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eFD Release Notes

Transparent Release Notes for every eFD update - Update videos are available via the eFD Help Centre

Released 25th September 2023

Changes

  • We added ‘Nominated Representative’ as a contact type to Funeral Plan Administration
  • We updated Jewellery & Personal Effects instructions – they are now non-mandatory, allowing Users to add instructions after the item has been created
  • We added Much Loved theme categories to assist with searching
  • We enhanced our ‘Refunds & Receipts’ report with a new filter ‘paid by’
  • We updated the Masonry Deposits Report to display payment reversals
  • We removed Amex from the Client Portal card payment options to avoid confusion as not all Companies offer payments by Amex

Bug Fixes

  • We rectified an intermittent problem with Transfers loading if a global address was incomplete
  • We fixed an error some Users reported on the ‘Ashes in our care’ widget
  • We enhanced the data warehouse performance
  • We improved the error handling on our data import tool
Released 29th August 2023

Changes

  • We added functionality to link the Deceased Person’s address to an existing address – Mirroring the method used in linking addresses for ‘Contacts’
  • We added new fields to Additions>Flowers, a new tick box for ‘Family flowers only’ (this has been added to our open API) along with new fields for ‘Flowers back to’ and ‘Card Instructions’
  • We enhanced Additions>Printing with a new field for ‘quantity’
  • We enhanced the ‘Coffin Summary’ to include jewellery and personal effects from the ‘Preparation’ tab
  • We have hidden the ‘Deceased Person’s Status’ from Masonry & Sundry arrangements if the arrangement is linked to a funeral arrangement

MuchLoved Integration

  • We amended the link on the ‘Donations’ tab to take you directly to MuchLoved’s Partner Area instead of the tribute page
  • We now send the photo from the Deceased tab the Tribute page

New Correspondence Manager & email fields

  • Curtains Open
  • Prior Reception Details

Memory Giving Integration

  • We enhanced the integration with MG to ensure condolences left when making a donation are synced with eFD and online memorial pages created by eFD

Bug Fixes

  • We rectified an issue around the email footer causing coding to appear when some images are used
Released 31st July 2023

Changes

  • We enhanced our password requirements to be in line with Microsoft 365 password policy recommendations – this effects all new Users created after the update (we are pleased to confirm that 2 factor authentication is being implemented soon)
  • We added the ability to create a removal from an Arrangement – this can be found via the ‘Transfers’ tab
  • We added the Deceased’s Name to the ‘Fees Payments’ tab under ‘Accounts’
  • We added Deceased’s Name to the ‘Supplier Payment Report’
  • We updated the Plan With Grace address
  • We updated the Deceased Location Audit for Coroners Removals

Funeral Safe Integration

  • Our integration with Funeral Safe is now subscription based for Golden Leaves funeral plans allowing flexibility

New Correspondence Manager & email fields

  • Condition of the Deceased Person
  • Total Redemption value

Finance Export

  • We enhanced the Finance Export to include placeholder text to assist with usability
  • We updated the date range selection

Bug Fixes

  • We rectified an issue with the Workflow download
  • We rectified a problem preventing the Embalming Ticket downloading from some Repatriation arrangements
  • We fixed an issue causing the Correspondence Manager charity fields to be unavailable via our Microsoft Word add-on
  • We fixed a problem causing the ‘Arrangement Summary’ document to duplicate cortege information on some occasions
  • We resolved the problem causing duplicate entries on the ‘Coroner’s Removal Report’
  • We updated the internal alert to flag any problems with the data warehouse
Released 27th June 2023

Ashes Instructions (previously ‘Scatter Instructions’)

  • We renamed ‘Scatter Instructions’ to ‘Ashes Instructions’
  • We moved the location of ‘Ashes Instructions’ from the ‘Ceremony’ tab to the ‘Ashes Interment’ tab
  • We updated the ‘Ashes Instructions’ allowing you to add the ‘Ashes Location’

Changes

  • We enhanced the Mortuary Dashboard ‘Places Remaining’ counter to change colour (red, amber or green) depending on the number of places remaining, this can be set up at an individual branch level in branch admin ‘Options’
  • We added a ‘Payee name’ field to payments
  • We updated the ‘CMA Report’ following a template received from a number of Clients (thank you!)
  • We enhanced ‘Coroner’s Removals’ allowing you to upload ‘Documents’
  • MuchLoved Users: We added the option to notify MuchLoved of the Tribute Guardian, there is a purple ‘Notify ML Tribute Guardian’ button on the ‘Contact’ tab for ‘Client’ contacts, once selected MuchLoved will be notified of the Tribute Guardian and send an email to them
  • We added ‘Church in advance’ date and location to our Correspondence Manager Word add-on and email lookups

Bug Fixes

  • We rectified the performance issue that some users were experiencing on the Sales tab
  • We updated the Estimate & Final Account to handle incomplete fields in a more effective way
  • We fixed the issue on editing the charity on some donation receipts
Released 30th May 2023

Changes

  • We have made the Place of Death mandatory on Repatriation arrangements.
  • We have added the ability to show the Coroner’s Contract on the Mortuary Dashboard.
  • Golden Leaves Users: We added ‘Additional Family Member’ to the contact types.
  • Golden Leaves Users: We have highlighted the ‘Nominated’ contact on the contacts tab.
  • We have added a link to the arrangement from the home page of a converted funeral plan.
  • We added ‘Clear to Embalm’ to our email template lookup fields.
  • We have updated the Collection/Delivery options on Repatriation arrangements.
  • We have added the ability to assign multiple users to action items.

