The Paper Gravestone: How Cemeteries will Paperless

 

When you think of a cemetery, what comes to mind? If the answer is "death" or "graves," then this article will be sure to shock you. Cemeteries are in charge of keeping records for all eternity, and dealing with paper can be more than just a burden. Paperless cemeteries have become much more popular recently due to the many benefits it offers.

Cemeteries Must Keep Records Forever

Businesses are required by law to store documents on paper for a number of years. Document retention laws vary depending on industry regulations. One of the many industries that require meticulous recordkeeping is the cemetery industry.

Cemeteries require extensive records of their occupants, which are often centuries old. It's important to keep records of burial sites for many reasons. Paperless records allow cemetery organizations to better serve family members, genealogists, and researchers.

Many people only equate cemeteries with burials, but that is a vast oversimplification. Recording keeping in this industry can be. People often want to be buried next to each other, even if they died years apart. Families often start memorials for loved ones many years before they are complete.

It is also possible for those with rights to a burial site to have someone else buried there. All of these situations necessitate precise records and even the rare occasion when a body must be removed to another cemetery.

The Trouble with Paper Records

Cemeteries often have to store old paper records that date back longer than 100 years. These Paper records are fragile, and while they last a long time, they for sure will not last forever. Consequently, it is imperative for cemeteries not to let information go to waste.

Older cemeteries may have handwritten records that are hard to read. Some cemeteries duplicate their records in the event. However, the records may not match up exactly if one was created by hand.

Paper Records Are Difficult to Access

Paper documents in any business can take time to find, but a well-organized cabinet is only one stop among many. Both family members and genealogists may want to find information about the deceased for those who would like to leave a legacy or for those who. Paper records are often difficult to find when needed, so it can take cemetery staff more time to access the information.

Paper Records Require Extensive Storage

Cemeteries have to meet extensive recordkeeping requirements, which paper storage can't adequately address. As a result, the number of filing cabinets will only continue to grow as time goes on. Paper records are an inefficient use of space for cemeteries, and many see switching to digital records as an easier solution.

There Is No Room for Error

Cemeteries go paperless. Regardless of whether records are handwritten or printed, relying on this information for long-term storage can be cumbersome and error-prone. It is easy to misplace a file if you do not take the time to properly label and organize it.

Dealing With Paper Records

While cemetery records not be the target of thieves, paper records can still go missing. Keeping cemetery records secure is a major job, but document management makes it all much easier.

Going paperless will guarantee that records are preserved, even for all eternity. As paper records age, they often become difficult to read. The only way to meet records requirements is by scanning and digitizing records.

Focus on the Customer

When it comes to cemetery records, families are usually the ones who need access to them. When cemeteries go paperless, their focus can be diverted to the customer. Cemeteries and funeral homes retain records for eternity, so it's important to keep them organized. Family members are frustrating to go through a difficult time.

Cemeteries use document management software to store all kinds of information and make it easily searchable. Often, these records will include such things as autopsies, old price lists, and complaints from members of the community. Cemeteries also have the ability to use document management systems for tax information as well as employee records.