Your crematory’s permit reference may appear on a release, an internal worksheet and an authorization cover sheet. Typing it three times creates three opportunities for a mismatch. A shared field gives staff one answer to review and several mapped places to use it. The value comes from the mapping and review process.
Choose which information belongs in a custom field
Use an existing case field when the system already has the information. A new field is useful for a firm-specific reference or a detail your own template needs. Give it a label staff will recognize. “Crematory permit reference” explains more than “Other number.” Different facts need different fields even if both happen to be dates or identifiers.
| Information | Mapping choice | Check before use |
|---|---|---|
| Name already held on the case | Use the existing case source | Does the template need the full name or a particular component? |
| Firm-specific crematory permit reference | Named custom text field | Do all intended templates mean the same permit? |
| Date a local document was received | Named custom date field | Is it distinct from the service or signing date? |
| Signature or initials | Use the appropriate signing field | Who is expected to sign? |
| Sensitive case identifier already supported | Use its designated case source | Avoid making an extra free-text copy unnecessarily. |
Map one answer to several documents
Take a fictional value CP-2048. Name the field “Crematory permit reference,” map it to the intended boxes on three demonstration templates, and answer it once for the sample case. Generate each draft and check that CP-2048 appears in the correct place. Confirm that a second fictional case does not inherit the first case’s answer.
FuneralHQ offers custom fields alongside existing autofill sources in the document editor. A consistent field choice lets templates share an answer. Merely drawing three boxes with similar labels does not prove they share the intended source. Inspect the mapping, especially when importing forms with older terminology.
Download the document field-mapping sheet (CSV)
Test blanks, long answers and corrections
- Leave the answer blank and review the draft for a visible gap.
- Try a realistic long value and inspect the exported PDF for clipping.
- Check text and date fields separately.
- Correct the answer on the fictional case and regenerate the unsigned draft.
- Compare every mapped template after the correction.
- Have another administrator explain where the answer came from.
A field correction and an issued document are different records. Do not assume changing a case answer rewrites a document already sent or signed. Use the document version-control workflow to decide whether a replacement, void or further review is needed.
Connect configuration to the rest of the case
FuneralHQ’s documents and e-signatures sit with case management, family communication, payments and QuickBooks sync. That lets a firm evaluate its own packet in the context of the whole case. Customize the supported fields and templates around the work staff do, then test the handoff to the next person.
Keep ownership clear: who can edit a template, who reviews a new field and who approves a replacement packet? Review the role-based access guide alongside the form setup. Ask the team to demonstrate the permissions and field controls your firm needs.
Questions about custom funeral software fields
Do custom fields mean every software change is included?
Custom text and date fields and template mapping are supported configuration tools. A new integration, a different field behavior or a bespoke workflow may need separate scoping. Bring the exact form and desired result so the setup can be agreed clearly.
Can we use our existing forms?
Bring your current forms to FuneralHQ’s setup review. Map existing case information and any firm-specific fields to the document templates, then inspect a generated draft and a completed demonstration packet. The practical test is whether your administrator can produce the intended document with reviewed information.
How do we compare customization between vendors?
Ask each vendor to map the same fictional reference across the same templates. Have your administrator change it and regenerate the unsigned drafts. Record assistance, remaining manual entry and the handling of previously issued documents. Use the acceptance scorecard to keep that comparison concrete.
The FuneralHQ advantage
Documents belong inside the case workflow
FuneralHQ generates, sends, signs, and stores documents on the case, so a completed packet returns to the work it authorizes instead of living in a separate signature account.
The walkthrough separates what ships today from what is in development, then tests FuneralHQ against one of your real workflows.
Challenge us with your workflowAbout the FuneralHQ Editorial Team
This guide was written by the FuneralHQ Editorial Team, the in-house team behind funeral home software used by independent firms to run cases, documents, payments, and QuickBooks sync in one record. Our editorial standards explain how we review product claims, outside sources, automation, updates, and corrections.