Bug Fixes

  • We have removed the [Allow edit on Entry] function when creating a Supplier.
  • We have rectified the issue where irrelevant burial fiends would show on the Ceremony view.
  • We have rectified the issue around creating an Ad hoc PO without a supplier.
  • We have fixed the issue around adding Top-Up items updates the cost if the template has been changed or updated.
  • We rectified the issue around the deceased status not being shown for Coroner’s.
  • We have fixed the issue where logos where coming through smaller on the client portal.
  • We rectified the issue around the manual entry was inconsistent for Coroner’s Removals.
  • We have fixed the issue where images weren’t pulling through to Memorial pages.
  • We have rectified the issue around the deceased location not updating on First Calls.
  • We have fixed the issue when adding a GP on the first call, the address would not save.
Released 24th April 2023

Changes

  • We have added the Date and Time to Removals/Transfers texts and emails.
  • We have added Credit/Debit Card as an available option to the ‘Supplier Payment Group’.
  • We have enhanced the Branch Admin area to include your branches opening times. These have also been added to the correspondence manager.
  • For those who use our Stripe Integration, we have added the ability to send the Card Holder Name.
  • We have updated the ‘In Our Care’ email so that the arranging branch gets cc’d in the email.
  • We added a new email template trigger (Invoiced Arrangements) where you can set an email to send out after a chosen amount of days.
  • We have updated the Donations Receipts Report to include Gift Aid.
  • We have updated the Schedule to highlight in red if there is missing transportation.
  • We had added new Correspondence Manager fields under the following Categories:
      • Transportation
      • Custom Fields
      • Accounts
  • We have added a filter to the email templates to improve usability when adding email correspondence fields.
  • We have updated the Funeral Plan Templates so that when adding Products, they are listed in alphabetical order.

Bug Fixes

  • We rectified the problem where certain price/costs weren’t pulling through to the Sales pages for particular products.
  • We fixed the issue where pending Suppliers were able to be entered without a Name.
  • We have rectified the issue where the Limousine product would not pull through to the Itinerary if the word ‘limousine’ was not included in the product name.
  • We have fixed the issue where the Music wasn’t displaying in the correct order if it was spread across the Ceremony and Committal.
  • We rectified the issue where the ‘OK’ button wasn’t available when a ‘Cost’ and ‘Price’ was added to a product on the Sales page for particular products.
  • We have fixed the issue where the showing off additional ‘Condolences’ wasn’t displaying properly.
  • We rectified the issue where Users who completed tasks on the Workflow wouldn’t appear if they had been deactivated.
  • We have fixed the issue where the ‘Full Aged Debt Report’ was including Write-Offs from cancelled arrangements.
  • We have rectified the issue where emails would not send if they had out of date email correspondence fields contained.
  • We have fixed the issue where the product description would no longer appear on the Sales page if the Supplier was added after the Product was added.
  • We rectified the issue where the Grave Digger product would revert to it’s original price/cost and description (if edited) if an amendment was made to the ceremony page.
Released 28th March 2023

Changes

  • We have added the Deceased’s Date of Birth (if known) and the First Call Notes to the email or text that is sent to the funeral service teams.
  • We have updated the correspondence manager to include lower case fields.
  • We have added the option to send the auto ‘In our care’ emails to the Funeral Director and/or the Branch, this can be set up in the branch admin area.
  • We have revised the donations tab so that (if required) a single donation can be made across multiple charities.
  • We have added the ability to add/update the date of an Ashes Interment after the Final Account has been created.
  • We added the ability to edit Funeral Plan product descriptions after they have been ‘Approved’.
  • We have added a tick box to either display or not display inactive Products, Funeral Plan Templates, Job Sub Types and Users.
  • We have changed the name of the ‘Ashes in our Care’ report to ‘Ashes in and Left our Care’ and added an additional column “Left Our Care” to be populated when ashes are marked as collected via the arrangement.
  • We had added the ability to record Jewellery items on the First Call, which will pull through to the arrangement upon conversion.
  • We have added a new ‘Jewellery in and left our care’ report.
  • We added a BACS payment option on the the Fees Payments.
  • We have added the ability to record the deceased condition on the First Call, which will pull through to the arrangement upon conversion.
  • We have revised the Prices List Report to include an additional column to show the ‘Cost’ to the Funeral Director.

Bug Fixes

  • We rectified the problem where the Funeral Plan products weren’t included when linking products in the ‘Pending Suppliers’.
  • We fixed the issue where the page when clicking ‘back’ after selecting a service team in the Fleet set up, doesn’t load.
  • We have rectified the issue where the list of branches would not appear when adding an Appointment to eFD via a mobile phone.
  • We have fixed the issue where the mortuary capacity couldn’t be updated. There will now be a flag to make sure the branch name is unique.
  • We rectified the issue where the ‘&’ symbol wouldn’t register when searching to add a supplier to a product.
Released 27th February 2023

Changes

  • We have added the ability to be able to undo and cancel jobs (additional permissions will have to be assigned to the relevant users).
  • We have updated the dashboard widgets so they will no longer include any migrated arrangement statistics.
  • We have updated the ‘Transport’ tab to allow for if the ceremony and committal are on different days. There will be a toggle on the ‘Transport’ tab to activate this.
  • We have revised the wording on the ‘Embalming Ticket’ & Clothing & Personal Effects’ documents to say ‘Visiting’ instead of ‘Viewing’.
  • We had added the ability to add up to 3 of your own custom fields to the arrangement statistics.
  • We have updated the ‘Coffin Sales Report’ so that the coffins are ordered by name, then by price. We have also included a ‘Summary by FD’ and a ‘Summary by FA’.
  • We have added a ‘Job Sub Type’ column at the beginning of the ‘Repatriations Report’.
  • We have added the ability to archive old purchase orders (additional permissions will have to be assigned to the relevant users).
  • We had added the date to the Transport allocation email.

