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ASD's Powerful New Web Interface
ASD is pleased to introduce a newly enhanced web portal to make managing your ASD account online even easier. The updated website, myASD 4.0, offers an expansion of features that were available through the previous version of the website with added user tools and options. ASD's Award-Winning mobile app, ASD Mobile, first showcased these features and now they have been integrated into myASD 4.0.
A link to a pre-release version of myASD 4.0 is posted on ASD's login page so you can explore all of these new features prior to the official release. If you have any questions or suggestions for the new site, we'd love to hear them--simply click the link that asks for feedback at the top of every page. The enhanced myASD 4.0 provides individual monitoring capabilities to every on-call director at your funeral home. The website can identify not only what funeral home is logging in, but which employee. This enables the site to function more intuitively and with greater security. Our new Fast Login tool allows you to log on to multiple ASD accounts simultaneously and leave comments for other directors.
If your funeral home has a rotating schedule, myASD 4.0 offers new options for updating your on-call information. Set a weekly or daily on-call status and even create a complex schedule weeks into the future. This provides convenience, extra time and gives you one less thing to worry about at the end of the day. The new website also includes a Calendar feature so you can view your on-call schedule as a weekly or monthly calendar anytime and confirm contact instructions are set correctly.
Click here to learn more about what's new in myASD 4.0.
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  Surviving a Catastrophe: Lessons Learned From Directors Who've Faced the Worst American Funeral Director magazine recently published the article "Surviving a Catastrophe: Lessons Learned From Directors Who've Faced the Worst" - which examines how funeral homes must adapt to survive in the aftermath of a major disaster. The article was written by ASD Staff Writer, Jessica Fowler, and contains lessons learned from directors who have faced unforeseeable obstacles.
For almost 100 years, the Denis S. O'Connor Funeral Home has stood firm against every hurricane, blizzard and flood that has hit the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens, NY. As a third-generation funeral director, Vincent O'Connor is no stranger to planning in advance. His funeral home was fully stocked with emergency supplies, but no amount of preparation could have spared him from the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy which nearly wiped the Rockaway peninsula off the map.
"We've had hurricanes, we've had interruptions, but this was a historic event. This was unprecedented," O'Connor says. "No one could have predicted that surge-14 feet of water in lower Manhattan! Everyone was caught off guard. There are certain things you can do, but there are certain things you just can't prepare for."
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 Have you ever wanted to copy and paste information from the ASD Mobile app into a text message, email or another application? With the latest version of ASD Mobile, you can now copy text from any message into your clipboard and paste it anywhere! Simply tap on the 'Copy Message Text' link at the bottom of each message. This feature makes it possible to easily transfer data from the ASD Mobile app into a text or email to another staff member at the funeral home. You can also paste information into a File Storage application such as Evernote or Dropbox to reduce your data entry tasks. This feature was added after an ASD Mobile user sent in a request. If you have any ideas for ways we can enhance ASD Mobile, please send us an email. We are always interested to hear your suggestions. |
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Funeral Directors Share Favorite Activities with ASD
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In honor of the new film, Star Trek Into Darkness (now playing), we wanted to share the favorite pastime of self-proclaimed Trekkie and Funeral Director, Scott Macy. In this photo, Scott poses with William Shatner aka Captain Kirk at a Star Trek convention.
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Name: Scott Macy
Funeral Home: Scott is a Director at Hultgren Funeral Home
Location: Wheaton, IL
Favorite ASD Feature: The ASD Mobile App for iPhone. "Every funeral director I know who uses this app loves it. It makes life A LOT easier when you're on call," Scott wrote in a 5-Star Review for ASD Mobile.
Favorite Pastime: Scott describes himself as a huge Star Trek fan who loves attending Star Trek conventions and collecting Star Trek props and memorabilia.
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Scott and his son with actor Patrick Stewart who played Captain Jean Luc Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation
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Scott with actor Leonard Nimoy who played Spock on the Original Series at a Star Trek convention.
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Click here to learn more about Scott's Favorite Pastime.
ASD's "Favorite Pastime" Series
We would love to share more photos of funeral directors enjoying their favorite pastime. Send us a photo of you engaged in your favorite hobby or activity for us to share and to show others what you love to do when you're not doing outstanding work at your funeral home! Please email all photos or inquiries to jess.fowler@myASD.com.
