Choosing Tributes for Funeral Supplies

Here at Tributes we’ve been supporting funeral directors, and families, for many years and we are keen to share some of our work at our West Sussex head office and production facility. We want to lift the lid, introduce the people behind the business and showcase the work our team does to help support those who are grieving. Alongside this article, we have also shared some behind the scenes videos that demonstrates what makes Tributes unique, and why should you consider working with us.

The cornerstone of what we do and how we do it was captured by our founder – Richard Bush. Richard, known to us all as Bushy, is our ideas man and the driving force behind the business. And he’s always been clear on the three key pillars on which Tributes’ reputation should be built on – innovation, customer service and our environmental credentials.

Innovation

Tributes was born out of innovation. Bushy first established the business to manufacture ashes urns for pet crematoria and he quickly realised that what he was doing could be scaled up for human remains. Before long he had a range of products being sold to crematoria and funeral directors to support both the human and pet sectors.

Once Bushy had built solid working relationships in both sectors, he was able to identify other niches. His most notable development was the invention of the Scatter Tube; a decorative ashes holder that allows families to store and scatter their loved ones’ remains with dignity. The scatter tube is now stocked widely across the funeral sector and is the epitome of the phrase ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’ – with many of our competitors attempting to copy it in a bid to share in its success.

From woven coffins to hand-sculpted breed specific pet urns, our ethos of innovation and adaptation has never left us. We’re continually innovating and responding to the demands of our customers and without giving too much away, Bushy is currently working on developing a new product– so watch this space…

Customer Service

Underpinning our quality product range is an equally strong customer service philosophy. Right from the start we knew that the field we were working in was time critical and emotionally sensitive. There is simply no opportunity to deliver late or provide poor-quality products. Sometimes that means we’ll go above and beyond – it’s not unheard of for one of our team to deliver a coffin in person all the way to Scotland – but most of the time it comes down to good communication, regular engagement and timely response.

Our commitment to great customer service begins with our marketing team and their role in supporting our customers with information about our products and keeping them up to date with useful information – most recently regarding shipping and stock, which have both needed careful management through Covid and Brexit. Our growing sales team then pick up the mantle to create those all-important personal relationships, regularly visiting customers around the UK and being the friendly voice on the end of the phone to answer stock, pricing or order queries. They are ably supported by our customer service and warehouse teams who manage everything from the point of order through quality assurance to delivery. It really is a team effort, with everyone happy and willing to roll up their sleeves and help out when required.

Tributes and The Environment

We’re acutely aware of our impact on the environment and this stems from the very top of our business. We’re always looking for new ways to source and manufacture our products in a more sustainable manner – a focus which has recently seen us switch out more traditional woods for faster growing more viable alternatives. Gavin, our Purchasing Director, is on a mission to calculate the carbon footprint of every product and has challenged himself to reduce these, be it through sourcing closer to home, switching out materials or removing/reducing packaging.

Our commitment to the environment has recently seen us begin the planning process for our own purpose-built HQ in Sussex which will have sustainable, energy efficient and low-carbon technologies at the heart of it. It’s not a fast or simple process and so it could be some time away, but with the land secured it will undoubtedly be a major step to us reducing our carbon footprint whilst providing an improved working environment for our team.

Ultimately, we know that our customers are the most important part of our business, but we understand that without the three core pillars above, we would not have the ability to build the strong, loyal and beneficial relationships that create our shared success.

Find out more about working with us by contacting our Sales Team.

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