Apr 03, 2020
With more than 90% of staff currently working from home, ASDhas taken measures to greatly expand our company’s remote capabilities in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. In previous years, ASD took steps to ensure the majority of our workforce could handle calls from their homes in the event of a major weather event. These advanced preparations allowed us to transition seamlessly to a remote office model, ensuring that our funeral home clients received reliable telephone support through the pandemic.
On Friday, March 6, ASD’s owners received word that several people in the local area had tested positive for coronavirus. Upon learning of the COVID-19 spread to our county, ASD immediately began operating with an abundance of caution in an effort to protect the health and well-being of our employees as well as their families.ASD’s owners instructed all employees with a home computer to begin working remotely for the foreseeable future. We also immediately cancelled a funeral home training event we had previously scheduled for Thursday, March 12.
Advanced Call Specialist, Dan Genua, shared this photo of his home computer station.
Click here to see more photos of our staff working remotely.
In the weeks that followed, ASD’s Technical Team worked around the clock to expand our company’s remote capabilities. Previously, we provided home computers to any person who had been employed for 9 months or longer.After learning of the coronavirus outbreak in the local area, ASD began deploying home computers to any employee who had been with our company for 6 months or longer. These efforts quickly brought ASD’s home user count to over 200 employees.
All Call Specialists’ home computer stations are equipped with a 37-inch curved monitor that displays a large amount of funeral home data for real-time use. Supervisors are scheduled around the clock to help clients make any necessary updates to their account and to monitor staff working remotely. By regularly calibrating staff, reviewing client concerns immediately and using ASD’s stealth mode to evaluate calls for quality assurance, ASD’s supervisors ensure our level of service remains consistent.
ASD Training Specialist, Paige Gillespie, handling a call on her home computer station.
Click here to see more photos of our staff working remotely.
As the only funeral home exclusive answering service in the country, ASD has not experienced long hold times, communication disruption or any of the other issues occurring at answering services that work with medical doctors or healthcare organizations that have been overwhelmed with phone calls. While more than 90% of our staff is working remotely, ASD’s physical location has remained opened for new employees and those in training. We anticipates our call volume could possibly increase in the coming days and therefore we will continue to hire and train new employees while following social distancing guidelines.
On March 20, Pennsylvania state Governor, Tom Wolfe, ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses in PA to close their physical locations. However, these restrictions did not apply to ASD due to the crucial role our company plays in death care services. The governor recognized ASD as a critical supplier of the funeral industry and the company was given authorization to continue to provide life-sustaining services for its clients.
From a letter sent to ASD from the Pennsylvania Governor’s Office: “[ASD] plays a critical role in the manufacture and supply of goods and services necessary to sustain life and may continue to operate at the physical location identified in the application.”
ASD keeps a log of the our daily statistics and call volume. When comparing the latest call statistics with data from before the pandemic hit, ASD has found that funeral homes are receiving 6% more phone calls currently. On average, more than 95% of all incoming calls handled by ASD have been answered by the fourth ring. In an effort to help support funeral homes that may be experiencing telephone difficulties, we are offering a free, 30-day trial with a quick, simple set up process. To learn more about ASD’s Free Trial, visit www.myasd.com/free-trial.
In addition, ASD is also offering existing clients a free trial of our collaborative texting tool, MobileFH®Texting through the remainder of 2020. With funeral directors needing to text with families more than ever right now, this solution allows you to send and receive a text message using the funeral home’s main business number. Text messages are stored securely within the ASD Mobile app, making it easier for you and your funeral home team to keep track of their mobile communications with families and other contacts. To learn more about this feature, visit bit.ly/asdtexting.
“With all of the logistical challenges and difficult decisions funeral directors are facing now, one thing they won’t have to worry about through this pandemic are their telephone lines,”says ASD Vice President and Family-Member Owner, Kevin Czachor. “ASD is running strong! We will remain a reliable and dedicated partner to the funeral homes across the country who are counting on our service for telephone support through this crisis.”
Related Reading
How Funeral Service is Adapting to the COVID-19 Outbreak
ASD’s Response to the Coronavirus Outbreak
7 Ways Funeral Homes Are Being Impacted by the Coronavirus
About The Author
Jess Farren (Fowler)
Jess Farren (Fowler) is a Public Relations Specialist and Staff Writer who has been a part of the ASD team since 2003. Jess manages ASD’s company blog and has been published in several funeral trade magazines. She has written articles on a variety of subjects including communication, business planning, technology, marketing and funeral trends. You can contact Jess directly at Jess@myASD.com
