Three answering modes
Only when staff cannot answer, after hours, or always. After hours follows the coverage hours you set for each number.
Example The default lets your staff phones ring first.
An AI receptionist for funeral homes that files the first call
Your staff phones ring first. When nobody can pick up, the assistant answers in your firm’s name with the greeting you wrote, takes the first call, pages whoever is on call, and leaves a draft first call sheet with the recording and transcript attached.
Who it is for
- Directors who carry the on-call phone every night
- Firms that lose calls during services and arrangements
- Offices retyping an answering service message each morning
- Firms serving Spanish-speaking families by phone
What it replaces
- Voicemail on a call that could not wait
- A personal cell phone as the after-hours line
- A first call relayed by text, then typed in again
- Guessing who was paged and whether they answered
How a call is handled
People first. The assistant takes a call only where your settings say it should, and a director is paged whenever a family needs one.
- 01
Your phones ring first
In the default setting your staff phones ring exactly as they do today. The assistant answers only if no one picks up. You can also have it answer first after hours, or on every call.
- 02
It answers with your greeting
The caller hears the greeting you wrote, word for word, then a notice that the call may be recorded. The assistant asks one question at a time and waits for the answer, in English or Spanish.
- 03
It takes the first call
For a death call it records who is calling and a callback number, the name of the person who died and its spelling, where they are, whether anyone has pronounced, hospice and veteran status, and burial or cremation if the family knows.
- 04
It pages who is on call
Each person on your on-call list is texted and called in turn. They acknowledge by pressing 1, replying OK, or in FuneralHQ. If nobody acknowledges, the office is emailed.
- 05
A person confirms the sheet
The call arrives as a draft first call sheet with the summary, recording, and transcript attached. Staff review it and continue to the case. The assistant never opens a case on its own.
What you control
The assistant works inside limits your firm sets, and inside limits it cannot be talked out of.
How it introduces itself
You write the greeting, and callers hear it exactly as written. Name your firm, name the assistant, or say plainly that it is an automated assistant. The choice is yours.
Example "Thank you for calling [your firm]. You have reached our automated assistant."
House instructions
Add guidance specific to your firm, such as which facilities you serve, what to say about the chapel, and who handles trade calls. You also choose which of your numbers it may answer.
English, Spanish, or both
In the bilingual setting it greets in English, offers Spanish, and switches as soon as a caller speaks it. You choose the voice after playing a sample of each.
An on-call list of up to five
Name up to five people and how long each has to respond before the next is tried. Live transfer goes only to people on this list.
What it will never say
It never states a price, a cause of death, or a medical detail, and it never promises a pickup time. A price question is taken down for a director to return.
Every call on the record
Each call is recorded, transcribed, and summarized. It appears in the family’s inbox thread and on the first call, where staff can play it back.
An optional thank-you text
Switch on a short text after each call, in your words. It goes only to people who have agreed to texts, never overnight, and never to other funeral homes or salespeople.
Common questions
Does the AI answer every call?
Only if you choose that. The default is that your staff phones ring first and the assistant answers when no one picks up. You can switch to after hours only, or to every call, for each location.
How does the assistant introduce itself to callers?
However you decide. You write the greeting, up to 500 characters, and it is spoken exactly as written. You can name the assistant, say that it is an automated assistant, or simply answer in the firm’s name. Recording and AI disclosure rules vary by state, so check yours before you settle the wording.
What happens when a caller asks for a person?
The assistant offers to pass the caller to the funeral director and transfers the call to someone on your on-call list. If nobody can take the transfer, it takes a name and number so a director calls back.
Does it create a case automatically?
No. It drafts a first call sheet marked as an AI-answered call. A person reviews the details, corrects anything misheard, and continues to the case. A call about a death you already have on file does not draft a second sheet.
Can it answer in Spanish?
Yes. You can set the assistant to English, Spanish, or both. The bilingual setting greets in English, offers Spanish, and switches when the caller speaks it.
Does it quote prices to price shoppers?
No. It takes the question and the caller’s number so a director can answer from your General Price List. The FTC Funeral Rule lets a firm take a message and return a price call, but the answer has to be given, so return those calls promptly.
Are calls recorded, and are callers told?
Yes. Every call the assistant takes is recorded and transcribed, and the caller hears a recording notice in the first sentence. Recordings are kept in private storage, and staff play them back from the call inside FuneralHQ.
What if the assistant fails or the line drops?
If the assistant cannot take a call, the call goes to your staff phones or to voicemail, as it would without it.
Can we keep our answering service?
Yes. The assistant can cover only the calls your staff miss while your service keeps the rest. Our team can also set up an intake address, so a first call your answering service emails you arrives in FuneralHQ as a draft first call sheet.
Which FuneralHQ package do we need?
FuneralHQ comes in three packages: Platform, Growth, and Growth Managed. The pricing section on the homepage sets out what each one covers, and we confirm the right fit for your locations and phone lines on a demo.
Hear it take a first call
In 20 minutes we call a test line, let the assistant take a sample first call, and open the draft sheet, recording, and transcript it leaves behind.