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ASD's "Solicitor Shield" Frees Up Phone Lines for Funeral Homes A funeral home's phone is vital to making a positive first impression and securing new business. Too often, calls from telemarketers and recorded solicitations tie up phone lines, waste time and prevent critical calls from getting through. To help resolve this problem, ASD created "Solicitor Shield", a powerful, one-of-a-kind tool that gives funeral homes added control over their calls and the ability to block unwanted callers.
On a recent June morning, phone lines throughout the country were flooded with a barrage of incoming calls, all tracing back to three toll-free numbers. In a single minute, hundreds of lines were tied up by recorded solicitations. These "spam" calls would have been a nightmare for most call centers, but ASD was prepared. "Solicitor Shield" effectively blocked over 1,000 spam calls on that Monday at 9:07 a.m., a time when many directors still have their lines forwarded as they catch up on work accumulated over the weekend.
"Solicitor Shield" helps us to forecast our call volume in advance and schedule accordingly, allowing ASD's Call Specialists to answer calls at a faster rate than at other call centers. In addition to blocking dial storms from spam callers, ASD also allows our clients to select specific numbers they would like to prevent from tying up their funeral home's line.
"Funeral Directors rely on ASD to promptly and compassionately answer their phones when they cannot. Solicitor Shield helps make that possible. Our clients also save money because they are not charged for calls from telemarketers. This is just one of the many details that sets ASD apart from the other thousand answering services in business today."
-ASD Family-Member Owner Kevin Czachor
Click here to learn more about "Solicitor Shield."
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  Read Part 2 of ASD Family-Member Owner Kevin Czachor's Article in the Funeral Business Advisor
ASD Family-Member Owner and Vice President, Kevin Czachor, was recently published in the July/August issue of the Funeral Business Advisor. Kevin's article, "Raising the Bar: How to Choose the Right Vendors For Your Funeral Home" is being published as a 3-part series that helps funeral directors determine what criteria to use when selecting a supplier or service provider. 
In Part One of this article series, Kevin explained how a company's experience, transparency and reputation are crucial to fully evaluating their performance record. He also listed several key questions to consider and identified warning signs of deceptive marketing. Part One was published in the May/June issue of the Funeral Business Advisor. Click here to read Part One.
In Part Two, Kevin provides information on how to compare the technical capabilities of different companies and discusses the benefits of making a personal connection with a vendor. Part 2 was just published in this month's issue of the Funeral Business Advisor. Click here to read it on our blog. In the September issue, Part Three will examine some final considerations that should be made before entering into a long-term contract and discusses how to monitor the vendor's service after you become a customer. Be sure to pick up next month's issue of the Funeral Business Advisor for the conclusion of this exclusive series. |
 
A.M. Higgins Gifts is a full-service, family-owned, promotional product distributorship that specializes in logo imprinted marketing products for the funeral profession. The company carries a wide variety of everyday items that can be customized with your distinctive logo. These useful & classic items have universal appeal and can  | |
Give a lasting condolence gift to remind families of your exceptional service.
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help you advertise your business, express your condolences and provide convenience items to your visitors. A.M. Higgins Gifts helps funeral professionals create a truly personalized experience for families. The company also offers a specialty line of condolence and convenience items such as hand fans and tissue packets for you to provide to families. These products enhance your funeral home's marketing efforts and increase brand awareness.  | |
Customize with your funeral home name
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ASD clients receive an exclusive discount on A.M. Higgins Gifts' large selection of logo imprinted products and an additional ASD Rewards credit for every $100 in products purchased. These savings allow funeral professionals to reap significant benefits while helping families plan a truly individualized service. "As a professional working directly with the Funeral Homes, I was very careful to recommend a company to serve my clients with their promotional product marketing needs. As my own promotional product distributor, I have asked A. M. Higgins Gifts to join our program as a partner because of their reliability, fair pricing and excellent service."-ASD Family-Member Owner, Kevin Czachor Click here to learn more. |
44 ASD Employees Camped Out to  Take Calls During Hurricane Irene
Hurricane Irene was one of the top ten most destructive and deadly hurricanes to hit the United States since 1980. Last year, when we learned this dangerous storm was headed straight for our region, we made arrangements to provide both our staff members and funeral director clients with protection. On August 27th, 2011, 44 ASD employees camped out in the ASD offices and conference rooms to ensure your funeral home had backup support during Irene's destructive wake.
While other companies can shut down during a serious storm like Irene, thousands of funeral professionals nationwide rely on ASD to handle their urgent, time-sensitive calls when they are out of the office. Despite the size and scope of the storm, ASD performed at high capacity with no disruption of service. Over the weekend, as the hurricane moved up the East Coast, ASD answered more than 98 percent of calls by the fourth ring and over 85 percent of those were answered by the first ring. Click here to read more about how ASD handled Hurricane Irene.
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ASD is honored to be named a Provider of Preference by the North Carolina Funeral Directors Association. The NCFDA's endorsement of ASD is a testament of their commitment to their members. We are highly impressed by the level of research the NCFDA devoted to this decision. ASD was among many answering services evaluated by the NCFDA Funeral Board and we are thrilled the association recognized the value ASD can offer to funeral professionals. For more information about our new partnership, click here. ASD is Proud to Sponsor: American Funeral Director Magazine is hosting a funeral home conference at Yankee Stadium on September 14th. Enjoy a dynamic group of speakers before watching the Yankees take on the Rangers. This unique event allows funeral professionals to network with their peers in a relaxed and fun setting. Click here for more information. |
 
