The problem
An order of service has to be right: the name as the family used it, the dates, the hymns, the photograph. Proofs go back and forth by email between relatives, and comments arrive from three people in three different ways. At 8 funerals a month, merging and checking those comments takes about 40 minutes each, and an occasional reprint costs time and money when there is none to spare.
What the AI does
Ziflow is online proofing software. Its free plan includes unlimited proofs and unlimited reviewers, collaborative commenting, version comparison and public proof links, for 2 users. You upload the proof and send one link to the family member making the arrangements, who can share it with relatives. Each change is marked on the exact spot, you compare the new version with the last, and the order of service is printed only from the approved version.
A worked example
A funeral director in Lincolnshire produces orders of service for about 8 funerals a month. Two arrangers use Ziflow's free plan to send proofs, and families approve them online.
Before
8 funerals at about 40 minutes each of collecting and merging comments; a reprint about every 2 months at about $80£60€71A$115C$113
After
8 funerals at about 15 minutes each, with every change marked on the proof; reprints rare
What it's worth
About $150£113€134A$217C$212 a month saved: 200 minutes, about 3.3 hours, at an assumed $33£25€30A$48C$47 an hour ($110£83€99A$159C$156), plus about $40£30€36A$58C$56 a month from avoiding a $80£60€71A$115C$113 reprint every 2 months. Ziflow's free plan covers 2 users with unlimited proofs and reviewers, so it costs nothing.
How to set it up
- Sign up for Ziflow's free plan for the two arrangers who prepare orders of service.
- Agree with the family who will approve the final version, even if others comment.
- Upload the proof and send one link with a short, gentle note on how to mark changes.
- Compare versions before re-sending, so the family only has to check what changed.
- Save a copy of the approved proof with the funeral record, as the free plan keeps review history for 60 days.
What goes wrong
- Some families will find this hard or impersonal. Offer to go through the proof in person or by phone instead.
- Several relatives commenting can bring disagreements into the open. The person you agreed with gives the final approval.
- A family's approval doesn't replace your own check of names, dates and spellings.
- The free plan has 2GB of storage and 60 days of history; save approved proofs elsewhere.