Investing in Your Team: Why Staff Training Matters More Than Ever
February 4, 2025
Equip Your Team with Practical Skills and Accredited Learning Anytime, Anywhere
Staff training is no longer optional—it’s essential for staying ahead, delivering exceptional service, and maintaining consistency across teams. A well-trained team ensures businesses can adapt to changing consumer expectations while improving overall performance.
As a Tribute Technology Premier Partner, MKJ Marketing’s Advance U offers a flexible online learning platform designed specifically for funeral and cemetery professionals. These courses go beyond theory, providing real-world solutions that can be immediately applied—along with accreditation for continued professional growth.
Comprehensive Training for Every Area of Focus
Advance U offers courses that cover key aspects of funeral and cemetery operations, including:
- Arranger Training: The Advanced Course
- How to Handle Price Shoppers
- Good Call™: How to Answer the 9 Most Common Calls
- The Warm-Up in the Arrangement Conference
- Cremation Arrangement: Improving Averages & Family Satisfaction
With courses available for both licensed and non-licensed staff, every team member gains access to relevant, practical training that aligns with their role.
Why Online Learning Works
✔ Higher Retention Rate – Online learning is three times more effective than in-person training.
✔ Bite-Sized Lessons – 10-to-20-minute sessions enhance engagement and retention.
✔ Structured Learning – Required pathways ensure full course completion—no skipping ahead.
✔ Flexible Pace – Assign courses individually or train staff as a cohort.
✔ Dedicated Course Facilitator – A designated point of contact ensures training success.
✔ Higher Averages & More Satisfied Families – Stronger training leads to better service and business growth.
✔ CEU Accreditation – Available at a fraction of the expense of traditional training programs.
The Future of Professional Development
Online learning is a flexible, cost-effective, and impactful way to develop talent, enhance service quality, and maintain consistency. Whether you're training new hires or helping experienced staff refine their skills, Advance U provides the tools and knowledge your team needs—when and where they need it.
The new Benchmarking the Modern Obituary study from Tribute Technology reveals how small changes — like timing — can make a big difference for families and your business.
Strategies You Can Use the Minute You’re Back Home: Inside the Tribute Technology Summit If you’re ready to do more than just talk about the future of funeral service, this is where you need to be. The Tribute Technology Summit, November 10–12, 2025, at The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort, co-hosted with MKJ Marketing, brings together the most forward-thinking leaders in the profession for three days of expert guidance, open conversation, and sessions built around real-world takeaways. You’ll head home with fresh ways to strengthen culture, simplify operations, and grow confidently into what’s next. What You’ll Gain New ways to inspire staff and strengthen culture with insights from Jamie Naughton Henriod , former Chief of Staff at Zappos. Tools and systems that save time and improve care , helping you focus on families instead of processes. Smarter strategies for growth, acquisition, and leadership that position your firm for long-term success. Marketing and pricing approaches based on real data , showing what’s working for firms across the country. A clear look ahead at how technology is becoming the new standard of care in funeral service. Join us at the St. Regis Longboat Key Resort this November and come ready to take home strategies you can put to work the minute you’re back in your business. Fin d more Info and Registration Here
Faster help, familiar faces, and answers that fit the way you work.
Tribute Technology is partnering with Homesteaders Life Company, one of the most trusted names in funeral service, to make preneed policy management easier for funeral homes.
Waunakee, Wisconsin – October 22, 2025 Tribute Technology is partnering with Homesteaders Life Company, one of the most trusted names in funeral service, to make it easier for funeral homes to manage preneed policies. The planned integration, coming in 2026, will connect Homesteaders’ policy data directly with Tribute Management Software, allowing funeral directors to see and link matching preneed policies right from a case. Policy information will update automatically each night, so directors always have the most current details without sorting through paperwork or entering data twice. “At Homesteaders, we’re committed to offering financial support, expertise, and partnerships that bring value to funeral professionals and the families we serve together,” said Steve Shaffer, Homesteaders President, CEO and Board Chair. “This planned integration with Tribute Technology helps simplifies the preneed management process, giving funeral providers easier access to the information they need so they can focus more fully on designing meaningful experiences for the families they serve.” For funeral homes, this will mean fewer errors, faster workflows, and peace of mind knowing every available fund is captured and applied correctly. Families will benefit too, with less back-and-forth over documents and a smoother, more professional experience. “Funeral directors carry an enormous responsibility, and every minute spent searching for paperwork is a minute taken away from serving families,” said Courtney Gould Miller, President of Commercial Markets at Tribute Technology. “This upcoming integration with Homesteaders takes something complex and makes it simple. It’s about giving time back to the professionals who give so much of themselves every day.” This is the first of several planned integrations designed to connect Tribute Management Software with multiple preneed partners. Together, these systems will help funeral homes work more efficiently and better support the families they serve. About Homesteaders Life Company For nearly 120 years, Homesteaders Life Company has provided products and services to help people design a better farewell. Rooted in financial stability and a deep commitment to the funeral profession, Homesteaders partners with funeral providers of all sizes to help them grow their businesses through innovative preneed solutions. About Tribute Technology Tribute Technology builds technology that helps funeral professionals focus on what matters most—supporting families. Serving more than 9,000 providers worldwide, Tribute’s connected tools for management, websites, marketing, online planning, and payments simplify daily work and strengthen the relationships that matter most. Learn more at www.tributetech.com . Media Contact: Heather McWilliams Mierzejewski VP of Marketing heather.mierzejewski@tributetech.com 303-717-3774
A simple way to expand your reach and bring more families to your website
WAUNAKEE, Wis. — October 22, 2025 ObituaryShare.com has partnered with Tribute Technology to make it easier for funeral homes to share obituaries online and connect with more people in their communities. Through this new partnership, funeral homes using Tribute Technology websites can now link directly to ObituaryShare. The integration lets staff automatically post obituaries to Facebook and other social channels with no extra steps or technical work required. Each post leads readers back to the funeral home’s website, helping more families find services, send flowers, and show support. “As obituaries continue to move online rather than being printed, it’s important that they still reach the people who care,” said Bob Arrington, President of ObituaryShare. “We built ObituaryShare so families could get the word out in a way that connects. Working with Tribute Technology makes that even easier for funeral homes.” The connection between the two platforms is simple to set up and available now for Tribute Technology customers. Those who activate the feature will also receive special partnership pricing on ObituaryShare services. “Families often turn to Facebook to remember a loved one and share memories and support,” said Courtney Gould Miller, President of Commercial Markets at Tribute Technology. “Our partnership with ObituaryShare makes that process effortless for funeral homes by helping bring those stories to where people are already connecting.” Special Offer for Tribute Technology Customers Tribute Technology partners receive exclusive pricing on ObituaryShare services. To learn more or get started, visit ObituaryShare.com or contact your Tribute Technology account representative. About ObituaryShare ObituaryShare.com helps funeral homes publish and share obituaries on social media, reaching friends, family, and community members in a more personal way. Founded by Bob Arrington, President of Arrington Funeral Directors, and Roy Heatherly, a longtime newspaper executive, ObituaryShare offers a simple, affordable way to share stories and strengthen community connection. About Tribute Technology Tribute Technology is a leading provider of software and services for funeral homes, cemeteries, and crematories, helping professionals serve families through best-in-class websites, management tools, and digital memorialization solutions. The company is headquartered in Waunakee, Wisconsin. Media Contact Heather McWilliams Mierzejewski VP of Marketing, Tribute Technology press@tributetech.com | heather.mierzejewski@tributetech.com | 303-717-3774
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