Bug Fixes

  • We rectified the problem where the itinerary wouldn’t auto attach to the email which have been set up to include it.
  • We fixed the issue where the company admin sub menu wouldn’t collapse.
  • We have rectified the issue where the dairy would display a funeral that was split over more than one day on the one tile so that it now populates on the appropriate times.
Released 30th January 2023

Changes

  • We enhanced Xero integration with the following features:
      • Changing the way we allocate payments, overpayments and credit notes (This will stop eFD creating multiple invoices in Xero if an allocation fails)
      • Allow the processing of overpayments
      • Allow the adding of refunds (maximum of the amount in credit)
      • Show a ‘Warning’ message if any allocations couldn’t complete (e.g. Invoice not in approved state)
      • If the Xero sync fails for any reason – a new button will appear in the Accounts tab ‘Retry Xero Sync’ for the user to attempt the synchronisation again
  • We have updated the ‘Existing Inscription’ from a field to a text box
  • We have updated the ‘Arrangements’ tab to save filters
  • We have added a preview of inscription on the ‘Memorial’ tab
  • We have added a flag on the ‘Jewellery & Personal Effects’ section for ‘No Items’
  • We have added visiting options fields to our correspondence manager
  • We have enhanced our ‘First Calls’ by adding a ‘Correspondence’ tab
  • We have added the ability to record a deceased person’s condition

Bug Fixes

  • We rectified the problem that images couldn’t be copied and pasted into email footers
  • We fixed the ‘Arrangements tab search filed to allow for names with with spaces
  • We fixed the problem where a branch user was unable to edit PO’s
  • We fixed a problem preventing certain fields from pulling through on the first call emails
  • We resolved the issue where the mortuary dashboard included mortuary spaces for removed/deleted branches
  • We fixed the issue where the donation tab doesn’t stop loading after the integration connection is lost
  • We resolved the problem where card payments from generated from an address in the US don’t go through
Released 19th December 2022

Changes

  • We enhanced the Finance Export function with the following features:
      • Product category
      • Product sub-category
      • Write on/offs
      • Client full name, address & contact details
      • Payment ‘paid by’
      • Reversed payments
    • We added ‘Angola’ to the list of Countries
    • We updated the ‘Product List’ report to include Product Description
    • We created new reporting for People Management

Online Memorial Pages & MuchLoved Integration

  • We enhanced the ‘Online Memorial Pages’ to include a photo upload allowing Users to bypass the Client portal when requiring a photo to be added to the online memorial page
  • We redesigned the ‘Online Memorial Pages’ box for MuchLoved Users to separate some ML specific features
  • We are pleased to introduce a branch new feature for MuchLoved Users of ‘Themes’ something until now had to be added via the MuchLoved tribute page, this can now be done via eFD

Bug Fixes

  • We rectified the missing fields when linking a contact (relationship and contact by)
  • We removed the ability to manually change the first call status to ‘converted’ to prevent Users from doing this as it causes complications with the removal process
  • We fixed the Coroners removal ‘nature of incident’ and ‘comments’ fields to ensure the full detail is saved and displayed regardless of the length
  • We added a ‘spinner’ for when converting a Coroners removal to an Arrangement
  • We fixed a problem preventing a payment from being displayed if accessed via a Dashboard link
  • We resolved the time out issue when searching for ‘closed/received’ purchase orders, this includes an amendment to the search function
  • We fixed the issue with the Diary performance
Released 30th November 2022

Changes

  • We enhanced the Preparation tab to accommodate Personal Effects & Jewellery in a more effective way
  • We added a ‘Coffin plate’ text field to the Coffin tab (also added to the Correspondence Manager Word Add-on)
  • We amended the postal address for ‘Perfect Choice Funeral Plans’
  • We added a new field to the Correspondence Manager Word Add-on for Donations – ‘Total including gift aid’
  • We added a DOB field to the ‘Person paying for a plan’ contact type for Golden Leaves funeral plans

Funeral Safe 

  • This month we are pleased to launch our integration with Funeral Safe for arrangements 

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an intermittent problem with the first call job sub type selection
  • We resolved an display issue for ‘instalment admin fee’ for funeral plans
Released 31st October 2022

Changes

  • We created a new dashboard widget ‘Donations to be paid’
  • We enhanced the ‘Preparation’ tab with fields for ‘Style hair’ and ‘ID checked’
  • We added a new field for ‘Visiting’ to indicate if there is an intention to visit, we moved the existing options too, they are now above the date/time fields
  • We added a link from the parent arrangement to linked Sundry/Masonry arrangements
  • We moved the ‘Create Sundry/Masonry arrangement’ button to a separate box on the relevant tabs to help with usability of the Ashes Interment & Masonry tabs
  • We created a ‘Notes’ field on the Ashes Interment tab
  • We enhanced the Transport tab for Repatriation arrangements to allow various dates to be selected
  • We enhanced the Schedule & Diary to include Repatriation arrangement details 
  • We created a new report for ‘General Client Letter’ this can be used for any Client mailout 
  • We added new fields to the data warehouse including – Client address, Consent to be contact yes/no, Embalming, Viewing and more… 

