Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors

Location: Pampa, TX

Call Volume: 300 Calls/Year

At Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors, Brad Pingel, owner and funeral director, was looking for a system that would simplify processes at their funeral home. After consulting with his staff, including Office Manager Janetta Frazier, they decided to go with Passare and haven’t looked back since!

What’s the biggest difference between Passare and the system you were using before?

Brad: The main thing I like about Passare is having the Planning Center. I have been able to utilize it to reach families who are more spread out. The Planning Center allows us to come together and ensure that everybody’s on the same page.

Janetta: What I like about Passare over other software we’ve used in the past is that everything is encompassed in Passare whereas before we had to have several software programs to do the same thing that Passare does. I probably had four different software programs on my computer to do what Passare does, so it’s nice to be able to be in just one system.

What has been the biggest benefit to Passare so far?

Brad: I like it because it’s web-based. Any of our directors can access information from home or from any of our computers. Also, our accountant, who’s off-site, can log in and get all of our financials. Passare just makes it very easy. Plus, if I get home and realize I’ve forgotten something, I can log in right at home and make whatever changes are needed.

Janetta: Having everything in one spot. I like that a lot. It saves us so much time. We can now scan all of our paperwork and put it in with each case. That’s going to save us from keeping hard copies because we’ll have it right there in the file and there won’t be so much space taken up with filing cabinets or boxes. Also, because all of our billing goes through Passare, I have more time to personalize other things the families might want, like the obituary. We can spend a little bit more time on other things because we don’t have to worry about working in so many systems.

How have your employees responded to Passare?

Brad: Of course, change is always difficult, but it’s really been an easy process for them to learn and pick up on. They also like having the ease of logging in at anytime, anywhere and being able to input information.

What’s a feature in Passare that you are really loving right now?

Janetta: For me, it’s the memorial book pages and prayer cards that I can do. Passare offers so much more as far as how to design the memorial book and prayer cards – different framing, shadowing, verses, or photo placement. It allows me to personalize their books a little bit more.

How would you rate the customer service you’ve experienced with Passare?

Brad: I call customer service all the time. They’re always so friendly and willing to help with whatever difficult time or problem I’m having on the computer. They’ll walk me through. If they don’t know right away, they’ve certainly gone to other measures. They’ll call back within an hour and have everything fixed.

If you were to talk to another funeral professional about Passare, what would you tell them?

Brad: At first, I was hesitant about moving to Passare because we had been with a certain operating system for many years, and this was stepping out. The transition was different, but once we were able to settle in and figure out how useful the system was and which tools were most helpful to our business, I’d recommend it anytime.

Janetta: I’ve already talked to other funeral professionals about Passare. A gentleman who used to work here now owns his own funeral home downstate. He has asked me, “What do you think about Passare?” I said, “We love it!” He has since decided to use Passare, and he agrees. It’s a great system to use.

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