral Directors & Embalmers Association told First Alert 4 that two other Missouri funeral homes proceeded with funerals for families who were also waiting for TruStage insurance payments.
Meanwhile, a Mississippi funeral home issued a warning on Facebook after encountering scammers who allegedly posed as TruStage representatives. The scammers reportedly encouraged customers to cancel their existing policies and purchase new coverage.
TruStage responded by saying it is deeply concerned that scammers may be taking advantage of customers during the company’s recovery from the cybersecurity incident.
Legislation to Regulate Pennsylvania’s Pet Cremation Industry Stalls
An effort to establish regulations for Pennsylvania’s pet cremation industry has stalled in the state Senate, leaving advocates concerned that proposed consumer protections will not become law this year, CBS Pittsburgh reported.
Former funeral home director Patrick Vereb is still awaiting trial on criminal charges related to allegations involving the handling of pets and their remains. While his case continues to face delays, lawmakers had sought to create safeguards for pet owners through new legislation.
Advocates now say the proposal is running out of time. With only a limited number of legislative session days remaining this year, they say the bill’s progress depends on whether one state senator chooses to move it forward.
Raeanna Paterson, whose dog Tinx was involved in the controversy surrounding Vereb, has been among those pushing for regulation of the pet cremation industry. She and thousands of other affected pet owners have supported the proposed Companion Animal Cremation Consumer Protection Act.
The legislation is intended to prevent practices allegedly associated with Vereb’s case, including situations in which animals were allegedly not cremated as promised or where the remains from a large animal could potentially be divided and provided to multiple customers without identification.
Paterson believes the proposed legislation represents an important form of accountability for families affected by the alleged misconduct.
Animal advocate Natalie Ahwesh said the bill is currently stalled in a Senate committee. With only a handful of Senate session days remaining in 2026, she said lawmakers would likely have to begin the legislative process again next year if the measure does not advance.
Ahwesh said the decision to move the legislation forward rests with Sen. Patrick Stefano, a Republican from Fayette County, who is in a position to advance the measure from committee.
KDKA Investigates contacted Stefano for an interview. He declined but provided a statement indicating that he believes the issue extends beyond the regulation of pet cremation.
Stefano pointed to what he described as limited regulations governing the cremation of human remains in Pennsylvania. He said both human and animal remains should be handled responsibly and with dignity and respect, and suggested that a broader legislative solution may be appropriate.