Funeral Safe – Phase I

  • This month we are pleased to launch our integration with Funeral Safe initially for Funeral Plan sales via Golden Leaves (Phase II is coming next month and this includes this feature for arrangements)

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the misplaced payment display on Masonry arrangements
  • We resolved a message error on the creation of funeral plan templates
Released 26th September 2022

Changes

  • We created a new dashboard widget ‘Donation Payments to be Approved’
  • We developed a new dashboard widget ‘Upcoming Ashes Interments’
  • We adjusted the logic for arrangement creation to allow the edit of the ‘Branch’ on arrangements where the status is ‘New’ (once ‘Confirmed’ the branch will not be able to be changed)
  • We enhanced the ‘Visiting’ function on the Preparation tab to include a ‘Notes’ box
  • We enhanced the Xero integration allowing ‘payment IDs’ to be displayed on payments in eFD
  • We updated the name of ‘Ecclesiastical Planning Services’
  • We redesigned the ‘Create User’ modal, the redesign includes allocation of ‘Branch’ during User creation
  • We adjusted the ‘Roles’ list to be in alphabetical order 
  • We enhanced the Service Information and personalisation function of the Client Portal to prevent changes in eFD updating any personalisation 
  • We amended the logic for Purchase Orders to prevent them from being removed once ‘Received’ if a product is changed at an arrangement level

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the issue with bulk releasing Purchase Orders from query
  • We resolved the issue that prevented the automatic Purchase Order audit from updating this month
  • We fixed the display error on the First Call>Removal tab to ensure the ‘Team Manager’ is displayed on the preview once entered
  • We resolved the problem with the Team Manager on ‘Transfers’
  • We fixed the occasional error when marking a ‘Job’ as ‘Complete’
  • We resolved the issue preventing MuchLoved branches from being assigned to Company>Branches (this will automatically be updated after the update)
  • We continued to investigate and enhance logging for when arrangements are occasionally created without displaying an arrangement number 
Released 31st August 2022

Changes

  • We enhanced the NYD flag on First Calls. The flag is now visible on the main ‘First Call’ view and a new filter for NYD only is available 
  • We added a NYD flag to the ‘First Calls’ report and ‘Open First Calls’ dashboard widget
  • We enhanced the Appointment Diary ‘Type>Other’ to include an ‘all day’ flag
  • We added an ‘Infection’ flag to removals and transfer on the ‘Jobs’ tab
  • We developed the ‘Arrangements Report’ to include arrangements invoice date and value, and additional date filters
  • We added ‘Branch Bank Details’ to our Correspondence Manager Word Add-on 
  • We created a new ‘Funeral Plan’ company – ‘County Funerals Ltd’
  • We adjusted the logic of the ‘Upcoming Funerals’ dashboard widget to mirror the logic from the new ‘Funerals by Funeral Director’ widget – all funerals will be displayed from the moment they are created, prior to a ceremony/committal date being entered 
  • We enhanced the Golden Leaves integration further 

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the issue occasionally causing arrangements to be created without displaying an Arrangement Reference
  • We resolved the problem causing a delay to the deceased person status updating when actions were completed
  • We resolved the issue causing pending removals to be hidden on the Mortuary Dashboard when the First Call is converted to an Arrangement prior to the removal being completed
  • We fixed the issue preventing ‘Pending’ purchase orders automatically updating to ‘Received’ when the invoice has been received against the purchase order and the Purchase order is then approved
Released 25th July 2022

Changes

  • We enhanced the Xero integration by adding the ‘invoice ID’ to the Account>Finance tab
  • We added additional logic to Xero payments to allow them to be ‘reversed’
  • We enhanced our API to allow customisation for ‘online donations’
  • We enhanced our integration with TrustPilot following our new partnership

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the rounding difference of VAT on the Correspondence Manager 
Released 27th June 2022

Changes

  • We amended the Charity display to show the address ‘Town’ to assist with the selection of charities via Arrangements
  • We enhanced the ‘Funeral by Funeral Director’ widget to use funeral creation date
  • We added an ‘Address Name’ field to the NOK entry on First Calls to be consistent with address fields elsewhere in eFD 
  • We updated the Memory Giving admin settings to allow further configuration to the integration 

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the performance issues on the Arrangement Data Warehouse
Released 30th May 2022

New Integrations

  • Life Ledger is a free easy-to-use service helping families deal with death notifications, partnering with them gives you even easier access to their services, enabling families to notify over 900 service providers of their loss by the click of a button within eFD
  • Stripe is a card payment provider, the new integration allows card payments to be taken directly in eFD via arrangements (including donations) and the Client Portal

Changes

  • We amended the name of the ‘PFD/ROP’ Dashboard to ‘Management’
  • We created a new dashboard widget found on the ‘Management’ dashboard for ‘Funerals Per Funeral Director’
  • We enhanced the Mortuary Dashboard filter function to allow the selection of multiple business area and branches
  • We created a data warehouse for Funeral Plans to assist with reporting
  • We added ‘Community Event Source’ to the Statistics>Arrangements data warehouse
  • We made further enhancements to our data import tool to assist with importing your data 

