Starting a First Call
The First Call button is always visible in the top-right corner of the FuneralSoft screen. Click this button to commence a first call or new client.
Sample First Call Screen. See below for description of fields.
Caller
This section captures the details of the person calling regarding the deceased.
Next of Kin
If it can be established that the caller is also the Next of Kin, pressing the 'Caller is NOK' button will copy the Caller details to the NOK details (which will then be displayed).
Call Information
Client Number - Can be configured to be:
1) Blank for later manual input
2) Auto-incrementing (a client number will be auto-allocated)
Call Taken By - defaults to the current logged-in staff member
Branch - defaults to the linked branch of the current logged-in staff member
Contact Method - defaults to Telephone
Referral Source - optional record of how caller found your business. This information can be used for internal analysis and reporting later.
Cultural Requirements - If there are specific requirements of a cultural or religious nature, enter them here.
Date - the date of first call. Defaults to today's date
Time - the time of first call. Defaults to time the screen was opened.
Show Age button - displays the fields listing the years-months-days of the deceased. This is usually automatically calculated when a date of birth and a date of death are selected.
Notes - enter any first call related notes here.
Deceased Details
Title - title of the deceased
First Name - first name of the deceased (Mandatory)
Middle Name - enter any other first names of the deceased
Last Name - last name of the deceased (Mandatory)
Known As - If deceased was known by another name or nickname, enter it here
Gender - sex of deceased
Date of Birth - date the deceased was born
Type - disposition type (Interment or Cremation).
Date & Place of Death
Date of Death - date the deceased died
Place of Death Type - Either Hospital, Nursing Home, Residence or Other.
Place of Death - only available for Hospitals and Nursing Homes. Select from list of Contacts.
Death Address - enter address where deceased died. If same address as Caller, click the Copy To button on the right to copy the address details.
Family Representative/Signatory
If known, enter the main representative or signatory here. This is the person responsible for all arrangements and signing all forms. If the same as Caller or NOK, click the appropriate Copy To button on the right
Certificates
Certificate - Select the appropriate certificate for death certification
Doctor - Enter/select the doctor authorizing the above certificate
Arrangement
If an arranger is allocated, select their name from the list. This action will nominate the selected staff member as the primary organiser (Arranger) of this funeral.
If desired, you can create an Arrangement appointment and set a date/time. Click the Appointment button to create this.
Existing Records Match
As the caller name is entered, it is checked against existing records in the FuneralSoft database. This name matching is applied to the Deceased Name, Caller Name, Next of Kin and Family Representative.
If the deceased exists as a Preneed file, this name match will be displayed on the name match list.
By selecting a matching record, you can preview the file to ascertain if it is relevant.
Clicking the Open File button at the bottom will open the selected existing file in FuneralSoft. This will not affect the First Call screen.
If it is ascertained that the file already exists and the first call screen is no longer needed, click Open File and then press Cancel on the First Call screen.
Open Client checkbox
By default, this is ticked which automatically opens the Client file directly ready for further editing.
Print Report checkbox
By default, this is ticked which will generate the default linked First Call Report after the First Call is saved.
Email to Caller (in development)
If the caller has supplied and email address and this is entered, FuneralSoft will auto-generate an email to the Caller after the First Call is saved. This function is designed to provide confirmation and followup to the caller.
Cancel button
Cancels the first call and the creation of a new Client. If this is pressed, no changes at all are saved.
Save button
Triggers the creation of a new Client and associated data.