Henderson & Sons Funeral Homes and Rome Memorial Park
Rome, GA
Call Volume: 550 Calls/Year
Having tried multiple funeral home software systems, Henderson & Sons was looking for a platform that would meet all of their needs, not just some. After seeing a demonstration of Passare, Barry Henderson and his team knew Passare was the way to go. With cloud-based access and extreme adaptability, Barry knew Passare would meet his funeral homes’ needs for years to come.
We have used several operating systems for our business, but none of them really met our needs until we began to pursue the Passare operating system. My son, Wes, previewed Passare and then told me all about it. Of course, I had to see it for myself, and once I did, I was very excited and keen about it. And now, looking back, I can say it has been such a great investment for us to go with Passare.
I’m part of the Baby Boomer generation, so when I first started in the funeral profession, everything was done manually. We typed up the information cards, individual obituaries, death certificates, and so many more items. In the end, we were typing the same information somewhere between 8 and 13 times. With Passare, not only have we basically eliminated double entry, but the platform is also so easy to use that even the old funeral directors, like me, can learn it.
Passare has helped us stay organized and distribute different responsibilities to different members of the team. Even though a team member may be based at one location, they still can do their part to help with a service at another location. For instance, the team member who handles our VA benefits or insurance assignments can work with families from all three locations through Passare. We can spread out the work without needing someone’s physical presence, which gives us a great deal of versatility. And as we grow, Passare will continue to help us function as a team. It’s not like, “Oh, we’ve grown so much that we’ve outgrown Passare.” That’s never going to happen. It’s a wonderful situation and partnership for us as we look to the future.
When our arrangers meet with families, they gather as much data as they can because we like to minister to our families and provide compassionate aftercare to them. Because we are able to add all the data to Passare, it flows right to our Prearrangement Specialist. Then, she can add families to her pipeline and not only present the benefits of preplanning, but also find ways to minister to them as they grieve. We don’t want to leave anybody alone out there. We try to touch each family and help them feel a little more connected and cared for.
As a family-owned business, we’ve grown a lot over the years, and our needs have changed. With Passare, I know we can continue to grow. They will adjust to meet our needs even as our needs change. On top of that, Passare listens to our feedback and makes changes accordingly. When I first previewed Passare, I saw that they didn’t have an inventory module, which is something we needed. So, what did Passare do? They added an inventory tracking capability for us! As a company, they are progressive, adaptive, and always changing. They listen to what their clients have to say and adjust accordingly. It’s impressive!
Second to none. It’s wonderful to work with a team that genuinely cares about what the goal is. And any way you look at it, it’s all about customer service, for us and for Passare. Today, we’ve lost a lot of that personal touch in customer service, so it’s great, especially for us older funeral directors, to speak with a live person directly when we have an issue. Passare gives us that personal touch. It’s been a great partnership, and I look forward to the years ahead.
I’d tell them it’s so easy to use that even the old guys can work it. At least, that’s what I tell all my buddies. I say, “Man, you’ve got to give this a shot.” Plus, one day, when I spend more time away from the office, Passare is going to allow me to keep my eyes on what’s going on from a remote location, wherever I am. And as an owner, I value that capability.