Bug Fixes

  • We resolved the problem causing the duplication of the ‘Officiant Confirmation’ document type on Arrangements
  • We fixed the display issue with email attachment names
  • We resolved the blank entry display on the ‘First Call Report’ when a first call is created via an entry on your external website using the ‘Appointment Booking’ feature with the API 
Released 27th April 2022

Changes

  • We added ‘Bank Detail’ fields to Branch admin, this will be added to the Correspondence Manager soon
  • We enhanced User Admin to allow more than 25 Users to be displayed 
  • We created a new donation type for ‘Direct to Charity’ 
  • We enhanced the data import tool in order to assist with new & existing Client data migrations and provide support when prices change

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the bug causing cancelled Arrangements to be displayed on the ‘Arrangements’ report
  • We corrected the issue with the ‘completed’ button on the Bereavement Support dashboard widget 
Released 28th March 2022

Phase IV of the brand new Mortuary Management Dashboard:

  • Display a deceased person from the moment a removal is marked as ‘required’ – this includes when first calls and arrangements are in the status ‘awaiting collection’
  • New alert & filter for ‘critical’ status based on the logic of incomplete tasks 1 day before visiting and/or 2 days before funeral 
  • Additions to display:
    • Date of death
    • Infection 
    • Medical device
  • Search function
  • Logic to handle coffin preparation tasks marked as ‘Not applicable’ as complete 

Changes

  • We enhanced the Trustpilot integration to include an email template selection
  • We created a new Dashboard widget for ‘Sundry arrangements to be invoiced’
  • We updated the Memory Giving payment codes
  • We enhanced the Client portal admin area

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the bug causing a charity to be removed from an arrangement if deleted from the global charity list 
  • We corrected the ‘Scatter instruction’ display on the Ceremony tab
  • We fixed an problem causing masonry payments to occasionally be hidden
Released 28th February 2022
  • Our brand new Mortuary Management Dashboard 
  • We added the ‘Starting’ transport address to the Transport allocation email
  • We removed the business area restriction on Arrangement transfers allowing you to create transfers across any branch companywide
  • We updated the address for Plan with Grace & Ecclesiastical Planning Services 
  • We enhanced the Correspondence Manager Microsoft Word add-on and email lookups with many additional fields 
  • We added the ‘Date of Death’ to the First Calls Report
  • We added the Deceased person name to the Coroners removals ‘Job’ preview available on the Jobs tab
Released 24th January 2022

Changes

  • We added the ‘Deceased person’ surname to ‘Ashes collection’ on the Schedule
  • We created a new field for ‘Gestation’ on the Deceased person tab including a ‘Notes’ field 
  • We developed a new report for ‘Ashes in our Care’ 
  • We added 2 new payment types for Funeral Plans
  • We added the ‘Transport’ tab to Repatriation arrangements
  • We amended the search of the global contacts to allow Users to filter by Country
  • We added 3 new Funeral Plan providers
  • Following User feedback we have amended the logic for the automatic check of ‘Clear to Embalm’ on our Preparation tab – more information on this can be found in the eFD Help Centre
Released 13th December 2021
  • Donation receipts & refunds report
    • We enhanced the filter to allow for for ‘transaction’ date
    • We added the ‘closing’ date
    • We added the ‘donor name’
  • We added 21 x repatriation fields to the Correspondence Manager Word add-on & email template lookups
  • We added 5 funeral plan providers 
  • We enhanced the Repatriation arrangement type with the addition of the ‘Preparation’ tab

One of our main focuses for November-December was fixing outstanding issues

  • We fixed the ‘Vehicle usage report’ – over time changes made to the Vehicle products and Transport tab had prevented the report from working properly
  • We resolved the issue allowing a funeral plan to be submitted twice if put on hold 
  • We fixed the problem with the ‘Deceased location’ on the Schedule download
  • We fixed the issue preventing the correct contact from being presented on the default eFD masonry estimate
  • We fixed the problem preventing the manual entry of a Stone location on the Memorial tab
  • We resolved the issue resulting in cancelled arrangements being present on the Funeral Service Team dashboard
  • We fixed an issue with the ‘Sold funeral plans’ report
  • We amended the funeral plan search to allow for the search of the funeral plan number (if entered for another provided)
  • We resolved the problem preventing ‘Fees payments’ from exporting to Xero when approved via the main ‘Fees payment’ tab
  • We fixed the issue preventing the Finance Export from ignoring the exported flag
Released 22nd November 2021
  • We amended the VAT rate functionality to allow legacy arrangements with VAT to calculate the correct VAT for the time period 
  • We enhanced the performance of the Dashboard by warehousing the ‘Workflow by Arrangements’ widget

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the issue preventing the Client pulling through to the ‘Invitations to Memorial Service’ report
  • We fixed the problem 
  • We fixed the Bereavement Support dashboard widget
Released 25th October 2021

Further changes made to Support you adhere to the CMA’s Funerals Market Order

  • We added the ‘Product Data’ to the eFD API
  • We enhanced the Deceased Person’s Location function;
    • Updating the location manually is now position based
    • Movements are audited 
    • Location and movements are available via the Correspondence Manager and email lookup field

