Execution > Excuses: Why AI Is Not Your Savior And Your Team Still Matters More
By Dr. Ryan Reyes, President of Dignity Solutions
Everyone is obsessed with artificial intelligence. New tools drop every week i.e. ChatGPT, Grok, Perplexity, Venice, etc… Platforms promise more automation, more data, more reach. And while the tech is impressive, I am going to say the thing most consultants will not:
AI will never replace competent people who know how to execute.
In our industry execution will always beat theory. Always.
The Tool Is Only as Good as the Hands That Hold It
AI does not build trust. It does not walk into a family arrangement and hold space for someone who is breaking down. It can’t pivot when your top preneed counselor quits, your CRM crashes, or a vendor cuts support. What it can do is help you organize chaos, speed up data entry, and get out of your own way. Only if you already know what direction you are going. You cannot rely on it to solve your people problems. You can’t expect it to drive culture, strategy, or accountability. You need real leadership for that. AI is only as good as the person using it with intention and purpose. Most businesses are not failing because of bad technology. They are failing because no one on the team knows how to deliver under pressure, adapt in real time, or execute without excuses.
The Grief Map Is Messy. So Is Growth.
Let’s pivot to something I know better than most; grief psychology. I hold a doctorate in organizational psychology, and I have spent years mapping the intersection between Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, sales cycles, and grief recovery. Here is what most owners miss… When a death occurs, families do not just grieve the person. They grieve stability. They grieve structure. They take the impact of that death and apply to themselves and their situations. They fall backward down Maslow’s pyramid, into a space where survival comes first. Food. Safety. Basic needs. If your team can’t meet them there, you lose the relationship. The worst part, the non existence reassurance. Think of this: a family walks in, no preneed, no discussion, so basically a Tuesday. Everything gets mapped out after a 5 hour conference. They go hope, service happens… 3 am hits the night after the burial.. “Did I do the right thing? Did I do what they wanted.”
AI can’t fix that. A phone call to check in can though.
We use AI to track aftercare engagement, identify emotional drop-off points, and catch missed opportunities, but the breakthrough is not in the data. It’s in the way we help staff understand that families are not transactions. They are people in crisis. That kind of empathy cannot be programmed.
Innovation Means Nothing Without Execution
At Dignity Solutions, we do not chase trends. We do not sell snake oil. We do not slap logos on tech stacks and call it innovation. We roll up our sleeves, study your operation, and build systems that work. If we use AI, it is to increase efficiency (or to double check my spelling). If we run analytics, it is to optimize action. Not to create pretty dashboards that no one uses.
We manage schedules. We plan budgets. We develop timelines. We create campaigns. We teach people how to follow up, how to overcome objections, and how to build relationships that matter.
We do the real work. The kind that AI cannot touch.
The Bottom Line
AI is a tool. We are the craftsmen.
Execution beats excuses every time.
You can buy new software. You can read articles about the next trend. You can automate every task possible. NONE of that matters if your team cannot follow through. You need operators. You need communicators. You need leaders. You need execution.