The problem
After the arrangement meeting, families often have to come back in to sign the estimate or drop off photographs, and ring to check details. For a grieving family, every extra trip is hard, and for the funeral home each one takes staff time. If each funeral needs one extra visit of 45 minutes and 3 calls of 10 minutes, that's over 2 hours a funeral.
What the AI does
Funeral iQ+ gives each family a private, branded portal with an access code. Its site says families can review service details, view and eSign their estimate, upload photos and ID documents, pay invoices online through Stripe and follow progress, and that everything they share comes back into the case. Your arranger still talks to the family; the portal handles the paperwork in between.
A worked example
A funeral director in Somerset with 2 branches arranges about 8 funerals a month, many for families who live some distance away. It offers the portal to every family, and keeps meetings and phone calls for anyone who prefers them.
Before
8 funerals at about 75 minutes each of extra visits and update calls: 600 minutes, 10 hours
After
8 funerals at about 20 minutes each, with the estimate signed and photos shared through the portal: 160 minutes
What it's worth
About $243£183€218A$351C$344 a month in time saved: 440 minutes, about 7.3 hours, at an assumed $33£25€30A$48C$47 an hour. Funeral iQ+ is $9£7€8A$13C$13 per funeral, about $74£56€67A$108C$105 a month for 8 funerals, and the portal is included in that price. Card fees on online payments are passed through at cost.
How to set it up
- At the arrangement meeting, ask the family whether they'd like to use the portal, and who should have access.
- Send the access code to the family member making the arrangements, and explain what they'll find there.
- Send the estimate for eSignature through the portal and check it has been signed before confirming bookings that commit the family to costs.
- Use the photo uploads for the order of service and check each one with the family before printing.
- Keep a named arranger as the family's contact, and phone if anything in the portal raises a question.
What goes wrong
- Not every family wants to do this online. Always offer a meeting or a phone call instead, without making anyone feel they've chosen the lesser option.
- Disagreement within families is common. Agree at the start who gives instructions and signs, and give portal access accordingly.
- Card fees on a large funeral invoice can be significant; tell families about bank transfer too.
- ID documents and family details are personal data. Check how long they're kept and delete what you no longer need.