The right software is crucial for effectively managing your cemetery, funeral home, or crematory. But, with so many options available, finding the perfect fit for your needs can take time and effort.
Recently, we’ve been discussing the changing needs within the death care sector and how technology can help meet those needs. This week, we’ll explore the essential features to look for when selecting business management software for your death care business.
1. Cloud-based software, accessible from anywhere, at any time.
A cloud-based software system is essential for all death care businesses, big or small, but why exactly is it so important for your business? A cloud-based system is necessary not only because it’s incredibly versatile and effective but also because it allows on-demand availability from any computer at any time. It will enable you to store your cemetery, funeral home, or crematory data in a highly accessible, incredibly safe, and secure location.
What benefits does cloud-based software have for you as a death care provider?
Flexibility Entirely customizable, the cloud can be accessed by as many or as few people as you like, with subscriptions (and space) adjusted based on changing needs or capacity. You can also configure different access points for other users, so high-level access for workers, mid-level access for grounds staff, maintenance, or suppliers, and light access for visitors. No matter your access needs, cloud-based software can have the configuration.
Security Cloud-based software relies on the provider to manage all the data. From servers, databases, network setup, and more, all you as a customer need to do is open your web browser and log on. This means your data is incredibly safe from the moment you log on, reducing liability and stress. In an emergency, your data is secure online, meaning you can focus on what matters and return to your data when you need it.
Mobility Cloud-based software is accessible from anywhere online. This means users can still access the software and all their data from virtually anywhere, whether from home or on-site, from a mobile. Cloud-based software provides the most versatile support for death care providers who often are off-site, supporting families across different locations.
2. Records management solution
Records are the cornerstone of the death care sector, and your records management system needs to be malleable enough to fit your business perfectly. Managing your records is crucial for the success of your cemetery, funeral home, or crematory business, but what makes a good records management solution?
Your records management should seamlessly integrate with all elements of your business, from your booking system to your mapping. It should have a streamlined process that allows you to create and manage your records while ensuring compliance with your local region’s legislation. Basic reporting functionality should also be included so you can analyze your data.
Some important information you’ll want your records manager to track or integrate with includes:
- Rights of Interment / Burial Rights
- Deceased Persons
- Burial and memorial locations
- Exhumations
- Documents and images
- Relationship manager
- After service care
3. Sales and Booking Management
Sales and booking management are undoubtedly one of the most crucial features of a cemetery, funeral home, or crematory management software. But what features within sales and bookings are most pertinent, and what will make the most significant difference to your time and energy?
Your sales and booking process should be easy to access and straightforward. Entering data should have a streamlined process allowing you to input all information online. Connecting to your inventory, schedule, or mapping, your sales and booking process should showcase your resource availability, whether that be caskets, chapels, staffing, or grounds. It’s also important that your sales and bookings system includes a user-friendly calendar that sends automated reminders straight to your email inbox.
Overall, your sales and booking system should make your day-to-day easier, not harder. It should keep your customer’s data safe while still being easy to access.
4. Digital mapping
Digital mapping is the way of the future for cemeteries or those with ash or memorial gardens. A must-have feature in your death care management software, digital mapping allows you to integrate your GPS-enabled maps into your operational processes. With this, you can access location details directly from your family’s person’s record, making it easy to pass the information along to visitors and staff. Your location information can be easily shared and accessible anywhere on mobile, desktop, or even printed maps. Using this, you can identify significant locations, allowing visitors and staff to view them, to learn interesting facts about them through your maps.
Beyond this, use digital mapping to increase your operation efficiency. From on-screen measurements to allow you to measure distance or area in real-time to adding images of headstones to your records and maps, making them easier to find. Digital mapping will enable you to optimize space to ensure your grounds or gardens are used effectively to provide as many resting and memorial spaces as possible. Digital mapping is essential for every business to help you keep track of your space and simplify your day-to-day.
5. First call, transfer, and mortuary management
Funeral directors are often on call at all hours, needing to travel quickly to attend to families and the deceased with little notice. As a result, it’s crucial for them to be ready at all times.
One way to simplify this process is for funeral homes to have a system that effectively tracks the first call and transfer process. Capturing all important details, tracking transfers, and more, can relieve much of the mental load and pressure on staff. maintained
6. Inventory management
Tracking your inventory is necessary for any business, but in death care, this goes beyond simply managing stock levels. With 79% of funerals organized at need, important decisions must be made quickly and easily. Inventory management will differ for each business; for cemeteries, it might mean it’s essential that your inventory manager connects to a digital mapping service so that you can have a clear idea of your available plots and their specifications. Comparatively, for crematories and funeral homes, it might mean physical inventory like coffins, caskets, and urns, or it might mean resources available like chapels, cremators, or meeting rooms.
No matter what’s available, it’s essential to have a clear, up-to-date snapshot of your inventory at a glance so you can provide the most precise information for your families.
7. Compliance measures
Regulatory compliance is the key to successful cemetery, funeral home, or crematory management, but finding the solution that makes compliance easy can sometimes be difficult. Compliance requirements for death care management software differ based on the region, state, and sometimes even the town you are in. Finding software that has mandatory fields to ensure necessary data is entered, custom document creation to meet all requirements, and secure data storage located within the cemetery, funeral home, or crematory can make an enormous difference in ensuring compliance is easy to maintain.
These features, alongside a software provider that can help with any customization you might need, will allow you to ensure you’re staying fully compliant with best-practice record-keeping standards.
8. Finance and payment tools
Financial, accounting, and payment capabilities are a necessity for all business management software solutions. Your business management software should be able to handle all the finances of your business through one streamlined service, from sending quotes and invoices to managing your receivables and even generating in-depth financial reports.
Integrated payments are also useful within all business management software solutions. Your business management software should seamlessly integrate with your chosen payment system, providing you with the ability to take card payments both in person and online, manage your reconciliations, and offer easy payment options for families.
9. Marketing automation features
Marketing automation is another essential tool to look for in your death care software that can be easily overlooked. Simple to use and quick to learn, marketing automation tools allow you to connect with your audience through social media or email marketing.
For big businesses, an automation tool can allow you to streamline your digital communications, ensuring your marketing and service are consistent across branches. So much more than just community engagement, marketing automation can create new sales opportunities, build your pipeline, and support your families.
10. Task management and workflows
From big to small, a robust task manager is essential for every facility to keep your day running smoothly. Task managers create efficient processes, allowing staff at every stage of a team to be informed. Managers and supervisors can build custom workflows to suit your business process for the operations team to follow and update, while the office team can check in on progress and update with any changes in requests.
A good task manager allows you to apply resources where needed, optimizing project schedules and ensuring large teams or branches are always where you need them. Take every step with a task manager, keeping you on track.
These are some of the features we think are most important in your cemetery, funeral home, or crematory management software, but it’s not a comprehensive list of all available. Ultimately, you will best know what you and your staff need, and it’s important that when you choose your cemetery, funeral home, or crematory software, you decide what best suits you and your team.
OpusXenta offers byondpro, which offers many of these features and more! The complete business management solution, byondpro, was purpose-built for the death care sector. With byondpro, make your services more consistent and efficient, so you can spend your time where it really matters.
Talk to us today if you or your team want to learn more about byondpro or our other software solutions.