In case you missed it: A Q&A with Scott McAfee, co-owner and vice president of sales and marketing of CemSites, was published in the “Ask the Expert” section of American Cemetery & Cremation’s December 2015 issue.
Helping Cemeteries Reach the Cloud
Q&A with Scott McAfee, co-owner of CemSites, a software provider for cemeteries
Since its founding in 2012, CemSites’ mission has been straightforward: bring the time and money-saving benefits of modern technology to every cemetery organization within a reasonable budget. While the Pittsburgh-based company may not yet refer to every cemetery company as a client, it continues to adapt to the changing needs of cemeteries, using the latest tools and technologies. Scott McAfee, co-owner of CemSites, explains how the company started, what sets it apart and the need for cemeteries to update to 21st century technology. Patti Martin Bartsche reports.
Can you explain what CemSites does?
We provide business management software for cemeteries. We help cemeteries improve their processes with our tools — anything they manage or keep track of in their cemetery, we can keep track of in our system.
How did the idea for the company come about?
A local cemetery that wanted a software program to help it do its business better approached us. Part of our process is to learn as much as we can about our clients’ operations so we can improve on them with technology. My business partner is a processes guru and, in sitting down and talking with the cemetery staff, we uncovered all of these opportunities to improve their workflow. As we were building the system for this one cemetery, we realized that there was a big technology gap in the cemetery industry — either cemeteries had no software or what they were using was antiquated.
Traditionally, when cemeterians or cemetery owners go looking for software, they either have something custom developed to work with their specific needs or they buy software that has a million things that they don’t necessarily understand or will ever use.
CemSites bridges that gap… the technology allows us to learn a cemetery’s process and makes it work for them. It also updates over time… so as the technology evolves, so does their software.
What sets CemSites apart in the industry?
CRM Pro is our powerful, completely customizable Web-based cemetery record management software that is built on FlexCore Framework. It is user-friendly and intuitive while maintaining robust computing, searching and plotting options to most effectively manage data.
CRM Pro was given its name for a reason: All cemetery data stored in CRM Pro on FlexCore Framework are protected by the same security standards used by world governments and financial institutions. Because our cemetery software is Web-based and always up to date, having outdated software is never a concern.
How long was the software in testing mode? What did you learn from the feedback you received?
We invested a long time in perfecting our cemetery-focused customer relationship management software and its framework. Our team released trial versions to a number of cemeteries and analyzed their needs so that our software has all of the core functionality and adaptability needed for a variety of organizations. It was a real learning experience, because no two cemeteries are the same. They all have their own little nuances. We’re able to go into our software and make changes so it fits a particular cemetery like a glove.
What are the different components of CemSites?
CemSites provides customers with a full-service solution with a customizable user dashboard, which has 15 different modules or add-ons, including online gravesite mapping, e-commerce, record keeping, website creation and more…
…read the full article in the December 2015 issue of American Cemetery & Cremation.
