THE WHO, WHAT, and WHY of

COMPUTERIZING YOUR FUNERAL HOME
Many computer companies are advertising their computers as a great gift for the family. There are many reasons to consider the PC as a gift, kids in school can certainly use one, especially the college bound student and we hear something about the Internet almost daily in the news or elsewhere. But what does the computer do for you in the funeral service business!

There are three words which should go into every decision we make; WHO, WHAT and WHY.

First, WHAT is the reason to computerize your funeral home.
There are many reasons, but in the final analysis everything the computer system can do will make you and your funeral home more efficient, that is, save you time, and become more cost effective. I often hear funeral directors say that time is not a big problem, that it doesn’t take long to complete the paperwork and they are satisfied with the way they have always completed the funeral service “forms.” But does the funeral director see all the required paperwork; death certificate, Social Security and VA forms, local county paperwork, obituary, funeral contract, invoicing and collection letters. The list goes on and on. Yes, the funeral director sees all these forms and letters, but as individual tasks. Rarely does he consider the total amount of time involved in doing the entire process from the first call or preneed to the letters to the family later in the year. When you add it all up the funeral service process is close to 3 hours of tedious work and each individual part is equally as important. None of the individual steps can be overlooked nor can the accuracy of any item be compromised.

WHY computerize your funeral home.
It is to gain that competitive edge so you can have the time to spend with the families and to become as cost effective as possible to help minimize the financial burden placed on the family and enable your business to prosper as a valuable resource in the community. There are many ways a computer and the funeral service software can accomplish this goal.

Your time is valuable and a well organized and effective computer system will enable you to turn today’s three hours of paperwork and follow up for each case into a 20 minute task. The computer can save time by eliminating all the redundant typing, there is no need to type information twice, the funeral service software will automatically take information the first time it is entered and transfer it anywhere else it is needed and the ability to use simple point and click commands with the computer mouse from “look up tables” in the software to complete the repetitive information in forms such as doctors name. This is both faster and more accurate than typing the information over again each time.

Simplify your printing by doing it yourself. All the information is in the computer software and today’s laser printers give you the ability to create your own print shop quality memorial folders and prayer cards. You will be able to control the print quantities so there are never costly excess printing or embarrassing shortages and the inevitable delays or misunderstandings with the printing company.

Funeral service software comes with many reporting capabilities to help you better manage your business and control excessive costs, from basic account aging reports to detailed statements on sales, costs, inventory. These reports can be as detailed as you require; by individual chapel or by funeral director and covering the time periods you request, this week, this month, year to date, month to date, etc. These reports are the key to effectively managing your business and your choice of software should include the ability to create the reports that are important to the way you manage your business.

These are simply a few of the ways a funeral service software system can make your business more effective. Talk to the funeral directors who are using computers to see the innovative ways they are using computer software in their funeral home. Our FDMS 2000 Computer Software for Funeral Service, the most widely used funeral software for windows, is updated at least once a year and the changes we incorporate come from the funeral directors using our software.

WHO are you going to work with in purchasing your computer system.
When you make the decision to computerize, the computer system will become a very important part of your business therefore the choice of vendors is important. There are many choices for PC hardware and you will want to stick to the trusted names in the PC industry to insure the quality of your computer and for possible upgrading the system in the future. Personal Computers are basically trouble free today, but you should consider the potential for maintenance, response time, quality of workmanship, in your purchase decision. Always consult you software providers prior to purchasing a computer, to determine how to configure your PC system to run the required software and the storage requirements. Your funeral service software provider should be one who is knowledgeable of the funeral home business and has extensive experience in developing and supporting the software products they sell.

The addition of a well managed computer system will give you, the funeral director, the time to make your funeral home the compassionate and comfortable place for your families and enable your business to grow and prosper in the community.

This is a quick overview of what computerizing your funeral home can do, but think about WHO, WHAT and WHY your are doing it and you will have a successful installation of a tool to help you in your business!