Feb 10, 2012
There are moments in life when happiness can make time fly by in what feels like an instant. On the other hand, sadness can have the inverse effect on our perception of time—slowing it down to the point where just the sound of a ticking clock can be agonizing. For many, contacting a funeral home is one of the most daunting tasks they will ever experience. The seconds between dialing the phone number and speaking to a funeral professional who can walk them through the process can feel endless .
It may be customary for businesses like insurance companies and medical offices to place callers on hold for long periods of time, but when it comes to funeral homes there is no substitute for first class customer service. ASD understands that your reputation is on the line every time the phone rings. Our Call Specialists never put your callers on hold and always handle one call at a time. This ensures that every person calling your funeral home will receive the attention, care and compassion they deserve. Assisting callers without delay protects your funeral home’s reputation for excellence and lets families know they are a high priority every time they call.
ASD is the only answering service that offers a RingTracker™ feature that lets you know exactly how many times the phone rang before it was answered by a Call Specialist. Directors are informed of the ring the call was answered on at the very beginning of the recorded call and can also view RingTracker™ information securely on myASD.com. Without ASD’s RingTracker, directors would have no way of knowing if their callers were waiting on hold for long periods of time. This feature empowers funeral professionals by providing full disclosure, offering a level of transparency still unmatched by other answering services.
“We switched to ASD in January of 1998. There were times when we called our previous answering service and the phone rang 30 times without an answer. Since we have switched to ASD, our calls have been answered professionally and appropriately,” says Funeral Director William Bauman with Bauman Family of Funeral Homes. “The more we use ASD’s service, the more we like them.”
ASD’s internal graphing program forecasts weeks in advance our scheduling needs. During busier times, management, sales and finance employees jump in to assist callers, providing an extra layer of support. Since ASD doesn’t deal with any business other than funeral homes, we make sure every employee who has call taking abilities is fully trained. This aligns with ASD’s all-hands-on-deck approach of the office working as a collective whole to ensure the highest quality of service for our directors. Our back up staffing solutions, powerful forecasting tools and unmatched tracking features make ASD the solution for funeral professionals dedicated to offering their families the highest level of service available.
“At ASD, our staff will never put your callers on hold to answer another call,” says ASD’s Vice President and Family Member Owner Kevin Czachor. “Only ASD has the depth of staff to make this possible. Your reputation for excellence is never left to chance.”
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
