In a world undergoing rapid digitization, it’s important to preserve our historical and cultural heritage. Creating a digital system to keep track of your inventory ensures that you have an accurate record of everything that is going on in your cemetery, making it faster and easier for your staff to manage burials and sell empty plots.
By using CIMS to modernize your cemetery records, you have the option to add data migration services to your package. But if you choose to do it yourself, here are some best practices to get you started.
Make a Backup of Physical Records
By embracing technology, cemetery managers can immortalize their records by taking high-quality photographs or using scanning equipment. Capturing detailed images of lot cards, burial registers, maps, and other documents not only aids in preserving the information inscribed but also guards against the inevitable wear and tear that physical materials endure over time. This digital repository creates a reliable backup, fortifying the records against potential loss due to disasters, environmental factors, or accidental damage.
Build a List of Every Space in Your Cemetery
Crafting a comprehensive and organized list of every space within your cemetery is a foundational stride toward effective management and digitization. Employing tools like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets offers a streamlined approach to cataloging this intricate information. Creating a well-structured spreadsheet allows for meticulous documentation of each burial plot, memorial site, and location. The versatile capabilities of these spreadsheet platforms enable easy sorting, filtering, and searching, empowering caretakers to easily locate specific records as needed.
Fill In the Details
Add relevant details such as space owners and their contact information, occupant names, dates of interment, financial records, maintenance records, and any other information that is crucial to your cemetery management process. Adding in these details turns your digital records into a dynamic repository, capable of accommodating updates and additions, thus maintaining an accurate reflection of the cemetery's landscape. The list of spaces combined with the details creates an inventory that provides the cemetery manager with an accurate tool to understand how many spaces are sold, and how many are available for future use.
Digitizing your cemetery data is a critical step in the process of modernizing your cemetery records. Once you have a digital system in place for tracking plot ownership and burials, it is easy to import this data into cemetery management software, like CIMS. You can add record digitization into your CIMS package or do it yourself, whatever works best for your cemetery.
Ready to take the next step in your cemetery management modernization journey? Request more information or schedule a virtual demo with a CIMS expert today!