Other updates following User feedback

  • We created a ‘Workflow by Arrangements’ summary dashboard widget that displays all arrangements outstanding workflow tasks
  • We enhanced our diary preview tile to include the Ceremony & Committal venue
  • We added new fields to our Statistics>Arrangements report including
    • Migration reference
    • Ashes interment data
    • Masonry conversion data
  • We increased the expiry date for card payment processing with Opayo to 2030
  • We amended our ‘Invoice and Credit Note’ report to display the funeral and transaction date along with an additional filter function for funeral date 

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the issue causing the ‘Work in progress’ report to include arrangements invoiced on the last working day of the month
  • We fixed the issue preventing Purchase Orders from automatically going into query after 90 days
  • We fixed the issue preventing the ‘up to date’ on the ‘Full aged debt report’ from working correctly 
Released 27th September 2021

Further changes made to Support you adhere to the CMA’s Funerals Market Order

  • We created an additional date filter for 16th June – 31st August
  • We tweaked the title of the Attended and Unattended columns to include ‘CMA’ 

Redesign of the Transport tab

  • We enhanced the transport tab to allow ‘church in advance’ and ‘prior reception’ transport allocations
  • We redesigned the preview of the transport tab to improve visibility
  • We added a ‘starting address’ to be used in addition to the ‘loading address’ if required
  • We enhanced the Schedule to include the new transport options
  • We added logic to only include Sundry arrangements on the Schedule if they have transport allocated 

Other updates 

  • We defaulted the ‘country’ to United Kingdom to assist with data entry where using the MuchLoved integration
  • We enhanced our funeral plan module to include the option to record a ‘Committal Type’ and ‘Committal Venue’

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the issue causing funeral plan documents to pick up the incorrect description via the Correspondence Manager
Released 13th September 2021

Further changes made to Support you adhere to the CMA’s Funerals Market Order

  • We created a second ‘Unattended CMA’ job sub type which has 1 consolidated product for the total price for the ‘Unattended’ funeral
  • We enhanced the Attended & Unattended CMA job sub types to allow the edit of the job sub type after the arrangement is created
  • We created a report and submission area for the CMA report to be produced and submitted directly to the CMA

Other updates following User feedback

  • We added the ‘Loading address’ from the Transport tab to the Arrangement Summary
  • We created new fields on the ‘Ashes interment’ tab for ‘Grave Marker’ and ‘Grave Number’
  • We removed the date/time restriction from the Ashes Interment tab to allow Users to add a location and other details prior to knowing the date/time
  • We enhanced all Sundry arrangements to allow the entry of Transport 
  • We amended the ‘Copy from Ceremony’ flag to copy the date from the Ceremony tab to the Committal and Reception date 
  • We enhanced the Schedule PDF/Word download to include the deceased person ‘Known as’ 
  • We enhanced the Schedule PDF/Word download to show the ‘funeral details’ in bold
  • We added a new field to the Correspondence Manager and Email lookups for ‘account balance minus funeral plan redemption value’

Golden Leaves Integration

  • We tweaked the information sent to Golden Leaves on the submission form

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the issue preventing auto fees from updating when the job sub type is edited following the creation of an arrangement 
Released 25th August 2021

Updates to assist with the CMA’s Funerals Market Order

  • We created 7 default products as defined by the CMA, the name and description cannot be edited. The price and other details can be.
  • We created 2 job sub types – Attended (CMA) & Unattended (CMA), the new job sub types have the products as defined by the CMA automatically allocated to them
  • We enhanced the existing job sub types to allow eFD Experts to identify whether they are ‘Attended’ or ‘Unattended’ funerals (to assist with the reporting required by the CMA)
  • We amended Arrangements where a Attended or Unattended CMA funeral is selected to prevent services outside of the CMAs defined offering being added by Users
  • We created a flag to easily identify the CMA funerals when entering an arrangement as the arrangement is slightly different
  • We enhanced the new CMA funerals to prevent other fees being added via the Additions tab etc

Updates to our Donation function and MuchLoved integration

  • We added a warning for ‘non-online’ charities to notify Users if a Charity selected isn’t set up for online donations with Memory Giving or MuchLoved
  • We added the facility to add ‘Gift Aid’ to offline donations
  • We enhanced the MuchLoved integration to allow the ‘Client’ contact to be sent through as the account ‘Owner’
  • We added ‘Donations Instructions’ to the Donation tab to allow Users to pass through information such as ‘collection for local branch’ etc
  • We added ‘Tribute Information’ to the Deceased person tab to allow Users to pass through updated Tribute titles to MuchLoved
  • We increased the search results when searching for a Charity
  • We created a function to link MuchLoved branches to the branches in eFD to assist with reporting

Golden Leaves Integration

  • We tweaked the Direct Debit integration transaction type

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the number counter on the Dashboard widgets 
  • We increased the limit on the Xero account number length to ensure Sundry arrangements with a long description pass through seamlessly 
  • We removed Supplier payments from the ‘Receipts & Refunds report’
  • We added the ‘Discount’ product to the bottom of our standard Estimate / Final Account
  • We fixed the search function on the diary Arrangement number lookup to ensure all Arrangements are found
Released 26th July 2021

Phase II of our exciting integration with Golden Leaves – allowing you to submit a funeral plan, process a card payment and direct debit details directly to Golden Leaves via eFD

