There’s an old saying: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” However, when it comes to business, honest feedback—especially the tough kind—is invaluable. At ASD, we welcome constructive criticism from funeral directors because it not only helps us improve but also reveals common myths about ASD that we need to address. Misconceptions can shape perceptions, and as a communication company, it’s our responsibility to set the record straight. By debunking these myths, we aim to provide funeral professionals with a clearer understanding of how we operate and the real value we bring to their businesses.
There are approximately 20,000 funeral home businesses in America, each with its own unique needs and challenges. An answering service that tries to offer a one-size-fits-all solution is bound to fall short, as funeral homes operate in vastly different ways depending on their size, location, and service model. That’s why we’ve designed our system with a wide range of customizable options. Simply put, we are not the same answering service to every funeral home.
Some firms rely on us 24/7, while others need support only during nights and weekends. Then there are those who turn to ASD solely as a backup for overflow calls or unexpected staff shortages. We don’t believe there is a “right” or “wrong” way to use our service—only what works best for each funeral home. Our goal is to provide flexible, tailored solutions that align with the specific needs of every firm we serve. However, with so many customizable options, it’s understandable that misconceptions can arise. Funeral directors may assume that ASD follows a uniform approach for all clients and sometimes, will share their opinions online with their colleagues.
Recently, we spent some time reading real posts by funeral directors explaining why they don’t like our answering service. This exercise was very illuminating for us as it helped us to identify the most common myths about ASD funeral directors have. Below, we list some real quotes from our most negative reviews and explain the reality behind these misconceptions. By addressing these concerns head-on, we hope to provide clarity on how our service truly operates and correct any misunderstandings that may be shaping perceptions of ASD.
“ASD asks callers too many questions. When I listen to the calls, it sounds like a court deposition.”
One of the most common myths about ASD is that we overwhelm callers with too many questions when we should simply take a message. There’s a lot to unpack here because the questions ASD asks when handling a first call are entirely determined by the funeral home during account setup. Often, funeral homes initially choose a detailed list of questions, believing that gathering more information upfront is beneficial. However, months or even years may pass before a director realizes they would prefer to collect this information themselves—yet they never inform us of the change. If there’s one thing we can’t stress enough, it’s that we want our clients to tell us when something isn’t working for them. Adjusting the number of questions we ask is a quick and easy update that we can make 24/7. There’s no need to endure months or years of frustration when a single request can resolve the issue instantly.
It’s also important to note that any changes to a funeral home’s account must be verified by the account owner. In some cases, an on-call staff member may become frustrated with the number of questions we ask, unaware that these were selected by their employer. Rather than bringing up the issue internally, they may assume ASD is responsible for the extra questions and become resentful, believing we are unwilling to make adjustments. These misconceptions can take root, shaping a funeral director’s opinion of ASD for years—even after they move on to a different funeral home. The last thing we want is for a director to have a negative impression of our service due to a simple misunderstanding that could have been easily resolved.
“One thing ASD does that drives me crazy is calling me at 3am with trivial messages.”
This one hurts a little, because ASD is so committed to helping funeral directors gain a better work/life balance and the last thing we want to do is interrupt your rest. Here’s the thing, that Call Specialists who works overnight, they don’t want to have to dial out to someone at 3:35 a.m. to tell them someone needs a copy death certificate. However, if the funeral home’s account is set up to reach the on-call director with death certificate questions, and no one has switched the account to one of our more restrictive on-call options, we must follow the instructions on the account.
Ensuring that this does not happen is super simple. You can customize which calls are dispatched and which are saved for you to retrieve at your convenience by updating your on-call using our mobile app or website (you can also call in 24/7). Our customer service team is also always available if you want to make updates to your contacting criteria which allows you to specify for every type of a message whether the call should be dispatched or not. We have over 60 different message types specific to the funeral profession, so the level of customization is truly incomparable to any other service. However, again we stress that only the funeral home’s account owner can update the contacting criteria, which may cause frustration for lower-level staff. This is simply out of our control as we want funeral home owners to be able to designate their own preferences, and we cannot deviate from them.
“They charge by the minute. Our average death call is 3-5 minutes, so we knew using ASD was going to be expensive.”
Many funeral directors are pleasantly surprised to find that ASD is far more affordable than they initially expected. That’s exactly why we offer a 30-day free trial—it gives funeral homes the chance to experience our service firsthand while allowing us to assess their usage and recommend the most cost-effective call plan. Contrary to the statement above, ASD does not charge by the minute—we charge per call. However, if a call exceeds three minutes, it is billed as two calls.
Our billing is primarily based on a funeral home’s call volume and how frequently their lines are forwarded to us. Since estimating call volume in advance can be tricky, our trial period ensures funeral directors have time to gauge their actual usage before committing to a plan. Additionally, our call plans are flexible and can be adjusted as call volume fluctuates. We also offer advanced technology solutions designed to help funeral homes significantly reduce their call volume and, in turn, lower costs. There’s absolutely no risk in trying ASD—our free trial allows you to see for yourself whether our service fits within your budget.
“XYZ answering service is about 25-35% the cost of ASD. Both have an app (NEED the app). Should I make the switch?”
