The night before, at the office computer
The senior funeral director stays late to prepare tomorrow's running sheets. For each funeral, she opens the file and types: leave the family home at 10.15, address and parking notes, who travels in each limousine, the route past the family's old house as they asked, arrive at the church at 10.45, the bearers' positions, the music the organist has been given, the committal at the cemetery, flowers to be taken to the hospice afterwards.
At 8am, the family ring to say the grandson will travel in the second car, not the first. The typed sheet is already in the conductor's pocket. It is changed in pen, and the drivers are told verbally.
A document retyped from the file
The running sheet is one of the most important documents on the day, and it is usually a copy of information held elsewhere.
- The sheet is typed from the arrangement notes, diary and emails.
- Every funeral's sheet is a new document, with a different layout depending on who wrote it.
- Late changes reach the file but not the printed sheet.
- Drivers and bearers may have a different version from the conductor.
- Special requests, such as a route past a meaningful place, are easy to leave off.
Why the sheet must be right
On the day, there is no room for doubt. A car at the wrong address, a missed request, or a family member put in the wrong car can upset the family at the moment you most want them to feel cared for.
Typing sheets is also skilled time spent late in the evening by the people who most need to be fresh for the next day.
Running sheets generated from the record
What we build produces the running sheet from the funeral record, so it always reflects the latest arrangements.
- The funeral record already holds the timings, venues, vehicles, staff, family members in each car, music and requests, from the arrangement and later changes.
- The running sheet is generated in your firm's layout with one click: conductor's version, drivers' version and bearers' version, each showing what that person needs.
- Routes and travel times come from a mapping service, with any requested route noted.
- If anything changes after the sheet is produced, the sheet is marked out of date and a new version is sent to the phones of those on the funeral, with the change highlighted.
- Printed sheets carry a version time, so the team can see at a glance whether they hold the latest.
- Special requests from the arrangement appear in their own section so they cannot be missed.
| Version | For | Shows |
|---|---|---|
| Conductor | Funeral director conducting | Full timings, family, music, requests |
| Drivers | Hearse and limousine drivers | Addresses, route, who travels in each car |
| Bearers | Bearers | Where to meet, times, positions |
| Office | Staff at base | Contacts and timings for calls on the day |
The morning change, handled
When the family ring at 8am about the grandson, the office updates the car list on the funeral record. The conductor and the drivers get a message with the new version, the change highlighted. The conductor glances at it in the car park. When the second limousine arrives at the family home, the driver knows who to expect.
Are running sheets typed at night?
- Running sheets are typed by hand from the file.
- Late changes are made in pen on printed sheets.
- Drivers and bearers have had a different version from the conductor.
- Special requests have been missed on the day.
- Senior staff prepare sheets late the evening before.