Memorializing a loved one is unlike any other decision in your life, and having a helpful, friendly face walk you through it makes all the difference.
But we understand that visiting a memorial provider in person isn’t always practical, especially if you have family members who:
- Live out-of-state.
- Are not in good health to travel.
- Have other obligations, like small children or a busy work schedule, that make leaving home more challenging.
If any of these scenarios are true for your family, a virtual appointment might make the most sense! At Milano Monuments, our memorial specialists are available in-person and virtually to guide you through the headstone design process. In the end, you’ll be able to create the perfect headstone for yourself or a loved one without ever needing to leave the comfort of your home.*
Here is what you can expect when scheduling a virtual headstone appointment.
*While many families benefit from virtual headstone appointments, we highly encourage in-person appointments when possible. Physically seeing and touching the memorial options often gives you a better understanding of your purchase and the headstone process.
How To Prepare for Your Virtual Headstone Appointment
Just like in-person appointments, a memorial specialist will guide you through everything you need to know during a virtual appointment. Here are a few things you can do to make the process go even smoother.
Set a Virtual Meeting Time
We use Zoom to make video calls simple. After coordinating a meeting time with you, a memorial specialist will send you a link with simple directions for joining the video consultation. The process is as easy as clicking on a link.
If you have questions about how these virtual appointments work, we answer many of those later in this article (hint: it’s free and requires very little tech knowledge).
Browse Your Headstone Design Options
While your memorial specialist will walk you through the headstone size, shape and color options that make sense for your family, it can be helpful to understand what’s possible beforehand.
Before your virtual appointment, you can browse your headstone design options using our Headstone Vision Board tool.
Here’s how it works:
- Select your preferences. Choose the elements that you would like included in your loved one’s headstone.
- Your vision board is automatically created. Our tool compiles all your selections into a collage.
- Meet with a memorial specialist. Print or save your vision board to review with your memorial specialist.
Keep in mind that some cemeteries may have rules or restrictions against certain headstone features, like size or embellishments. Your memorial specialist will cover these during your appointment!
>>> Related Resource: How To Narrow Your Headstone Design Choices With a Vision Board
The 3 Steps of Designing a Headstone Virtually
The most important thing for you to know is that a virtual appointment is nearly identical to an in-person appointment—it just happens virtually. Modern technology makes this easier than ever. Once your video appointment has started, here’s what to expect.
Step 1: Meet Your Memorial Specialist and Share Your Story
Memorialization is our specialty, but supporting families through difficult times is our passion.
Every video appointment starts like an in-person one: After starting his or her video (you don’t have to share yours if you don’t want to), a memorial specialist will introduce him or herself, and start to learn about you and your situation.
This is Dave, one of our memorial specialists.
Our memorial specialists will use the information you provide to design a memorial that will uniquely honor and celebrate the life for generations to come.
Step 2: View Memorial Options and Samples
Just as you would in person, the memorial specialist will show you samples and explore photo galleries with you to identify the memorial features that match what you want.
You’ll explore these options together, discussing the memorial designs that interest you most, so we can discover the perfect one for you.
Here you see Dave, one of our memorial specialists, reviewing examples during an online call.
>>> Related Resource: 6 Tips for Families Who Can't Agree on a Headstone Design
Step 3: Watch Your Headstone Be Designed in Real Time
We want to give you full confidence that your memorial will be exactly what you envisioned.
Using our own software, we’ll share our screen and start designing the memorial you’ve helped us create right there. Again, this is the same experience you’d receive if you were to meet with a specialist in our office.
This is a clip of Dave adding a design to a memorial during a video call using our software.
Virtual Appointment Reviews From Families
Here's a comment from one family that had a positive experience with our memorial specialist, Dave:
"Milano Monuments was absolutely wonderful to work with and Dave was great. I live in Texas and was not able to go into their show room for a face-to-face meeting to design a headstone for my grandmother. So, we were able to set up a time and do a Zoom meeting instead, which worked out perfectly. Dave was able to answer all my questions and help guide me a bit on exactly what I had in mind.