Updates

  • We created a new ‘Open Funeral Plan Enquiries’ dashboard widget
  • We enhanced the Funeral Plan Enquiry function to allow emails to be sent directly from an Enquiry

Updates to our Xero integration

  • We added the ‘XerocontactID’ to Arrangements and Suppliers
  • We improved the Xero error messaging to give Users more information on why the transaction cannot be completed etc.
Released 30th June 2021

An exciting integration with Golden Leaves – allowing you to submit a funeral plan directly to Golden Leaves via eFD

Debtor Status – our new debtor status feature allows you to;

  • Create a bespoke list of statuses (debt recovery, court action etc.)
  • Add a debtor status to each Arrangement
  • Enhance your debtor control with changes to the Aged debt reporting 

Updates

  • We added additional functionality to the Trustpilot admin area to allow a different connection per ‘Branch’
  • We created a function to allow an Arrangement>Transfer to be ‘cancelled’ should one be created in error
  • We developed the option to send a purchase order from a ‘Funeral’ Arrangement manually (prior to the final account being raised)
  • We improved the fields available via Arrangement>Finance>Funeral plan tab allowing you to add the redemption value and todays value for funeral plans

Updates to Reports

  • We added additional fields to our Sales Ledger & Sales Ledger Cashbook Finance Export
  • We added additional fields to our Statistics>Arrangements data warehouse

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an issue causing the ‘Donation’ tab to fall over if the MuchLoved tribute page was manually deleted
  • We fixed an issue causing a discrepancy in the ‘Coffin sales report’
Released 1st June 2021

Bulk debt letter production

  • We created a new function to allow Users with the appropriate permission to produce debt letters in bulk which is administered in a new ‘debt letter settings’ area 

Updates 

  • We added new fields to our Correspondence Manager Microsoft word add-in to include family bearers, bearers, newspaper notice details and additional breakdowns for donations
  • We added 2 new funeral plan providers to the drop down list on the Funeral plan tab

Bug Fixes 

  • We fixed an issue preventing ‘Next of kin’ details pulling through to the Arrangement summary
  • We fixed an issue preventing the ‘Last payment’ being picked up on correspondence if 2 payments had been made on the same day
  • We fixed an issue causing the ‘Arrangements report’ to ignore payment reversal
Released 28th April 2021

Updates to our Client Portal which is launching on 1st May 2021 – more information to follow shortly

Updates to our Xero Integration

    • We enhanced the Xero integration to allow the following transactions to be sent from eFD to Xero;
      • Donation receipt reversals
      • Partially received PO’s
    • We improved the credit note transaction transfer to use the invoice date

Updates to our Trustpilot Integration

  • We changed the Trustpilot review request trigger to ensure the notification is sent to Trustpilot after the funeral has taken place, even if the final account has been raised beforehan

Updates

  • We changed the ‘Interest’ and ‘Interest Payment’ function to allow the reversal/delete of these transactions

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an issue preventing invoice details being stored against partially received PO’s
  • We fixed an issue preventing some filters on the Arrangement>Statistics report not working
  • We fixed an issue preventing the Coroners removal address searching other types of addresses
  • We increased the expiry date for card payments to go up to 2026
Released 29th March 2021

New Integrations

  • Opayo previously known as Sage Pay – our new integration enables card payments to be processed in eFD via a secure payment gateway with 8 card payment providers 
  • Trustpilot – our new integration enables you to submit the review request trigger to Trustpilot upon an action within eFD

Updates to Correspondence Manager & Email Template lookup fields

  • 1, 2, 3 – Charity name & address
  • Ashes Casket product, size, info
  • Ashes interment details
  • Coffin colour
  • Fittings colour
  • Gown
  • Instructions for Clothing Removal
  • Job description
  • Newspaper publish date
  • Preparation>embalming required
  • Religion
  • Scatter instructions
  • Transport note

Updates to reports

  • We enhanced the ‘Arrangements Report’
    • Addition of job type
    • Sub job type
    • Total by branch

Bug Fixes

    • We fixed an issue that caused the ‘Funerals report’ to not filter by certain job sub types
    • We fixed an issue that prevented the Officiant being added to the Ashes Interment tab if there were 2 Officiant products
Released 3rd March 2021

Updates to Diary

  • We enhanced the diary function to make it easier to use at a first glance
    • Arrangement/Appointment have been split into 2 categories
    • Arrangements are automatically filtered to give a clear view at a glance of the Arrangement bookings in place
    • Vehicle requirements have been added to the diary tile – if an Arrangement has 1 hearse and 1 limousine you will see ‘H1 L1’ on the diary tile
    • Other appointments can be added by selecting the filter options (as they can be currently)
  • We improved the information available when the diary tile is selected
    • All Transport & Ceremony details are now shown here in time order

Updates to Schedules

  • We made additional fields available on the Schedule PDF/Word download. We will meet with each Client individually on this over the upcoming weeks, to ensure the Schedule function is used in the best way for each Client
  • We added a bulk production of the ‘Arrangement Summary’ available from the Schedule tab

Update to Reports

  • We changed the ‘Funerals report’ to group together by ‘Branch name’ rather than ‘Brand code’ to allow duplicate codes to be used if required

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an issue that caused some Transport address names to appear twice
  • We fixed an issue preventing the Purchase Order export being produced when filtered for ‘Received’ purchase orders
  • We fixed an issue preventing arrangements that are in the ‘Clear to embalm’ status appearing on the ‘In our care’ report
Released 15th February 2021

