A good evaluation is boring on purpose. You ask every vendor the same questions, in the same order, and you score the answers against how your firm actually works. This checklist gives you those questions. Print it, bring it to each demo, and make every vendor earn the same yes.
Case workflow
- Can one case run from first call to closed without leaving the system?
- Does the first call flow into the case, or is it re-entered at arrangement?
- Where do tasks live, and what happens when the assigned person is off?
- Is there a full, dated activity history on each case?
- Can different staff see the same current status of a case?
Documents and signatures
- Are packets built from the case, with details pre-filled?
- Can a family member sign remotely from a phone?
- Is there a per-signature fee, ever?
- Do signed documents return to the case automatically?
- Does the audit trail capture who signed, when, and which version?
Payments and accounting
- Do payments attach to the case or only a separate dashboard?
- Are card and ACH both supported, and what are the fees?
- Can I take a deposit now and the balance later?
- Do invoices and payments sync to QuickBooks as line items?
- Does it work with QuickBooks Online, Desktop, or both?
- Can I keep my existing chart of accounts?
Preneed and multi-location
- Can I track preneed contracts and funding?
- Does a preneed record convert to at-need without re-entry?
- Can I report across multiple locations on one dashboard?
- Can I limit staff to their own location’s cases?
Security, pricing, and exit
- Is access controlled by role?
- Is data encrypted, and how often is it backed up?
- Is pricing per company, per user, or per case?
- What is the all-in monthly cost, and what is billed separately?
- Is onboarding and migration included?
- How long until I run a live case?
- Can I export all my data, including documents, on demand?
- What happens to my data if I cancel?
How FuneralHQ answers the checklist
We are happy to be scored on every line above on a real case: one record from first call to close, unlimited e-signatures with no per-signature fee, payments on the case, QuickBooks Online and Desktop sync, preneed to at-need conversion, role-based access, per-company pricing, included onboarding and migration, and data export on demand. Bring the checklist to the demo.