The Right Partner: Caring Service Group Shares Its Successes

Andrey Semenyuk
Chief Executive Officer
Caring Service Group
Folsom, CA
17 funeral home locations
Combined Average Call Volume: 3,500 calls/year

Choosing the right vendors is important for your business to grow and serve families. However, some providers overpromise and underdeliver.

That was something Andrey Semenyuk experienced. With more than a dozen funeral home locations along the West Coast, he couldn’t afford unreliable partners who made it difficult to serve families.

That’s when a chance meeting between Caring Service Group and Funeral Directors Life (FDL) changed everything. Now, Andrey no longer worries about whether he’s partnering with the right company.

“FDL is a strong asset to all we do. They’ve been a huge breath of fresh air.”

Read below to learn more about Caring Service Group and Andrey’s experience.

How did you first find out about FDL?

I learned about FDL from my brother, our Chief Operating Officer, who met them at a convention. Immediately, they all hit it off. He returned and told me about FDL, their products, and why we should look deeper into partnering with them. Eventually, FDL invited us to visit their Home Office in Abilene, which was a great experience.

What stood out to you after visiting FDL’s Home Office?

About a week before the trip, we discovered that FDL operates under Christian principles, which to me was a huge deal and made me want to learn more about FDL. As soon as I walked through their front doors and met with their team, everything started falling into place. I saw that FDL’s vision, philosophy, and beliefs aligned with our company. We had a few moments with [FDL President and CEO] Kris Seale and his executive team that blew me away. I quickly saw God’s hand in all of that.

After learning more about FDL, I wanted to go all in with their products. It took us a couple of months to switch over from our other providers to FDL, but we’re not looking back. It has been phenomenal.

Can you tell us a little about your marketing before using FDL?

We tried a different provider, but it did not go well. They wanted us to try some ideas like taking videos of our staff in a hearse, grabbing coffee before a funeral, and other ideas. We weren’t very comfortable with that. It was not a good fit for who we are or the audience we’re trying to reach online. With FDL, it has been the exact opposite. They have done a great job with our Facebook pages, and they share quality content with families.

Plus, FDL created a few professional websites for our funeral homes, and they’re even working on a corporate website for us.

You mentioned content shared with families. Do you believe content is an important part of your marketing plan?

Absolutely, and I didn’t realize how important good content was until switching to FDL. We’ve seen our Facebook pages reach more families, and I think the educational content we publish is a big reason. If families have questions, our content can teach them about funeral topics. If you want to communicate with today’s families, you have to have a Facebook account that’s relevant and helpful. And if your Facebook has the right content, you’re going to have more people liking, sharing, and interacting with your posts.

Plus, some of our content isn’t even funeral-related! Sometimes, FDL posts recipes, motivational quotes, and more. That’s worked, too, because it shows families that we’re more than just a funeral home. We’re people who want to share content that families might find entertaining or motivating.

What made you decide that FDL’s marketing service was right for you?

Before FDL, other providers made big promises but delivered very little. We were excited to consider FDL but also cautious. We didn’t want to experience the same situation. But the more we learned about FDL’s business model, people, and products, the more we realized this was where we needed to be. Plus, all our marketing is under one roof with them! My team can focus on serving families and growing our company, knowing FDL handles everything behind the scenes.

The best part of working with FDL has been having trustworthy people who fully support us. It’s no secret that customer service is dwindling in many industries, so it’s nice to see FDL value and prioritize it. In my time partnering with FDL, I’ve seen that everything they do is for the right reasons.

How has your experience with FDL’s preneed service been?

FDL’s preneed service has been awesome! FDL offers good compensation packages and percentages, and their rates are competitive. FDL allows us to grow as they grow. Plus, someone continuously checks in to see if we need anything. The preneed agents on my team have voiced how easy it is to get in touch with FDL and how quick their response time is. From offering us training to helping us improve our preneed program, FDL has been very active in our partnership.

Their product is always improving and developing, which means a better customer experience. All my preneed agents have been very happy since we switched to FDL.

What would you say to another funeral professional interested in partnering with FDL?

Anyone who wants to know more about FDL should 100% do it. They know how to do business and treat their partnerships right.

When you partner with FDL, you are part of something special. You become involved with people who are passionate about the funeral profession, want to see their funeral home partners succeed, and aren’t willing to put profits above relationships. That’s beautiful.