Media, PA—ASD–Answering Service for Directors is pleased to announce two of the company’s features have been recognized as finalists for the 2018 NFDA Members’ Choice Award (formally called the Innovation Award). The company’s Spanish Translation Services and Web Form Watch Dog™ feature were both selected by NFDA Members as finalists for the 2018 award, making ASD the only company ever to be named a finalist twice in the same year.
The NFDA Members’ Choice Award represents the pinnacle of achievement for a funeral service vendor. By encouraging innovation within our industry, this award inspires companies within the funeral profession to seek out new ideas, technologies and processes to make a positive impact on funeral directors and the families they serve. While no other company has won this award more than once, ASD is proud to be a three-time recipient.
Year after year, ASD has demonstrated a strong commitment to seeking out new and inventive ways to resolve communication issues for funeral directors. Both the company’s Spanish Translation Services and Web Form Watch Dog™ feature help funeral directors to better serve families by offering more responsive service and enhanced communication. While one feature utilizes ASD’s state-of-the-art technology, the other is supported by the company’s skilled bilingual Call Specialist team.
With more than three-dozen Spanish-bilingual Call Specialists on staff working every shift, ASD has taken great strides in creating the first Spanish Translation Service exclusively for funeral professionals. The company’s experienced bilingual team can provide 24/7 translation services for directors that need to communicate with Spanish-speaking callers. From providing pricing information to family members, to explaining America’s foreign transport requirements to directors in other countries, ASD’s Spanish Translation Services can help bridge the communication gap so funeral homes are better able to serve Spanish-speaking families.
For funeral homes focused on connecting with more families who visit their website, ASD created the Web Form Watch Dog™ to ensure directors never miss an important Web Form submission. With this feature, inquiries submitted through the firm’s Contact Us form automatically generate an alert within ASD’s notification system. ASD will then follow the designated contact preferences that have been specified by the on-call director. This safety net ensures funeral home web inquiries are answered in a timely manner and are always sent to the designated on-call funeral director.
“It is quite an honor to have two of our answering service features selected as finalists for this prestigious award. We are both thrilled and humbled to be recognized for the fourth time by the NFDA for our company’s commitment to innovation,” says ASD Vice President, Kevin Czachor. “This is the first time any company has been named a finalist for two entries in one year. Both our Web Form Watch Dog™ and Spanish Translation Services were created to help funeral directors enhance their communication with the families they serve. These two features demonstrate ASD’s commitment to serving families with the highest level of training and advanced technology.”
ASD was honored to receive the NFDA Innovation Award in 2012, 2015 and in 2017. In 2012, the company was recognized for its ASD Mobile app. To date, this app remains the most downloaded and highest rated mobile app created for funeral directors. ASD was recognized with the Innovation Award again in 2015 for its patented MobileFH™ feature, which allows directors to show their funeral home number, instead of their personal cell phone number, as their outgoing Caller ID. Last year, ASD was honored to receive the company’s third Innovation Award for its Suicide Telephone Operator Patch (STOP) System, a feature that was created solely to help those in crisis. This tool gives ASD staff the ability to seamlessly connect a caller with a suicide prevention hotline, ensuring these individuals receive the immediate counseling, guidance and support they need.
A distinguished panel of NFDA judges selected ASD’s Spanish Translation Services and Web Form Watch Dog™ feature as two of the five finalists for the 2018 Members’ Choice Award. The winner will be announced during the Opening General Session of the 2018 NFDA International Convention & Expo in October after the funeral service community has an opportunity to cast their votes online. Voting begins August 1st and is open to NFDA Members Only.
The ASD team looks forward to seeing everyone at the 2018 NFDA Convention & Expo in Salt Lake City and at the company’s Client Cocktail Party to be hosted during the convention on Monday, October 15th at the historic McCune Mansion!
About ASD
ASD – Answering Service for Directors has created a new class of answering service for the funeral profession. Family owned and operated since 1972, ASD blends state-of-the-art technology with an extensive, 6-month training program focusing on compassionate care. The company’s custom-built communication systems and sophisticated mobile tools were designed solely to meet the needs of funeral professionals. By offering funeral directors unmatched protection for their calls, ASD has redefined the role of an answering service for funeral homes. For more information, visit www.myASD.com or call 1-800-868-9950.
