Jan 31, 2012
ASD is excited to welcome 10 new Call Specialists to our team of highly trained professionals. Every month, hundreds of applicants apply for positions at ASD, but only a select few make it through our rigorous, 6 month training program. Our employees are carefully selected and must exhibit compassionate communication skills and be qualified to handle some of life’s most difficult situations.
To work at ASD, Call Specialists must possess an understanding of the enormous responsibility entrusted to them. With the reputation of our funeral professional clients on the line, we designed our sophisticated training program to emphasize the importance of empathy and patience. New employees must be able to speak gently and professionally on the phone with the understanding that it may be the worst day of the caller’s life. Additionally, trainees must demonstrate full comprehension of ASD’s proprietary systems, developed exclusively for funeral professionals by our in-house technical team.
Here are some of the required traits that new employees must exhibit within six months to continue working at ASD:
►Excellent listening skills with the ability to assist even the most irrational caller with absolute professionalism.
►Empathetic, patient phone demeanor
►Strong attention to detail with essential English and grammar skills
►Excellent composure with the ability to calmly defuse emotionally unstable callers
►Commitment to excellent attendance and proven reliability
►Exceptional short term memory with an ability to take accurate, thorough messages
►Extensive familiarity of funeral customs, terms and procedures
►Dependable team player attitude with an understanding that calls cannot be put off and must be handled immediately, including weekends, holidays, and days with extreme weather conditions
►Perceptive and conscientious with intuition to recognize a First Call early into a conversation.
“ASD’s training program is intense! I have never worked for a company with such a great training program,” says Advanced Call Specialist Eboni, a recent graduate of ASD’s orientation program. “The trainers, supervisors, and managers all work very closely to ensure you understand every aspect of the system, the clients’ needs, the callers’ needs and the sensitive nature of the funeral home business.”
Our policy of promoting from within has created a team of extremely knowledgable Training Specialists. These veteran employees mentor new Call Specialists before they can take calls independently. Training Specialists monitor and evaluate the performance of new trainees, with Supervisors signing off on every step of the process. Once Call Specialists are able to take calls on their own, ASD’s Managers and Supervisors listen to and critique their calls to ensure trainees are utilizing all the skills learned during orientation. Furthermore, our culture of absolute transparency allows funeral directors to listen to and evaluate every Call Specialist that answers their calls. At ASD, nothing is ever hidden from our clients.
The average ASD employee has been with our company for over six years, demonstrating how ASD has managed to avoid the high turnover plaguing the industry. A comprehensive recruitment process helps to determine whether applicants are truly a good fit for our company and ensures that new Call Specialists are committed to learning every aspect of the job.
“I feel like I have grown as a person from working at ASD,” says Advanced Call Specialist Tiffany. “No matter where my life leads me I’ll always use what I have learned from ASD to help me along the way.”
About The Author
Jess Farren (Fowler)
Jess Farren (Fowler) is a Public Relations Specialist and Staff Writer who has been a part of the ASD team since 2003. Jess manages ASD’s company blog and has been published in several funeral trade magazines. She has written articles on a variety of subjects including communication, business planning, technology, marketing and funeral trends. You can contact Jess directly at Jess@myASD.com
