Digital cemetery plans and administration systems not only make the work of those responsible easier, but also help to make processes more efficient.
A recent survey (PBSGEO, 2025) of cemetery administrations shows that four aspects of digitalization are considered particularly relevant: increased flexibility, improved communication, sound decision-making and error prevention. A key advantage of digital systems is the increase in flexibility . The administrations surveyed rated the relevance of this aspect with an average of 8.50 out of 10 points. Access to up-to-date data from any location and on any device enables not only administrative staff, but also funeral directors, trades and relatives to access relevant information at any time. This promotes smooth collaboration and reduces delays. Closely linked to this is the improvement in communication, which was rated 8.46 out of 10 points. Digital systems create a uniform level of knowledge and make it easier to find gravesites. In addition, a digital plan optimizes processes such as task management, grave reservations and the coordination of funerals using a digital funeral calendar. All of these functions help to make communication with internal and external
stakeholders more transparent and traceable.
Better decision-making
In addition, digital cemetery plans enable more informed decisions to be made. Cemetery administrations manage large amounts of data – from deceased data to usage rights and geodata. Digital systems make it possible to systematically analyze this data so that decisions can be made on a solid information basis. This not only supports long-term planning, but also contributes to more sustainable management. The aspect of better decision-making received a rating of 8.35 out of 10 points in the survey. Error avoidance was rated particularly highly, achieving the highest score of 9.27 points. The manual updating of cemetery plans carries the risk of incorrect entries or loss of data. By automatically linking the digital cemetery plans with cemetery management programs, errors during updating can be avoided and work processes can be further accelerated.
Not just qualitative advantages
The survey results show that digitalization not only offers qualitative advantages, but also saves a considerable amount of time. For example, 58 percent of respondents stated that they saved two to three hours a week thanks to digital cemetery plans. 19 percent were able to save up to one hour per week, 15 percent even more than three hours per week. If you calculate an average time saving of two to three hours
per week, this amounts to a projected saving of up to 144 hours per year and employee – the equivalent of around 18 working days. This time saving results primarily from the optimized management of reservations and the faster processing of inquiries from, for example from relatives or morticians. Digital plans also make it easier to search for gravesites, as there is no need to look through paper plans or various other files.
Conclusion: resources saved
The results of the survey make it clear that digital solutions sustainably improve the work of administrations. The resources saved – both time and money – can be used for important tasks, inquiries and projects. In an increasingly digitalized world, it makes sense for cemetery administrations to use modern technologies to optimize work processes, use resources more efficiently and meet the growing demands of modern administration.
Source: 01.04.2025, PBSGEO GmbH, Friedhofskultur