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Undertaker's Invention Revolutionizes the Telephone
It was in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1888, when Almon B. Strowger stormed through the door of his undertaking parlor and slammed the door behind him. To say that Strowger was furious would have been an understatement, but on this particular day, he had just learned that a customer had tried to telephone him, only to be told by a Central operator that the line was busy.
Busy?  Busy!
His line had not been busy - he was sure of it, but there was nothing he could do to prove otherwise. How could he, this was the age of switchboard operators. There were no monthly bill statements with lists upon lists of outgoing and incoming calls.
It was too late for him now. The damage was done and he lost some business, and no matter how much he protested and complained, he could not recapture the customer's call. But this wasn't the first time he was sure he'd lost a customer. Whether it was by some honest error on the Central operator's part or a devious scheme concocted by a competitor, Strowger had decided, enough was enough. For too long he had been losing clients to a competitor whose telephone-operator wife was intercepting and redirecting every one of his calls. No longer would he be the victim of another missed opportunity.
ASD is honored to publish this guest blog post by Matthew Gillies, a writer on MySendOff.com, the world's largest life celebration Information Library.
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We recommend iPhone over Android to maximize your use of the ASD Mobile app.
When ASD began work on a mobile application for Android, we set aside a period of time for a select group of funeral directors to beta test our app. We followed this same protocol prior to the release of ASD's iPhone application. Since the majority of ASD employees use iPhones, our Staff Writer, Jessica Fowler, was asked to test the new app using a myTouch 4g Slide Android phone and became the point person for helping our technicians communicate with clients who were beta testing the Android app. Jessica prefers Android to iPhone because it allows her to share content easier and is a less expensive option.
As Jessica began gathering feedback from directors, we soon found there were major inconsistencies between how the app performed on some devices as opposed to others. When fixing bugs for Android phones, it became extremely difficult to resolve one problem without inadvertently creating a new issue. While our programmers expected the Android platform to present more challenges than Apple's iOS, we never could have predicted users to report so many different variations of our app.
According to Hong Kong developer, Animoco, Android is now on more than 600 phones and tablets in less than four years. Apple's iOS, on the other hand, has only eight possible variations. The very open nature of the Android platform provides consumers with more choices when selecting a mobile device and also drives up competition, reducing costs. The consequence, however, is that Android is the most fragmented smartphone operating system in the world. Apps that rely on advanced functionalities may vary significantly from one handset to another.
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Meet Training Specialist Joseph
Training Specialist, Joseph, is a major asset to ASD's Operations' team. Joe has worked as a Call Specialist for more than three years providing compassionate and professional support to funeral home callers. He has also trained countless new employees to use ASD's custom-built software and technology while assisting callers with empathy and patience. Trainees rely on Joe's guidance and experience at every step of the training process. We are proud to feature Joe in this month's Employee Spotlight.
What are some of your primary responsibilities as an ASD Call Specialist?
My primary responsibility is helping callers by listening intently to their needs while trying to determine the urgency of the call. Clients rely on us for concise, coherent messages that help them to do their job and assist families.
What are some things you have learned from working at ASD?
Despite all of the various factors that make each person unique, it is always safe to assume that everyone wants to be heard and understood. It is best to listen first and you will find that people are then more willing to listen in return.
How has ASD changed since you started working here?
The technology we now employ is amazing. When I started, texting was a relatively new feature. Now, most of our clients seem to prefer receiving messages via text and our mobile app instead of being called. It definitely makes things a lot easier for our clients. |
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ASD Clients Have Received More Than $62,000 in Rewards Credits
Start sharing in the savings and
reduce your answering service cost by 50% or more!
