Sep 13, 2022
In 1972, ASD Founders Marty and Barbara Czachor sought to establish a small answering service business to support their growing family. Never could they have imagined their company would become the leading answering service for funeral homes a half-century later, working with more than 9,000 funeral homes across the United States and Canada. The story of ASD’s growth and evolution over the past five decades is one of passion, innovation, and leadership. From the beginning, our goal has been to improve the world by improving communication and to help those who are dedicated to helping others.
Below, we trace our company’s roots back to our founding and provide of a timeline of our company’s most pivotal moments. In this post, we outline our history from 2015 until early 2018. Looking back on this era, we feel a great deal of pride in how much we were able to achieve in such a short time frame. From introducing our Deep Archive and Web Form Watch Dog™ solutions to receiving the NFDA Innovation Award on two different occasions, these eventful years were filled with so many big company milestones.
Please note: this blog is part of a series that will trace ASD’s 50-year history though our company’s most significant milestones:
Click here to read Part I which records our history from 1972-1999.
Click here to read Part II which records our history from 1999-2010.
Click here to read Part III which records our history from 2010-2014.
1.
In 2015, ASD establishes the Client Solutions Team to provide an enhanced level of customer service. While supervisors are available 24/7, the creation of the Client Solutions Team allows ASD to provide every funeral home client with a dedicated account rep. Expanded customer service capabilities empower ASD to offer more guidance and assistance to our clients at every level.
2.
ASD’s MobileFH® is recognized with the 2015 NFDA Innovation Award at the annual convention in Indianapolis. This makes ASD the first and only company to ever receive this prestigious award more than once.
During the same event, ASD debuts a brand-new interactive booth featuring a large display screen for holding ASD Mobile live demos. Our company is also surprised and honored to receive the “Best of the Best” award by the NFDA in recognition of our new tradeshow booth design.
3.
In 2016, ASD introduces a new Deep Archive Message Search solution. This tool automatically saves ASD messages and call recordings for clients for up to 10 years while allowing them to easily search through their message history.
4.
One of the most tragic situations we encounter at ASD is when a caller states they are considering taking their own life. In 2016, ASD introduces our company’s Suicide Telephone Operator Patch (S.T.O.P) System which connects our Call Specialists to experienced suicide hotline operators. This system allows us to seamlessly transfer calls from people who are in crisis to a suicide hotline without ever putting the caller on hold.
5.
In 2017, the United Stated Patent Office issues ASD an official patent for our company’s MobileFH® feature. The patent protects the propriety technology utilized by ASD’s in-house programming team in the development of this Caller ID solution.
MobileFH® is protected by Patent No. 20170149963
6.
ASD begins to actively seek out new ways to engage with our staff and enrich our company culture. This leads to the establishment of our company’s Team ASD events, which includes athletic competitions, charity walks/runs, volunteer events, picnics and other engaging group activities.
A look back on some of our past Team ASD events.
In 2017, we also begin recognizing our longest tenured staff with milestone awards when they celebrate a big anniversary with our company.
7.
After a decade of actively building up our bilingual staff, ASD grows our company’s Spanish-speaking team to over 35 employees by 2017.
8.
ASD’s Suicide Telephone Operator Patch (S.T.O.P) System feature is recognized with the 2017 NFDA Innovation Award at the annual convention in Boston.
9.
In early 2018, ASD introduces a Web Form WatchDog™ feature. This feature monitors web forms submitted on funeral home websites and alerts the on-call director when an urgent need is communicated.
10.
Around the same time, ASD begins promoting our bilingual capabilities and offering funeral directors Spanish Translation Services. This allows funeral homes with no Spanish-Speaking staff to utilize our Bilingual Call Specialists as translators for their firm.
Be sure to visit our blog throughout the year to read more chapters from our past.
Thank you for reading about ASD’s history and evolution through the years. Please visit our blog next month to read about 10 more pivotal moments from our company’s history.
Related Reading
ASD Turns 50: Part I of our Company’s Story
ASD Turns 50: Part II of our Company’s Story
ASD Turns 50: Part III of our Company’s Story
How the Czachor Family Grew ASD Into the Company It Is Today
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
