How is your entry original and unique?

Communication is essential to the work of funeral directors because there is never a second chance to say goodbye to a loved one. Today, 41 million people in the U.S. speak Spanish as their native language. Eliminating the possibility of a misinterpretation is crucial when a funeral home is working with a Spanish-speaking family. However, using a third-party translation service can cause a multitude of issues as these companies have little experience assisting the bereaved or understanding the particulars involved with arranging a funeral service and final disposition. This led ASD to established the first Spanish Translation Service exclusively for funeral professionals. The company’s experienced bilingual team can provide 24/7 translation services for directors that need to communicate with Spanish-speaking callers. For funeral homes without a bilingual representative on staff, this new service can eliminate communication barriers, allowing the funeral homes to assist more families.

Describe the practicality and sustainability of your product/service.

From providing pricing information to family members, to explaining America’s foreign transport requirements to directors in other countries, ASD’s Spanish Translation Services can help bridge the communication gap so that funeral homes are better able to serve Spanish families. While it is certainly an ideal business strategy for funeral homes to employ someone who is bilingual, it may not be a realistic goal if time and resources are stretched thin. Previously, the only alternative options directors had were to work with an unreliable translation service unfamiliar with the funeral profession or to turn away a family in need. ASD’s Spanish Translation Services give funeral directors a bilingual extension to their business they did not possess before, allowing them to offer the same level of care and compassion to every family. This empowers funeral homes to focus on the family’s needs without having to worry about any miscommunication.

What is the exclusive benefit and value of your product/service?

Hispanics are the country’s largest minority—about 17% of the population—and expected to double to 106 million residents by 2050. According to Pew Research, one-third of Hispanics are not proficient in English. These families will need translation assistance if a death occurs, especially in cases when repatriation to another country must be arranged. Latino funerals are characterized by full service burials, an extended wake period, which can last overnight, and many traditions involving food, song and games. Planning and properly executing such an involved service requires a great deal of communication to meet the family’s expectations. ASD can help directors coordinate these details with Hispanic families to ensure the concerns of both parties are fully understood. This improves the family’s experience and gives directors peace of mind knowing if a Spanish-speaking person calls the funeral home, day or night, ASD will be able to assist with any translation services that are needed.

How does the quality and design of your product/service set your entry apart?

ASD’s Spanish Bilingual Team consists of 35 Call Specialists, Training Specialists, Assistant Supervisors and Supervisors who are scheduled around the clock. This intentional overstaffing ensures Spanish-speaking callers can always communicate their needs to ASD’s funeral home clients. Since ASD began building this team, the company has assisted more than 50,000 Spanish-speaking callers. An increase in the number of funeral homes requesting full translation services prompted ASD to offer this option to be used on an at-need basis. There is no special plan required, as the need for translation services is likely to be sporadic for many funeral homes. Even for funeral homes with a bilingual person on staff, there is no way to predict when the firm will receive a call from a Spanish-speaking family or if that person will be available at that moment. By having a bilingual team available 24/7, ASD can offer funeral directors an immediate solution to this common dilemma.

How is your entry original and unique?

In today’s busy world, it is easy to miss a call and even easier to overlook an email. This is just human nature. However, for funeral professionals such a simple error can have major consequences if it results in a grieving family feeling ignored. Most funeral home websites today have a Contact Us form instructing visitors to leave their information. When a form is submitted, it often is sent to a single, generic email that is not monitored 24/7.  As a result, directors often don’t see them until the following day, if at all, and the family might contact a competitor in the meantime. ASD’s Web Form Watchdog is the only tool that gives funeral homes the ability to protect this open line of communication. With this feature, inquiries submitted through the firm’s Contact Us form automatically generate an alert within ASD’s notification system. This safety net ensures funeral home web queries are answered in a timely manner and are always sent to the designated on-call funeral director.

Describe the practicality and sustainability of your product/service.

Funeral directors have dozens of deadlines to juggle simultaneously. Remaining vigilant of these high-priority tasks requires strong organizational skills and a topnotch support system. The Web Form Watchdog provides an extra layer of reinforcement, ensuring important communications are not overlooked. Previously, funeral home employees had no way to ensure they would be alerted without delay if an urgent need were communicated online. The Web Form Watchdog gives directors added peace of mind, allowing them to provide an enhanced level of customer service to their website visitors without having to sacrifice personal convenience or efficiency. The long-term value of this communication tool is likely to increase along with the number of people using the web to make purchase decisions. With a growing number of families looking online for funeral options, the Web Form Watchdog can help funeral homes achieve a competitive advantage by offering more responsive service.

What is the exclusive benefit and value of your product/service?

There are many scenarios where a person might prefer to submit a web form rather than make a call, but that doesn’t mean their question is unimportant or should go unnoticed. In many cases, these inquiries are related to an urgent matter and should be addressed immediately. The Web Form Watchdog provides the funeral home with assurances they will always be alerted of urgent web queries.  The communication bridge this feature provides will enhance connections between funeral professionals and the people visiting their website. Today, 81% of people conduct research online before making a purchase. This number is predicted to continue rising as more businesses recognize the importance of building a responsive web presence. ASD’s Web Form Watchdog makes this an achievable goal for funeral homes while also helping families in need connect with directors who can help them in less time. Both funeral directors and families benefit from shorter response times and enhanced communication.

How does the quality and design of your product/service set your entry apart?

The Web Form Watchdog can be easily added to any funeral home’s existing website. The set up process requires a simple update to the funeral home’s “Contact Us” web form page. The Web Form Watchdog was built to complement ASD’s extensive array of web and mobile tools that help funeral homes stay better connected to their communities. It is fully compatible with the ASD Mobile app and myASD.com website, allowing directors to easily access their web forms from any device. When a web form is submitted, ASD will follow the designated contact preferences that have been specified by the on-call director. For example, ASD could email, text or send an ASD Mobile push notification with the new Web Form details. The on-call director has the ability to acknowledge the message via email, text, ASD Mobile or via ASD’s website. If no response is received within a predetermined time, ASD will follow up with a phone call to ensure the message is handled in a timely manner.