Another common assumption funeral directors often make is that all answering services are created equal. We can just about guarantee if you switch from ASD to another company, you will absolutely notice a drop in level of service. This has been confirmed by the high percentage of funeral homes that have gone off service to try out another company, only to come back to ASD after a short length of time. We may not be the cheapest option, but we consistently hear from clients that they save money with ASD due to their calls never being lost and the amount of time saved with our life-changing features.
Just because an answering service has ‘funeral’ in its name does not mean it is funeral specific. The reality is, many large, generic answering services have funeral home divisions that market to the deathcare profession but in actuality their operators are handling calls for doctors and tow truck drivers in between answering first calls. The lack of specialization will absolutely impact the quality of the service. Similarly, a company may offer a mobile app, but is it an app their company designed or a third-party software that was not created for funeral homes and offers limited functionality? We are very proud to be the only answering service to have created our own mobile app specifically for the funeral profession. ASD Mobile is also the only app that has been recognized with multiple awards from the National Funeral Directors’ Association.
“ASD will not own up to their errors and mistakes. They have a pompous attitude and I would never use again.”
Sometimes, a simple misunderstanding can lead to a negative impression that never fades. We have no idea what could have caused this funeral director to view ASD as being unwilling to address client concerns, but it pains us to know even one person has this opinion about our company. We strongly value client feedback and have a dedicated customer service team that works hard to ensure every funeral director that uses ASD has a positive experience. One of things we really pride ourselves on is our ability to fulfill the specific requests of our clients and to troubleshoot any issues they might be having. We also encourage clients to report any mistakes or concerns they have and have developed a convenient CareTracker™ feature that allows funeral directors to easily submit feedback on any call. We are always working to improve our processes, and it’s possible that someone who used us many years ago may have requested a solution we did not provide at the time. Even if we can’t fulfil a request, we will always listen to your needs. If it’s been a few years since you last tried ASD, we would love to offer you another free trial so we can demonstrate how our answering service has evolved since you were last on service.
“We’ve never used an answering service. When families call, they want to talk to us, not to someone they don’t know. Also, it’s an unneeded expense in my opinion. We just switch the phones to our homes or cells.”
It’s kind of surprising to us how many funeral directors out there are super critical of answering services and the funeral homes that use them. While we respect different business philosophies, it’s hard to understand why anyone wouldn’t want a better work-life balance for themselves and their team. We often share this analogy when speaking with a funeral director who has never used an answering service: Think of the evolution of fishing. For centuries, fishermen used woven nets that required constant maintenance. Then, in the mid-20th century, nylon fishing nets revolutionized the industry, allowing fishermen to catch more fish with far less effort.
Why not apply the same logic to your funeral home’s communication strategy? A reliable answering service strengthens your safety net, ensuring every call is answered while freeing you from handling non-urgent matters at all hours. It’s about working smarter, not harder—so you can focus on serving families when it matters most. While it is commendable to want to try to answer every call from a family yourself, consider how much of your valuable time is wasted fielding non-urgent matters. Before dismissing an answering service as an unneeded expense, you should consider how much your time is worth.
“We’re in Alabama and ASD didn’t work for us. Our callers couldn’t understand the operators and the operators couldn’t understand the callers.”
This critique of our answering service from southern funeral directors used to be one we couldn’t answer. For years, ASD worked on ways to better support our southern clients who wanted a more local sounding answering service to represent their firm. We are proud to now have more than 100 Call Specialists employed in southern states, including SC, NC, GA, TN, and, yes, AL! When ASD answers a call from a funeral home in the southern-accented portion of the United States, the call is automatically routed to a Call Specialist on ASD’s southern team. This is been a game changer for southern funeral home that previously were limited to generic answering services in their local area that could not offer the same expertise and tailored solutions ASD.
“ASD drives me crazy asking callers to repeat and spell everything 5 times.”
This is a common misconception we encounter—many funeral directors assume ASD has a rigid approach to gathering information. Spelling is a perfect example. While some funeral homes prefer ASD to confirm the spelling of every name for accuracy, others would rather handle these details themselves. We fully customize our process to match each firm’s needs.
For funeral homes that use ASD’s data to pre-fill death certificates, precision is critical, making repeated verification necessary. Others prioritize direct communication with families and prefer to gather details firsthand. Both approaches are valid, and ASD never imposes a one-size-fits-all standard. Misunderstandings often occur when a director who previously worked at a different firm assumes ASD applies the same methods universally. In reality, we tailor our services to fit each funeral home’s unique workflow.
Final Thoughts
Listening to our worst critics helps ASD improve by highlighting areas where we can enhance our service for the funeral homes we support. Their honest feedback pushes us to refine our technology, strengthen our training, and provide more compassionate, efficient communication solutions. By embracing criticism as an opportunity for growth, we ensure that our answering service continually evolves to meet the highest standards of professionalism and care.
Related Reading
8 Common Misconceptions Funeral Directors Have About Answering Services
8 Insights We Learned Helping Funeral Homes Build Communication Strategies
10 Perfect Examples of ASD’s Custom Funeral Home Solutions in Action
