Many cemeteries in the United States have been around for centuries. That doesn’t mean their management practices are stuck in the past.

To invest in online cemetery maps, or not to invest in online cemetery maps, that is the question.

That’s the question that many cemetery managers face when thinking about upgrading to cemetery management software, at least.

Too often, inaccurate records and unreliable maps stand in the way of what cemeterians do best: serving families and providing comfort. That’s why cemeteries around the world are implementing cemetery software that streamlines record-keeping and mapping processes.

In this post, we take a closer look at two CIMS cemetery software products: CIMS Light and CIMS Gold. We’ll break down their key features and outline the big differences between the two popular software products.

Using a combination of paper maps, various records, and aging logbooks can make daily cemetery tasks feel more like a never-ending maze than, well, routine operations.

You empty every cabinet, trying to find lost files.

You pour over competing records, hoping to determine which is correct.

Maybe you even curse whomever kept the cemetery’s books 100 years ago.

Every so often, unfortunate cemetery errors make the news. While these mistakes aren’t common, the headlines cause a stir in local communities and across the deathcare industry.

Grieving family shocked to find someone else buried at their gravesite.

Burials exhumed after cemetery mistake.

Cemetery sells same plots to multiple families.

These situations are traumatic for everyone involved. Families are distraught. Communities are outraged. Cemeteries search for answers.

Imagine this. Doug is trying to find his great-great-grandmother’s grave. Doug’s mom says she may be buried nearby, but she isn’t sure where.

With limited information about his great-great grandmother’s burial, Doug isn’t sure where to start. So Doug does what most people do when they need answers. He Googles it.

Decades-old paper maps. Detailed spreadsheets. Interactive online cemetery maps.

It’s no surprise that thousands of people search for burial locations online every month. Locating a loved one's final resting place brings peace. But what happens when the family of the deceased—or genealogists—can’t find grave sites online?

Aging paper maps. Tattered logbooks. Busy spreadsheets.

What used to be essential cemetery management tools are now creating customer service bottlenecks for some cemeteries. Why? For cemeterians, information everywhere is information overload. When maps and records are scattered across multiple sources, it’s difficult to help grieving families quickly and effectively.

The less time cemetery staff spend searching for records, the more time they have to do what they do best: serve the families with whom they work. That’s why thousands of cemeteries in the United States are using cemetery software to help managers easily input burial information on online cemetery maps.

By connecting all ownership, interment, and marker information on a digital map, cemetery mapping software gives cemetery managers real-time insights into which plots have been sold and which ones are available. In other words, with the best online cemetery mapping software, your map is your cemetery.