I was a funeral director that operated my own funeral home with the help of five or six other licensed funeral directors.  Much of the last 15 years of my work-life consisted of management, but there were times where I made funeral arrangements, wrote obituaries, and was asked to produce video tributes.

 

As time moved forward I became like the old saying, “An old dog that had to learn new tricks“, such as producing video tributes on the technology of 15 years ago.  Trust me. . . if you didn’t do it every day it was not always so easy to do.

 

That brings me to the topic of this article.  I received a press release last week from the good folks at Tukios.  It was titled much like the title of this article, “Tukios introduces AI Photo Engine, transforming tribute photos in seconds”.  I remember my time messing with “cutting and pasting”, drawing out parts of a photo that a family wanted edited, etc.  In my day, it was time consuming, not always so easily done, and many times done under the duress of time constraints.

 

The Tukios press release made these comments:

 

“The Tukios AI Photo Engine allows funeral professionals to enhance, refine, and elevate photos in seconds, ensuring every image used in a final tribute reflects the dignity and respect families expect. . . . 

With Tukios AI, funeral directors can instantly enhance photo quality, adjust lighting, and remove distracting elements. The system can colorize black-and-white photos, modify or replace backgrounds, and improve clarity all through a simple, conversational interface.

Directors simply type the changes they would like to make, and Tukios AI does the rest. No technical editing expertise is required, and no third-party software is needed.”

 

That all sounded too easy to me — a retired technologically challenged funeral director.  So, I went to the Tukios website to see for myself.  Take a look at the 1-minute YouTube video posted below of the Tukios AI Photo Engine and I’ll bet you agree with me it was no hyperbole when Tukios says it can “instantly enhance photo quality“. . . . .and, it is so use-friendly!!

 

 

Funeral Director Daily take:  This is just one simple article I’m writing on one technological advance that can help funeral homes, funeral directors, and others in the Death Care profession.  But, it is also a reminder to me of all the available technological advances that can help our businesses.

 

There is a lot of attention on how Death Care businesses can use technology to help us in our facing with the consumer. . . Such as online pricing, online preneed, online arrangements and the like.  But, this is also a reminder that there is a lot of technology available that can make our staff’s live easier also —  and that is important too.

 

I had one funeral director employee who was always what the technology companies call “an early adopter”.  And, as I mentioned, I was not real technologically savvy.  So, I gave him free reign to research and report to me what he thought was worth purchasing in the areas of “technology”.

 

That turned out to be a good decision as it let funeral directors know we valued them because we got them current tools. It also was good for the economics of our funeral home as we were able to use our own technology in printing our own memorial folders and producing video tributes that we were able to turn into profitable items, as opposed to paying someone else to print memorial folders or create simple “scanned” videos that had traditionally been a cost to the funeral home.

 

The Final Thought —  If you haven’t already, as an owner or manager you should create a line-item on your expense budget for new and enhanced tchnology as it becomes available.  Capital Expenditures (CapEx) are no longer just about buildings and vehicles but should be budgeted for the fast-advancing technology advances, for both the consumer and staff, that can move your business forward.

 

Related — Here is the Tukios website

 

More news from the world of Death Care:

• Small Oklahoma casket company sues state funeral board over casket selling law.  Video news story and print article.  KFOR Channel 4 – Oklahoma City (OK)
• Californians are choosing cremation over burial.  Axios
• Working the graveyard shift.  Noosa (Australia)
• Brooklyn cemetery plans human composting option, stirring interest and debate.  CBS News
• The smell of eternity:  How mummy scents are unlocking ancient Egyptian secrets.  Greek Reporter (Greece)

 

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