The staff at Yates Funeral Home & Cremation Services knew they could've been doing more with Passare, so they turned to the Adoption Plan with training specific to their needs.

Thomas Conway, Jr.

Funeral Director

Yates Funeral Home & Cremation Services

Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie, FL

Call Volume: 650 Calls/Year

Thomas Conway, Jr. and the staff at Yates Funeral Home & Cremation Services had been using Passare for about two years, but they knew they could've been doing more with the platform. After completing an Adoption Plan with the Passare team that included extra training sessions specific to their needs, the staff feels more confident with using features such as Decedent Tracking and the platform as a whole!

Were you using a case management system before Passare? If so, what made you want to switch?

Before Passare, we were with another funeral home software company for about 2-3 years, and I never liked it. I use a Mac, and I had to install Windows on my Mac to be able to access the program. The other problem with the previous software is that it was install-based, so I couldn’t access information on the fly or from any computer nearby. The biggest thing I was looking for was a more accessible platform, not just for my Mac, but for employees who work and travel to multiple locations and need access to case files from anywhere.

How does Passare help you manage multiple locations?

We have three locations for Yates, but we also have two locations for our other business, Affordable Choice Cremation. On Passare, we can choose to look up information, work on cases, and more from Passare’s dashboard, which is nice. We love that Passare is paperless. All our case information from either company can be accessed conveniently from any location and easily from our iPads or laptops.

Can you think of a time when Passare’s cloud-based access came through in a pinch?

Recently, I had a gentleman that called my cell phone while I was driving home, and he wanted me to edit the last sentence of his daughter's obituary. So, I pulled over, logged into Passare, edited the last sentence that he wanted, and then synced that edit to our website — all within five minutes. In the past, I would’ve had to head back to the funeral home or wait until I got home, but I was able to help that family from the side of the road.

Yates Funeral Home & Cremation Services took part in a Passare Adoption Plan. What was the process like for you?

Someone on the Passare team reached out to use directly, described what it was, and explained the potential outcome. Then, we jumped all over it. They offered the training plan and on-site visit, but we decided to go with the training only.

I wanted the Adoption Plan because I just didn't have the time to explore all the intricacies of Passare. With someone else leading the training and showing me what to do, I was able to implement the lessons at the funeral home. Kelsey and I met via Zoom every Monday or Tuesday morning to discuss the upcoming Friday training and plan it out. We did that for 8 weeks, and my team really worked hard to implement every lesson.

What was the biggest benefit of the Adoption Plan?

The biggest benefit was learning more about the features. Even though Passare is user friendly, I just didn't have the time to sit and explore everything Passare had to offer. Even though Passare is user friendly, it's an in-depth program and constantly improving. I was impressed that we were able to implement new features in such a short time.

One feature in particular that we implemented was Decedent Tracking and the use of the mobile app. That has really changed the game for us. The app has helped improve our efficiency because our team can see the exact location of the deceased and where they are in the process: from the time they're removed from the place of death, to the hearse, and everywhere in between. Our staff has the app on their phones, and everyone has been trained to track the different processes. We also like the note section within there because we can inform our team about any details that took place at a removal, like if the deceased had a ring with them, and have that information immediately available for funeral arrangements. 

That sounds helpful! Is the Adoption Plan something you recommend to other funeral homes?

Yes, absolutely. I think the Adoption Plan is essential. We learned a lot, but we're still not even utilizing everything we could on the platform. I keep in contact with Kelsey at Passare, and she is going to train us on the Planning Center and eSignatures next. We're making sure we're solid in the different areas before learning more, but the process has been great. We would definitely recommend the Adoption Plan to other funeral homes.

Want to see what Passare can do for your funeral home?