Dioceses Successfully Digitally Transformed with PlotBox

PlotBox has partnered with a number of Dioceses and Archdioceses over the past few years - each with their own unique needs and challenges, but all with the common goal of digital transformation and legacy modernization.

Here we look at how PlotBox has helped to increase efficiencies and streamline their processes by providing a single digital platform that centralized their data into a ‘single source of truth’.

Archdiocese of San Francisco

When the Archdiocese of San Francisco began the process of looking for a new computer software solution to update their records and provide better mapping solutions, they selected PlotBox. Here are just a few of the ways in which PlotBox was able to help.

Customer support

Every transformation project is a process - one which relies on clear, two-way communication and the right support, where and when it’s needed. As with every customer, the team at San Francisco were able to benefit from the combined expertise of PlotBox’s multi-disciplinary team, with support coming in many forms throughout - whether via our in-app messaging function, through email or phone conversations, or through staff being available for training. 

Finance management

The ability to manage financial processes effectively is key for every Diocese. The accounting department at San Francisco is now utilizing PlotBox for updates, inventory, sales, and accounts receivable. Having data integrated in this way brings efficiencies and smarter workflows.

Scheduling

It’s important for deathcare providers to be able to keep track of exactly what’s happening when and where. PlotBox’s scheduling system now allows the operations team to check their calendar online to see upcoming burial schedules, check for locations, monitor service requests and work orders.

Counselors also maintain their calendars in PlotBox, whether scheduling their own appointments or having front office staff assign out meetings with customers based on availability. 

Streamlined sales processes

The sales team and family services at the Archdiocese are also now able to generate contracts, look up locations for families and show available inventory, while Director of Cemeteries, Monica Williams now enjoys seeing updated sales reports, inventory reports and a host of other reports in real time.

And through the verified mapping process, they have actually found unsold inventory in some of their historic sections.

As Monica says, “That’s all allowing us to better serve our families and provide more updated, contemporary information as we move the cemetery forward. We’re very happy with the work PlotBox has done for us, and grateful for the support they’ve given us along the way.” 

View the video here.

Diocese of Orange

PlotBox’s finance module is designed to help deathcare service providers reduce the costs and complexity of their financial and reporting processes - Richard McHatton, Director of Business Planning, Diocese of Orange, in Southern California recently shared insights into the process of implementing PlotBox and its benefits.

Time savings, configurability and potential

In looking for a solution, the Diocese took input from the team, asking what they looked for in a software, what they could improve, where they wanted to go and what aspects they wanted to see. 

One of the things they dialed in on was the time savings of being able to view multiple aspects at once - such as a contract and a deed, without having to back out completely.

More broadly, they wanted something that was configurable - giving clear user definitions and functions based on user rights and roles, simplifying and ensuring consistency, streamlining processes and creating smarter organizational workflows.

For Richard, it was about potential. PlotBox utilizes cutting edge technology, regularly introducing updates, and new functionality, and to him, that speaks volumes. 

Centralized financial processes

Orange’s financial processes were previously decentralized, with each manager handling their own cemetery and completing their own month-end. When PlotBox was introduced, they centralized those points of entry, giving greater insight into the processes, allowing them to mark out the flow from start to finish, and understand what documents were expected depending on the output.

Centralizing those functions of managing GL transactions, managing credits, performing auto uploads, etc., provided time savings for their team and managers. 

Financial Reporting

The exporting ability of reports is one of the best functions in Richard’s opinion, as from a data standpoint they don't have to worry about a whole lot of formatting - rather, they can export into Excel and run all their pivot tables from there.

With all of the data they need at their fingertips, they can also analyze how quickly they’re going through inventory, how many interments they’re completing, how sales are going - all broken down and easy to view.

The audit process

Another benefit has been in making the audit process easier. Additional financial audit tabs within the payment screen show what changes occurred to a  payment plan and when. That lets them identify if there's an error that keeps occurring, how they can get to it, and what needs to be done to correct it. 

In this way, PlotBox provides a clear representation of what occurred on a contract or a payment, and when, with changes occurring in real time, which from an audit standpoint, is a 100% improvement.

As Richard says, “It's not just a software, it's a full on experience from PlotBox. I feel that PlotBox cares. I can say that it’s the most responsive tech support that I've ever dealt with. It's that dedication to [their] user base that I think sets PlotBox apart.”

Read the blog here.

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