Samantha Sissom

During my employment with Dignity Memorial, I was given the opportunity to work in the care center, as well as three of their firms in the Nashville area.

Working in the care center, I was able to further develop my skills as an embalmer, taking every opportunity I could to learn new techniques. Although I didn't have the title, I performed managerial duties almost daily. This included but was not limited to making the on-call schedules for the removal team, keeping up with the budget for prep supplies, ordering the supplies needed, obtaining quotes for equipment/repairs, and coordinating for repairs to be made as needed.

The first Dignity firm I was placed with was Woodlawn-Roesch-Patton Funeral Home, where I learned to perform multiple services a day, all while making sure all of the families were thoroughly attended to. This experience enhanced my time management skills, as well as my ability to multitask effectively without missing any details along the way.

Lastly, I was placed with Marshall-Donnelly-Combs Funeral Home and Mount Olivet Funeral Home & Cemetery. During this time, I was given the opportunity to work closely with the Catholic and Jewish communities, learning their customs and building strong relationships with clergy. It was also during this time that I learned more about how to perform cemetery tasks, including but not limited to locating plots and submitting work orders to the cemetery staff to make any necessary repairs to damages found by myself or families who noticed upon their visit.

With each location, I prioritized service excellence. It was my goal to make every family feel that their needs were met and that they were being well taken care of. I even maintained this mindset in the prep-room, ensuring that the deceased was taken care of in the most dignified way possible during the entirety of the process.

• Removed deceased from place of death and transported to funeral home.
• Assisted with embalming processes when necessary.
• Organized chapels for visitations and maintained calm and orderly atmosphere.
• Prepared memorial materials, including service programs, and signage.
• Assisted with the preparation of funeral services, including transporting caskets and urns to the place of service.
• Greeted guests at the door and provided directions when needed.
• Served as a liaison between families, funeral directors and other personnel involved in funeral services.
• Assisted funeral director in coordination of services.
• Understood and followed oral and written directions.
• Delivered products to customer locations on time.
• Displayed strong telephone etiquette, effectively handling difficult calls.
• Assisted with customer requests and answered questions to improve satisfaction.
• Created meaningful tribute videos featuring photographs of the deceased.
• Completed day-to-day duties accurately and efficiently.
• Maintained the cleanliness of the facility.

• Assisted customers with selecting items and answering questions about products.
• Opened and closed cash registers by counting money, separating charge slips and balancing drawers.
• Organized backroom areas to maintain a clean and organized work environment.
• Followed cleaning and sanitation guidelines to meet health and OSHA requirements.

• Answered customer questions and provided store information.
• Assisted customers with selecting items and answering questions about products.
• Opened and closed cash registers by counting money, separating charge slips and balancing drawers.
• Organized backroom areas to maintain a clean and organized work environment.
• Stocked shelves with merchandise and ensured product displays were neat and orderly.
• Investigated and resolved issues to drive better service for customers and employees.
• Followed cleaning and sanitation guidelines to meet health and OSHA requirements.
• Processed shipments received from vendors according to established protocols.
• Greeted customers to determine wants or needs.
• Performed floor moves, merchandising, display maintenance and housekeeping to keep sales areas well-stocked, organized and current.
• Leveraged janitorial equipment, rolling racks and ladders to perform merchandising and cleaning tasks.
• Unboxed new merchandise and restocked shelves in appealing and organized arrangements to promote items.
• Trained new associates on store operations, policies, and procedures.
• Provided customer service support for inquiries, complaints, and returns.
• Reported any discrepancies or errors in pricing or inventory levels to management.
• Built and maintained relationships with peers and upper management to drive team success.
• Performed cash register functions accurately and efficiently.
• Watched for and recognized security risks and thefts to prevent or handle situations.
• Understood and followed oral and written directions.