What is a Funeral Concierge?

Death is an inevitable part of life but when it comes to making funeral arrangements, it can leave us bewildered. Whether due to taboos around the topic or fears we could be tempting fate, many of us are completely in the dark when it comes to arranging a funeral.

And this ignorance is far from bliss.

Nearly a third (31%) of those surveyed in MetLife’s study The Last Word said planning a funeral added stress to what was already a difficult and upsetting time, with 13% saying it caused arguments with friends and family.

When asked what information or support they would have found most valuable during this difficult time, 23% said they wished they’d known the deceased’s wishes.

On top of this, 21% said they wished they’d had a better understanding of what needed to be done and a further 18% wanted support to understand the steps involved in planning a funeral.

Support from a funeral concierge

A funeral concierge service can deliver this support. These services can help you put your own funeral arrangements in place, or support a bereaved family as they arrange a funeral for their loved one. 

Funeral support is delivered through a telephone helpline and a suite of online planning tools. The telephone helpline is at the heart of the service, answering any questions you or your family may have, and providing impartial advice and guidance.

As an example, MetLife’s funeral concierge service, which is provided by Everest, is available 24/7, 365 days a year to answer any questions you might have.

You can call the service as much or as little as you like and all callers are given a dedicated adviser to help and support them throughout their journey.

How are funeral support services delivered?

At the time of need, the family will call into the Everest helpline and be assigned an adviser to help them work through what they need to do.

The adviser will be there any time that they need them, supporting the family to make well-thought-out decisions, and giving them valuable time to grieve.

Everest Advisors are experienced funeral professionals, able to negotiate prices with funeral directors, handle communication, present pricing options and help support families in carrying out the funeral they would like for their loved one.

That support removes families from a sales-focused environment, at an already difficult and challenging time, and helps them in making choices that meet the wishes of the deceased, and their financial requirements.

Peace of mind with planning tools

Alongside the helpline, customers can access plenty of funeral planning tools. As an example, our funeral concierge service offers the following tools:

A 10 key wishes funeral planning tool

By asking 10 simple questions such as whether you’d like to be cremated or buried and if you have a preferred funeral director, this tool helps you make all the key decisions.

This information can be provided to your loved ones when you die, making it much easier for them to arrange your funeral.

A funeral price comparison service

Rather than contacting all the funeral directors in your area, simply put all your details into this tool and it will compare all the providers and their prices. As funeral costs can vary greatly, this tool can save you and your family time and money.

A will writing tool

WillPrep is a user-friendly will writing tool. All you need to do is answer a series of questions and, within 10 minutes, it will create a will document. This can then be printed and, once it’s signed and witnessed, will be legally binding.

A cloud-based digital vault

Tenzing is a secure cloud-based data vault where you can store personal information such as your funeral wishes, financial and social media passwords, photos and even letters to your loved ones. You can nominate up to four people who will be given access to your digital vault when you die.

Ensuring your wishes

As well as helping you navigate the complexities of funeral planning, our concierge service can help to ensure your wishes – or those of your loved ones – are followed. They do this in several different ways.

The planning tools are designed to help people think about their funeral wishes and share this information. For instance, by answering the questions on the 10 key wishes planning document, you will save your family or friends the stress of trying to guess what you wanted.

These planning tools can also encourage more conversation about death and funerals. This will help your family understand what you want when the time comes but may also inspire you to explore different funeral options to personalise your service.

The benefit of an independent service

Our funeral concierge service is also independent, putting you and your loved ones’ interests first. Everest is not tied (directly or indirectly) to any funeral director, crematorium or cemetery in the UK so the advice and guidance you receive will be based entirely on your needs.  You can be assured that Everest is a neutral, unbiased expert dedicated to assisting you and your family. 

This makes them markedly different to what’s already available. A funeral director will only be able to offer you the services they have, at the prices they charge.

And, while you can go to a local funeral provider and purchase a funeral plan in advance, you’re still limited by what the provider has available and its terms and conditions.

Delivered by Everest Funeral Concierge

Funeral concierge services are relatively new in the UK, but Everest, the company behind MetLife’s service, has a long history of helping people arrange the funerals they want.

Started in the US in 2001, it now covers around 25 million people across the US and Canada.

Everest brought this experience and expertise to the UK in 2022, providing its services exclusively through MetLife.

As a result, employees with our group life cover and their families can now take advantage of this unique and valuable benefit, giving them the peace of mind that they can access independent support and guidance if they need to plan or arrange a funeral.