One case record
Family and decedent details, services, merchandise, documents, tasks, and balances should all live in a single record. When systems are split, staff re-key the same details and small errors creep in.
Funeral home software buyer's guide
Choosing a system for your firm is a long-term decision. This guide lays out the criteria that matter, how to test a product on a real case, and the questions worth asking any vendor before you sign.
What this guide covers
- The six criteria worth judging any product on
- How to run a trial on a real case, not a canned tour
- Ten questions to put to every vendor you shortlist
- What to confirm about migration, export, and pricing
Written to be used against FuneralHQ as well as against everyone else. Where a criterion counts against us, it says so.
Build a shortlist and compare the actual quotes
Free tools for choosing funeral software. No email required.
Start with the best funeral software guide and choose two or three vendors that fit your service mix. Give each the same requirements and proposal template, then record the demonstration in the acceptance scorecard.
Use the three-vendor total-cost workbook to compare subscription, modules, usage, migration, training, processing and exit costs. Enter a zero only when the vendor confirms no charge; blank or unknown costs do not produce a complete total. Use the same period and payment assumptions for every vendor.
A complete quote does not prove a product fits. Require the same fictional case, verify saved details and completed signatures, and have your bookkeeper check the accounting result. FuneralHQ publishes these tools; apply the same requirements to us.
What to look for
Most firms run the same core workflow. Use these criteria to judge any product, then weigh the ones that match how your firm actually works.
Documents and e-signatures
Look for built-in document generation and e-signatures. Check whether signatures are unlimited or metered, since per-signature fees add up quickly across a year of cases.
Online payments
Card and ACH, deposits, payment plans, and a visible balance on the case. Confirm how processing fees work and whether families can pay against a balance online.
QuickBooks sync
If you keep books in QuickBooks, confirm the product syncs to your version. Some firms run QuickBooks Online and others run Desktop, so the answer matters.
Preneed and multi-location
If you sell preneed, check that contracts convert to at-need without re-entry. For multiple locations, look for role-based access and reporting that rolls up across the firm.
Migration, security, and pricing
Ask how your existing cases come over, how data is protected and exported, and whether pricing is transparent. Clear, published pricing is a good sign of a straightforward vendor.
How to evaluate a product
A polished demo is a starting point, not a decision. Run the product against your own workflow before you commit.
- 01
Map your current workflow
Write down how a case moves today, from first call to paid invoice. This becomes the script you test every product against.
- 02
Book a working demo
Ask the vendor to walk a sample case end to end using your steps, not a canned tour. Note where the product fits and where it forces a workaround.
- 03
Run a real case in a trial
Use a fictional case or remove all personal details from a recent case. Generate the documents, send a test signature to a test recipient, and use the vendor’s controlled payment test. You learn more in one hands-on case than in any slide deck.
- 04
Test migration and the books
Import a sample of your existing cases and push one invoice to QuickBooks. Confirm the data lands cleanly and matches what you expect.
- 05
Include the people who use it
Have an arranger and a bookkeeper try the product. The system everyone will use daily should be judged by the people who will use it.
Bring evidence to your shortlist
Use the same sample case and checks with every vendor. Keep the results so your arrangers and bookkeeper can compare what actually happened.
Read anonymous customer workflows
Follow observed case entry, document work, board updates, and signature sending. See what was corroborated and what still needs a live acceptance test.
Test one case from first call to closeout
Use the downloadable acceptance-test worksheet to record the result, who checked it, and any workaround for intake, documents, signatures, payments, permissions, and export.
Check the accounting handoff
Have your bookkeeper follow an invoice and payment into QuickBooks Online. Confirm the customer, account mapping, balance, and reconciliation before accepting the workflow.
Prove you can take your records with you
Ask for a sample export before signing. Check which records, documents, identifiers, and balances it includes, along with the timing and any export charges.
Questions to ask any vendor
Bring this list to every demo. The answers tell you as much about the company as the product.
About the product
- Does every case live in one record, or across separate tools?
- Are e-signatures unlimited, or is there a per-signature fee?
- Which QuickBooks version do you sync with, Online or Desktop?
- Do preneed contracts convert to at-need without re-entry?
- Can permissions be set by role and by location?
About the company
- How do my existing cases and contacts get migrated?
- How soon can I run my first live case?
- How is my data secured, and can I export it anytime?
- Is pricing published, and what is included at each tier?
- What does support look like after onboarding?
Common questions
How long should evaluating software take?
Give yourself a few weeks. Most of that time is running real cases through each finalist and getting your arrangers and bookkeeper to weigh in, rather than sitting through demos.
Should I worry about switching costs?
Ask each vendor how migration works and how quickly you can be live. With FuneralHQ, we review your export and field mapping with you. We aim for a first live case in about a week, then confirm the schedule after reviewing your records, forms, and accounting setup. Data export is available anytime.
How does FuneralHQ fit these criteria?
FuneralHQ keeps every case in one record, includes unlimited e-signatures with no per-signature fee, takes card and ACH payments, syncs with QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop, supports preneed and multi-location, and publishes its pricing.
Does cremation volume change what I need?
U.S. cremation is now above 60% of funerals (NFDA), so direct and simpler dispositions are common. Whatever your mix, the FTC Funeral Rule requires accurate itemized pricing, so clear documents and invoicing matter for every case.
See how FuneralHQ measures up
In 20 minutes we walk a sample case from first call to paid invoice, using your workflow, so you can judge it against your own checklist.