In our continuing series of interviews, our editorial team today sat down with Last Journey CEO Rishabh Jalan to find out how the company has adopted innovative strategies to address religious diversity and establish trust in funeral services and how it uses technology and media platforms for awareness and accessibility.
Read the full interview below:
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TechGraph: What inspired you to start Last Journey and how do you aim to change the funeral services industry in India?
Rishabh Road: The genesis of Last Journey came as a response to a personal experience; I attended the funeral of a close relative and noticed that in the midst of all the chaos of making proper arrangements for the last rites and other household duties, grief was suppressed. Grief is a form of love, an overwhelming emotion; so when it is dimmed it affects people, often erupting through negative manifestations.
After this episode, I did a thorough research on the funeral management industry in India; a common observation highlights a serious lack of standardization, accountability and local monopolies that exploited grieving families looking for something as simple as a freezer box or an ambulance at the morgue.
Coming from a background in the wedding industry, I knew how people react to extreme emotions, whether happy or sad; experience working with vendors also helped me create Last Journey; with the sole purpose of helping families grieve in peace and spend time with their loved ones during a time of loss. For us to make a difference is to bring about a change in the behavior of the masses in terms of how they respond to death; the goal is to give them a direct point of contact so they don’t feel lost when dealing with the loss, and that will come with spreading awareness.
TechGraph: What are the unique challenges Last Journey faces in providing end-to-end funeral services and how do you overcome them?
Rishabh Road: The fact that India has a huge population that consists of multiple religions and these religions also have their own denominations and sub-denominations was frightening for us in the beginning. The remaining challenges were more or less a by-product of this fact. To address this, we took a demographic segmentation approach by city and tried to keep a lot of things open for customers to take control of. This not only increased trust and transparency but also simplified last mile operations.
Another set of challenges came in the form of making people aware of the existence of such a facility so that they could take advantage of it. Technology takes care of this big time; we leverage the social and digital media space while reaching people through traditional media platforms. Our focus is to build high levels of trust with people. This is because funerals are very sensitive and personal experiences for any family. That’s why trust is of the utmost importance.
TechGraph: What steps does Last Journey take to ensure that funeral services are conducted with dignity and respect for the deceased and their families?
Rishabh Road: We have a simple approach to ensure that every aspect of our service, from the first call to the post-purchase experience, is transparent, professional and compassionate.
We understand the simple reality that during funerals, no one wants to deal with complicated procedures to get what is needed at the right time; as the last rites and subsequent rituals are very limited in time. That’s why our focus from the beginning has been to make our entire process straightforward. We also have very strict SOPs for our operations and panel suppliers.
With an MoU with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, we have renovated two cremation grounds in Delhi. These crematoria are equipped with heavy duty chimneys, electronic and CNG incinerators and have provisions to use cow dung logs instead of wooden logs. We ensure that the hygiene and overall experience of the people who visit is more divine and peaceful.
TechGraph: How does Last Journey work with families to accommodate different cultural or religious practices during funeral services?
Rishabh Road: To accommodate various cultural and religious practices along with customization according to the traditional values and emotions that are unique to almost every family in India. A strong focus on the overall smoothness of the process is maintained; keeping an open-ended front end where the family can choose anything from ‘puja samagri’ to ‘pandit’, even the type and color of flowers to be used in the decor, has helped us be more flexible. Meanwhile, our spare inventory and intelligent logistics enable customization of requirements.
TechGraph: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected the funeral services industry and how is Last Journey adapting to changing customer needs?
Rishabh Road: The pandemic served as a wake-up call not only for the health and medical industry, but also for the death care industry; it became clear that the majority of crematoria and cemeteries are in urgent need of infrastructural improvements and strict regulations should be put in place to avoid the exploitation of grieving families at the hands of local traders or priests.
Attending a reliable institution that takes fast action with accountability and has standardized rates has become an obvious choice for many. Due to the high volume of inquiries we received and the obvious problem of crematoriums being overwhelmed with bodies, we implemented a data-driven slot allocation system whereby our funeral agents could provide the most relevant crematorium details regarding its proximity and the waiting time.
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TechGraph: What plans does Last Journey have to expand its services to other parts of India?
Rishabh Road: We are now in six major cities in India. We are constantly expanding our operations to more non-metro cities.
We also provide international repatriation services to USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and many other countries. Last Journey is accredited by the World Organization of Funeral Directors.
TechGraph: What are the key factors you consider when choosing new locations for your services?
Rishabh Road: When selecting new locations for further expansion, we prioritize conducting a thorough market analysis to identify potential demand for funeral services. We consider factors such as population size, demographics, cultural practices and religious affiliation in the target location. By understanding the market, we tailor our services to the specific needs and preferences of the community, ensuring a higher quality of output.
We also assess the availability of infrastructure and facilities necessary to provide funeral services; factors such as crematoria, cemeteries, transport logistics, storage facilities and preparation facilities are critical to the efficient and effective delivery of services. We also place great importance on compliance with legal and regulatory requirements.
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