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There are many different ways to report a passing, depending on location and emotional state. This week our Call Specialist, Gary, received a call from a gentleman who stated that his wife "already went home." Gary initially thought the caller meant that his wife had left from somewhere to go home, but wanted to be certain, so he gently asked if his call was regarding a passing. As it turned out, the caller was reporting his wife's passing, but used the phrase 'went home." We recognize Gary as this week's "Sensitive Save of the Week" winner for his careful listening skills and intuition. |
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The organizations and associations listed below have endorsed ASD as their preferred answering service, supported our company as a business partner or selected ASD for a vendor membership:
ASD is thrilled to become a Supplier Member of the
 | | ASD Supports the IFDA as a Provider of Preference |
 | | ASD is proud to be a Business Member of the OGR |
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ASD is honored to join the ARFDA's Sales Club |
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Find Out Why ASD is America's #1 Funeral Home Exclusive Answering Service
 No extra cost for nights, weekends and holidays Family Owned and Operated since 1972 90% of all calls answered on the first ring Extensive 6-month Training Program All calls recorded for 100% accuracy Award-winning mobile app for iPhone and Android users One location in the USA - ASD NEVER outsources calls Patent-pending mobile features 24/7 Business Protection
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Contact ASD
Family Owned and Operated, ASD - Answering Service for Directors has been helping Funeral Directors manage their calls and their live since 1972. With a visionary approach to business, ASD has redefined the way Funeral Directors serve families, combining unparalleled levels of training and advanced technology.
Find out why ASD is the most trusted answering service for funeral homes with a 30-Day FREE TRIAL of our service. Be sure to ask about our Spring Special.
1-800-868-9950
   
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ASD Adds Second Backup Generator
ASD has a new primary generator. This was added to our array of backup energy systems. We now have two fully automatic redundant power generation systems, each fully capable of supplying ASD's power needs. These systems are tested weekly to ensure they are ready when we need them.
During Hurricane Sandy, a hospital was left without power because their only generator failed. ASD's redundant power system is just another example of our commitment to your funeral home. Your phones must be answered professionally and compassionately, always.
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ASD on the Road
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National Sales Manager, Jason Bathurst,
and Supervisor, Sue Norbeck, had a wonderful time meeting funeral directors from KS, NE and MO at the 2013 Tri-State Funeral Directors Convention. Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth!
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Congratulations to Sheryl Germeroth (next to Supervisor Sue Norbeck) from Old Mission Mortuary on winning the iPad Mini ASD raffled off at the Tri-State Convention.
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ASD's Supervisor, Anne Hodgson,
and New Client Specialist, Sue Fritz, enjoyed meeting funeral directors at the Michigan Funeral Directors Convention last month.
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Congratulations to funeral director, Jeff Mandziuk, (next to Supervisor Anne Hodgson) from E.J. Mandziuk & Sons Funeral Directors on winning the iPad Mini ASD raffled off at the Michigan Funeral Directors convention.
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JUNE CONVENTIONS 2013 Texas Funeral Directors Association Convention June 9-14 in Austin, TX 2013 Pennsylvania Funeral Directors Convention June 9-13 in Grantville, PA Funeral Directors Association of Kentucky's 131st Annual Convention June 17-19 in Louisville, KY |
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Photo of the Month
Each month, ASD will select a photo we love shared from a client's Facebook page or Twitter as our "Photo of the Month." This month's photo was shared on Facebook by Eline Funeral Home in Hampstead, MD. The image was captured a second after doves were released at a memorial service. We love how this photo captures the action of that moment so completely. Click on the photo to see an enlarged version on the funeral home's facebook page.
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ASD in the News
ASD Clients in the News
We Want to Hear Your Stories!
ASD would love to profile your funeral home for our blog or industry publications. If you have an exciting story to tell, event you are planning or information you'd like to share, we'd love to hear from you! Contact ASD's Staff Writer, Jessica Fowler, at jess.fowler@myasd.com
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ASD has featured the writing of funeral professionals such as Caleb Wilde, Lauren Polanski and others in the past. We believe that the funeral writer has the authority to address a wide range of subjects, both somber and humorous, from a perspective no other writer can offer. If you're a funeral professional who also enjoys blogging and writing, we would be happy to feature your work on our blog. To learn more about guest blogging for ASD, contact jess.fowler@myASD.com.
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Take Our Virtual Tour:
Explore ASD's facility from the comfort of your chair!
For many years, we have wanted to show our clients the technology and infrastructure we have in place here at ASD. We're excited to share with you a high-definition, Virtual Tour of our facility. Use the arrow keys to move from room to room or zoom in on anything you would like to see in closer detail.
Click on any of the photos below to start your tour:
Click here to start tour from ASD's Operations Center
Click here to start tour from ASD's Reception Area
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Past Issues of Funeral Communications Today
2013
2012
2011
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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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