BATESVILLE, IN., March 9, 2016 – Batesville, the leading provider of innovative technology solutions to funeral homes, announced an agreement with Memoriams.com, the industry’s fastest-growing obituary order entry platform, which will allow funeral directors to price and place print obituaries in more than 2,800 newspapers directly from their website without re-entering data. The collaboration is unique, as it allows funeral home staff to submit multiple local and out-of-area obituaries in a single order directly from the Batesville website admin console.
The obituary is one of the most time-sensitive steps in the funeral planning process. While technology has made it possible to post and push online obituaries out with a few clicks, print placements have lagged behind. Funeral directors often have to place multiple phone calls to the newspaper and the family to discuss cutoff times and pricing before a placement can be confirmed. If multiple newspapers or cities are involved, the process becomes even more time-consuming.
“Memoriams.com streamlines the process, so obituary decisions and placements, both online and in print, can be completed during a single consultation with the family,” explains Troy Turner, Batesville chief marketing and information officer. “By using technology to enable this process, the funeral home can increase the efficiency of its staff, while elevating the level of service provided to families.”
Memoriams.com has built an extensive network of newspapers and developed an easy-to-use interface that gives funeral directors access to a database of U.S and Canadian publications to facilitate the placement of obituaries. In 2015, the company was named the strategic partner and provider for obituary placement by the newspaper industry group, the Local Media Consortium.
Anna Costello, director of business development for Memoriams.com, states, “One of the things we have consistently heard is the importance of being able to guide families through the arrangement process, including the obituary placement. Through this collaboration, funeral directors will have direct access to the obituary options, pricing and publication schedules for newspapers, right from the management console of their Batesville website.”
Costs are a concern for many families today. The Memoriams.com software allows the funeral director to view and print a detailed summary of obituary costs for the family prior to the order
placement, so there are no surprises. Once decisions are made, the obituary can be submitted to
multiple newspapers, directly from the funeral home website, without having to re-enter data. Tailored versions of the obituary can be sent to different publications at the family’s request.
Batesville is offering this powerful and convenient functionality to customers on all of its web platforms at no additional charge. After a quick configuration, customers will be ready to search and select newspapers and packages on behalf of the family, then submit obituaries to Memoriams.com without having to re-key the information.
For more information about the advantages of Memoriams.com or to activate this feature, contact Batesville at 877.287.8661.
ABOUT BATESVILLE
Batesville (www.Batesville.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hillenbrand, Inc. (NYSE:HI), is the leader in the North American death care industry, offering a comprehensive portfolio of Burial Solutions, Cremation Options, Memorial Solutions and Technology Solutions. For more than 125 years, Batesville has been dedicated to helping families honor the lives of those they love.® Batesville’s innovation has changed the face of funeral service, from advancements in manufacturing and quality to patented features and memorialization offerings, technology and web-based solutions, and profit-enhancing merchandising systems. Our history of manufacturing excellence, product innovation, superior customer service and reliable delivery have helped Batesville be recognized by funeral professionals as #1 in product quality, service and innovation – 2 years in a row.
ABOUT MEMORIAMS.COM
Memoriams.com is a subsidiary of Adpay, Inc., a leading technology provider of online solutions to the media industry. Adpay’s patented solutions deliver print, web and mobile strategies that unify classifieds into a single, dynamic transactional marketplace. The exclusive Memoriams.com network placement is the industry’s fastest-growing obituary order entry platform. Adpay customers include many of the nation’s largest media groups including, but not limited to: Advance Digital, Inc., The Buffalo News, The Dallas Morning News, Black Press, Cox Media Group, Evening Post Industries, Journal Media Group, Lee Enterprises, Morris Publishing Group, Schurz Communications, Swift Communications, and Tribune Publishing.
