Experienced directors carry the arrangement in their heads, but a firm should not run on heads. A written checklist turns a good director’s instinct into a repeatable process every staff member can follow, so the third case of a hard week gets the same care as the first.
First call
- Caller name, relationship, and call-back number.
- Decedent name, place and time of death, current location.
- Whether a coroner or hospice is involved.
- Immediate next step and the arrangement meeting time.
Intake and vital statistics
- Full legal name, dates, and vital statistics for the certificate.
- Next of kin, authorizing agent, and responsible party.
- Any prearrangement or preneed contract on file.
Arrangement conference
- Disposition type and service selections, and for a cremation, a pickup date for the cremated remains.
- Merchandise selections (casket, urn, keepsakes).
- The statement of goods and services, itemized.
- Clergy, cemetery, and any third-party coordination, including VA burial benefits and military honors for a veteran.
Documents, services, payment, and close
| Stage | Checklist |
|---|---|
| Documents | Build the packet, get authorizations signed, file signed copies on the case |
| Services | Confirm schedule, assign staff, coordinate vehicles and venue |
| Payment | Take a deposit, set up a plan if needed, track the balance |
| Close | Confirm disposition, complete recordkeeping, close with full history |
What to ask software vendors
- Can the first call flow into the case so intake is not re-typed?
- Are arrangement selections and the statement built in one place?
- Do signed documents and payments attach to the same case?
- Can staff see which checklist steps are complete at a glance?
How FuneralHQ handles this
FuneralHQ runs the whole arrangement on one case record: the first call opens the case, the conference builds the statement, the document packet gets signed, the payment posts, and the history stays intact through close. Every stage of this checklist lives in one place. That is the idea behind a complete funeral home software system.
Related resources
See the case management workflow guide and the first call intake checklist.
The FuneralHQ advantage
One current case record beats another handoff
FuneralHQ is built around the case itself, so first call, arrangements, tasks, documents, balances, and accounting move together instead of becoming separate versions of the truth.
We will work through a real example with you, from the first details to the finished record.
See it on one of your casesAbout 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.