The zoom meeting was so much easier and faster than if we were going to try and do it over phone and email. This way I was able to see in real time exactly how changing certain things made it look better or worse and no back and forth with emails to see changes.
I could see this as a great option even if you did live in the area but weren't able to make it in due to a tight schedule or health issues etc. It's a really simple and painless process that can be done on your phone or on a computer with the zoom app and doesn't cost a thing." - Jacob Corea
And here are the benefits another family experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During this time of social distancing, our family was able to meet with Dave in a virtual visit on Zoom. We were all able to view his screen and I found Dave to be patient and caring with us. He took the time to explain the charges and made sure we stayed within our budget. Thank you, Dave and Milano Monuments. - The Hambrick Family
FAQs About Virtual Appointments
Have questions about virtual headstone appointments? Here is a list of frequently asked questions and answers.
Do I need special equipment?
The device you’re reading this article on will likely work for a virtual appointment. A laptop, desktop computer, tablet or smartphone will do.
Do I need to share a video of myself?
While we value the face-to-face connection of an in-person meeting, you can turn off the video from your side. Our memorial specialists will happily leave their video on and show you their computer screen, even if you opt to leave your video off.
What if I’m not tech-savvy?
That’s okay! Virtual appointments are simple to join and operate. If you have any questions when you set up an appointment, we’ll be sure to have them answered to give you the best possible experience.
Do I need to download any new software or create an account?
Nope. Zoom enables you to join a video call by clicking a link and opening the video within your website browser.
Joining the video call is very simple, too. All you need is an email address or cell phone number and we will send you the video appointment information. All you need to do is click the provided link.
Are video appointments free?
Yes. You don’t need to pay anything for the video technology, and the consultation with a memorial specialist is free.
What are the available hours for a video consultation?
Our facility is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. But, because video appointments can happen anywhere, our team will be flexible to schedule an appointment that fits your schedule.
How many people can join our video call?
One of the advantages of video appointments is that a friend or family member can join from anywhere in the world. We can add anyone you'd like to have join your Zoom appointment. It's as simple as sending them the same link we send to you.
Also, if you come into our facility for an in-person meeting, we can add someone through Zoom to participate remotely.
What if I want to see and touch the materials?
We understand the importance of physically interacting with the granite or bronze options for your memorial. That’s why we have a 50,000-square-foot facility full of samples and options.
Though you will not be able to touch the material during a video appointment, our memorial specialists share pictures and videos of various memorials and will start to design your memorial while you’re on the call. You can also visit our website to view the granite color options available to you.
After your initial video consultation, you’re welcome to visit our Cleveland, Bedford or Youngstown location at any time. Come in to see your memorial's progress or tour the facility!
Can I show the memorial specialist pictures of what I want?
Designing a memorial is a collaborative process, where our specialists work to create something unique, based on your preferences.
During a video appointment, not only can we share samples, but we can give you control to show us examples—either those you have saved on your computer or that you find on our website. This is also a perfect time to share your Headstone Vision Board results with our team.
Browse our photo galleries for even more examples.
What can I do if I'm not getting what I need from the virtual appointment?
While our memorial specialists are more than happy to answer any questions you have and guide you through the headstone design process, we understand that sometimes virtual appointments just aren't enough. If you realize you need to see the headstones in-person before finalizing your decisions, don't worry! You and your family are welcome to visit our Cleveland, Bedford or Youngstown location to continue the conversation. You can reach out to your memorial specialist directly or visit our website to schedule your in-person appointment.
Schedule an Appointment With a Memorial Specialist
We know video appointments present an unfamiliar experience. But we believe that they allow us to continue serving you from the comfort of your own home. Our passion for helping families through difficult times, even virtually, is more important to us than ever.
Schedule a video appointment with a memorial specialist today, and don’t hesitate to ask any questions you might have during this uncertain time.
