Home Expo  New! Members' Choice Award  2018 Finalists

Congratulations to the 2018 Members' Choice Award Finalists!

Formerly known as the Innovation Award, the Members' Choice Award program is designed to recognize companies dedicated to advancing funeral service through new and inventive products and services. The finalists have been selected independently by a distinguished panel of funeral director judges based on the criteria of Originality & Uniqueness, Quality & Design, Practicality & Sustainability, Benefit & Value.

Eligible NFDA members* voted for the most innovative finalist in conjunction with the 2018-19 NFDA Officer Election. 

Voting closed at midnight on August 14. 

The winner will be announced during the Opening General Session at the 2018 NFDA International Convention & Expo.
*Eligible members in good standing as of 7/20/18. Does not include international, retired or student/apprentice members.

ASD - Answering Service for Directors - Booth #2520

ASD Spanish TranslationHow 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.

ASD Web Form WatchdogHow 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.

Director's Buddy - Booth #2350

Director's BuddyHow is your entry original and unique?

DirectorsBuddy.com, launched on October 30th at the 2017 NFDA Convention and Expo in Boston, is an online marketplace similar in functionality to Amazon or other e-commerce sites, but it is unique as it is for members only and they must be funeral homes.  Developed by funeral directors to streamline how products are procured, you are able to order all the products and supplies you need from your suppliers on our marketplace all in one cart with just one login and password.  The marketplace is open to all funeral related manufacturers, distributors and suppliers.  Directorsbuddy.com is able to negotiate pricing on many products due to the volume of purchases within the marketplace, bringing previously unattainable pricing to many funeral homes around the United States.

Describe the practicality and sustainability of your product/service.

Designed by funeral directors, Director’s Buddy, was created out of the need to reduce the amount of time spent researching products and comparing prices and allowing them to spend time with their families.  The savings available to funeral homes are two fold, first by comparing pricing on similar products from multiple vendors via Director’s Buddy and secondly by our ability to negotiate favorable pricing from suppliers.

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

It is said that the most valuable resource any business owner possesses is time.  As previously referenced, Director’s Buddy is designed to save time and reduce the cost on products and supplies purchased ultimately impacting the families our members serve in a positive way.   With shrinking revenues and licensed staff being asked to do more and more, DB allows funeral directors to place orders on their time, even after hours, rather than wait for normal business hours.  One member stated that they can place an order for all their needed products and supplies faster than calling just one supplier. Director’s Buddy was designed to take the hassle out of the purchasing process for busy funeral directors.  Our innovative design allows for fast and easy ordering with the ability to shop, compare pricing, and order from multiple suppliers from prep room supplies to office supplies all in one cart.  Director’s Buddy separates the orders and electronically transmits them to the appropriate supplier.  Members receive email confirmations of all orders.  Members are able to quickly reorder commonly ordered items.  Managers or owners have the option to approve all orders placed by staff before being sent to suppliers; in addition they may also pre-approve items for purchase by staff.  

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

Director’s Buddy was designed to take the hassle out of the purchasing process for busy funeral directors.  Our innovative design allows for fast and easy ordering with the ability to shop, compare pricing, and order from multiple suppliers from prep room supplies to office supplies all in one cart.  Director’s Buddy separates the orders and electronically transmits them to the appropriate supplier.  Members receive email confirmations of all orders.  Members are able to quickly reorder commonly ordered items.  Managers or owners have the option to approve all orders placed by staff before being sent to suppliers; in addition they may also pre-approve items for purchase by staff.  

Final Embrace - Booth #329

Verso TableHow is your entry original and unique?

The VersoTable provides a portable, lightweight surface for graveside, church, and chapel services.  Whether serving as a table for graveside inurnment, or an additional place to display photos, a folded American flag, or other mementos, the VersoTable is a beautiful and easily-deployed alternative to heavier wooden tables.  The base table is made from aluminum and features a patented leg-extension system.  The surface, which measures a full 25" square, is 40% larger than the standard, heavy tables on the market and can accommodate pictures, flowers, urn and more.  The VersoTable's cover and carry bag are a unique, patent-pending design.  The bag, which other tables treat as an afterthought, is integrated into the cover of the VersoTable, meaning the bag is never lost, destroyed, or left on the ground at the cemetery.  The entire VersoTable, including the aluminum table and the clever bag/cover combo weighs just eight pounds.

Describe the practicality and sustainability of your product/service.

The 8-pound weight of the entire VersoTable means that any member of the staff can carry the complete system to the chapel, church, or graveside easily.  Deployment is accomplished in less than a minute by a single user.  The included table, which is rated to hold 60  pounds, has easy-slide extendable legs with a patented design.  The sturdy fabrics we choose are designed for upholstery applications, so they are resistant to wear and tear.

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

Simply stated, the VersoTable is larger than other options, lighter than other tables, and is available in a wider range of attractive fabrics.  

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

All our products are designed by industry veterans.  Having a designer who has actually used these items in the field is priceless.  Our products also undergo rigorous testing by our pilot funeral home testers.  Finally, we have resisted the urge too create products that mimic others in the industry.  We do not take on a new product unless we can find a way to make it better or to solve the underlying problem with a completely new item.

Halcyon Deathcare Management Solutions - Booth #2813

Halcyon PlatinumHow is your entry original and unique?

Halcyon’s Platinum management system combines funeral home and crematory management into one simple, powerful package. The system is the first of its kind to allow death care business owners to handle all types of cases- from At Need, Preneed, Inquiry and Quote to pet cremation/aquamation and trade services- for one or multiple locations. Halcyon Platinum makes adding locations and/or crematories simple, without the need to learn or invest in a separate system. The system engages exciting new technologies that have not been seen before in the funeral service industry, such as QR code body tracking and voice data entry. The system offers a sleek, modern look and feel, replacing traditional complicated data screens with user-friendly options such as customizable Dashboards and a system-wide search tool.

Describe the practicality and sustainability of your product/service.

Halcyon is a practical and sustainable choice for funeral home owners because it has been designed to grow and change as part of an evolving industry. Halcyon takes a flexible hub-and-spoke approach to management, handling every aspect of funeral service and/or crematories with ease and integrating with a growing list of complementary service partners. This enables funeral homes to choose their preferred partners and enables Platinum to quickly adjust with changing technologies. 
The system is intuitive and easy to learn. Dual entry and errors are reduced. Platinum utilizes simplified data input methods such as field control, custom and Quickfill fields, auto-capitalization, and voice entry to save time. Halcyon Platinum features automatic form filling, electronic signatures and custom form creation which increase productivity for Funeral Directors and crematory operators.

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

Halcyon Platinum solves logistical challenges through novel communication and tracking tools. Funeral homes are increasingly challenged by remote family interaction. The family-friendly Arrangement Assistant tool along with remote family collaboration makes the arrangement process easier for both funeral homes and families. Customers are able to begin the arrangement process before families enter the door and can use electronic signatures to facilitate off-site approvals.

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

Halcyon Platinum was designed in direct collaboration with funeral directors as well as crematory operators. Updates and improvements to the web-based system are constantly being made by the responsive team at Halcyon, which are immediately available without upgrade charges or downtime. Halcyon Platinum is designed to be highly customizable, offering control over fields available on data entry screens and custom forms. The system is fully web-based, meaning users will have access to their data anywhere they have access to the internet.  Halcyon Platinum’s trade partner portal and systems integration help to eliminate dual data entry and minimize data errors. The system features top of the line security steps and features so users can have the utmost confidence in their data protection.