This week, ASD Call Specialist, Isabel, handled a late night call from a woman who was distraught after her husband had stopped breathing at home. The woman was very shaken up on the phone and, after confirming that 9-1-1 had been contacted, Isabel was able to calm her down by patiently listening and offering assurances that the director would be able to assist her with making Pre-Arrangements immediately.
The caller had many concerns about privacy and their religious needs and Isabel gave her peace of mind by telling her the funeral home would conduct everything according to the family's wishes.
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Find Out Why ASD is America's #1 Funeral-Exclusive Answering Service
 No extra cost for nights, weekends or holidays Family Owned and Operated since 1972 We tell you on what ring we answer your line 90% of all calls are answered on the 1st Ring All calls are recorded for 100% accuracy One location in the USA - ASD NEVER outsources calls Free advanced web features Customizable Email and Text Messaging Supervisor assistance available 24/7
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Contact ASD
Family owned and operated, ASD - Answering Service for Directors blends state-of-the-art technology with an experienced team of knowledgable Call Specialists that possess a high level of understanding of the funeral process.
Find out why 1 in 4 Funeral Homes in America currently trust ASD with their calls with a 30 day, no risk FREE TRIAL of our service. Be sure to ask about our 40th Anniversary Special!
1-800-868-9950
Sales@myASD.com
   
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ASD Rewards Partners: For more information, click on any of the Partner logos below. 
 
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Coming Soon:
"ASD Mobile for Android"
We are excited to announce the launch of
 our Beta Testing Program for the "ASD Mobile for Android" app. Directors that have expressed an interest or requested an ASD Android app were sent a link to download the beta version of ASD Mobile app for the Android platform. This full featured app is a mobilized solution to help directors manage every aspect of their ASD accounts.
Our exclusive Beta Testing group will help us to enhance the app and ensure it is fully functional on all Android devices. Once the ASD Mobile for Android app has been fully tested, it will be available for all of our clients to download in the Google Play store. We expect the app to be released in September.
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Final Stops of Our Busiest Convention Year Ever!
New Jersey Funeral Directors Association Convention
September 18-20 in Atlantic City, NJ
National Funeral Director's Association 2012 Convention
October 7-10 in Charlotte, NC
ASD on the Road
ASD Project Manager, Lauren Kress, National Sales Manager, Jason Bathurst, and Supervisor, Sue Norbeck, at the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association Convention
ASD Treasurer and Family-Member Owner, Kathy Kelley, and her daughter Melissa at an MKJ Marketing Seminar
ASD Client Specialist, Sue Fritz, and Supervisor, Donna Twitty, exhibiting at the New York State Funeral Directors Association convention |
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ASD's Pledge to Clients
Our top-quality service maintains the highest degree of professionalism with extensive training, careful monitoring and cutting-edge technology that tracks and records every incoming call. We understand that our voice may be the first impression a family member has of your funeral home and continually review your calls so that every time your phone rings, an experienced and compassionate operator will be there to answer.
Sincerely,
The Czachor Family
ASD Founders & Family-Member Owners
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Past Issues of Funeral Communications Today
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