Updates

  • We added the Transport to the ‘Appointments’ diary preview
  • We enhanced the Preparation tab to include a ‘Clear to embalm’ flag
  • New deceased person status ‘Clear to embalm’
  • We improved the Branch/Business Area admin area to allow branches/business areas to be deleted or deactivated – if Arrangements have been created against the branch/business area it can be deactivated – if Arrangements have not been created against the branch/business area, it can be deleted

Updates to Schedules

  • We changed the link to an Arrangement on the Schedule to take you straight to the ‘Transport’ tab
  • We added the ‘Coffin’ to the Schedule
  • We changed the logic to allow ‘Bearers’ that have been added via the Transport tab to feed through to the Schedule, even if they have not been assigned to a Vehicle
  • We added ‘Transport Notes’ to the Schedule, these can be added/amended in 2 places -Schedule or Arrangement, both places are updated when a change is made (don’t worry, other notes can still be added if required)
  • We amended the Schedule PDF/Word export to make better use of the space available, note that the funeral details are now to the left rather than in the middle

Updates to reports

  • We renamed the ‘Uninvoiced Jobs Report’ to be ‘Uninvoiced Arrangements Report’
  • We enhanced the ‘Uninvoiced Arrangements Report’ to include a date field, if the job type is a funeral – the date is the committal date, if the job type is a sundry/masonry/repatriation – the date is the creation date

Bug Fixes

    • We have worked hard to improve the performance throughout eFD over the last few deployments, further changes have now been made
    • We fixed an issue that caused pending ad-hoc purchase orders, to not export once approved 
    • We fixed an issue that caused an anomaly on the ‘Aged Debt’ dashboard widget
Released 25th January 2021

Updates

  • We have created a new ‘Arrangements Report’ which shows all Arrangements by created date. We are adding some additional fields to this report (committal type, job type, job sub type & total by branch) in the next release
  • We have enhanced First Calls to allow ‘Gender’ and ‘Contact By’ to be added, these fields are not mandatory so can be added later via the Arrangement 
  • We have added the ‘Address Name’ to the Schedule print out

Bug Fixes

  • A number of Users will be aware of the performances issues around the ‘Jobs’ tab, we have added additional optimisation to improve performance here
  • We have improved the layout of the ‘Schedule’ print out to remove the phantom spacer that caused the ‘Transport’ to be squashed, further improvements are being released in the next update
Released 6th January 2021

Updates

  • We have developed our Finance Export to allow a ‘Nominal Code’ to be added for a ‘Cashbook Export’
  • We have enhanced our Removal function to allow multiple Teams to be assigned to a Removal
  • We have made 2 changes to the Correspondence Manager to add ‘Funeral Arranger’ and ‘Special Attention’
  • We have developed our Diary & Schedule consolidated view to include ‘Daily Notes’ added via our Schedule tab
  • We have improved our data import function to allow more flexibility when assisting our Customers with a data migration
Released 14th December 2020

Updates

  • We have enhanced our Xero Integration capability to allow integration with Multiple Xero accounts per company
  • We have developed our Xero Integration to give more flexibility to each company to indicate whether the address on a Purchase Order should be the default company address, or a different address from Xero
  • We have made 2 changes to the Correspondence Manager to add ‘Visiting’ to a list and allow ‘Payments’ to include reversals

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an issue that prevented ‘Ashes Collections’ from filtering based on the filters selected via our Schedule tab
  • We fixed an issue that prevent Users from linking a ‘Payment Supplier’
  • We fixed an issue that prevented automatic Schedule emails from being sent to User groups
Released 23rd November 2020

Updates

  • We enhanced the Preparation tab to allow additional information to be added
  • We have included all new Preparation tab fields in the Correspondence Manager Word Add-in which will allow additional information to be produced on workshop correspondence
  • We added the Schedule Vehicle information to the Diary/Schedule consolidated view
Released 11th November 2020

Updates

  • We have developed a ‘Full Aged Debt Report’ which shows all Arrangement types and can be created retrospectively
  • We enhanced the PWG Interest rate to allow 2 different interest methods/rates
  • We changed the ‘Hymns’ in eFD to be a standard list which all Users have access to
  • We have added an additional breakdown of VAT & Gross figures for Fee & Disbursement totals on the Correspondence Manager Word Add-In

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an issue that caused partially received Purchase Orders to update the ‘Cost’ of the product
  • We fixed an issue that prevented some partially received Purchase Orders being reversed
Released 30th January 2023

Changes

  • We enhanced Xero integration with the following features:
      • Changing the way we allocate payments, overpayments and credit notes (This will stop eFD creating multiple invoices in Xero if an allocation fails)
      • Allow the processing of overpayments
      • Allow the adding of refunds (maximum of the amount in credit)
      • Show a ‘Warning’ message if any allocations couldn’t complete (e.g. Invoice not in approved state)
      • If the Xero sync fails for any reason – a new button will appear in the Accounts tab ‘Retry Xero Sync’ for the user to attempt the synchronisation again
  • We have updated the ‘Existing Inscription’ from a field to a text box
  • We have updated the ‘Arrangements’ tab to save filters
  • We have added a preview of inscription on the ‘Memorial’ tab
  • We have added a flag on the ‘Jewellery & Personal Effects’ section for ‘No Items’
  • We have added visiting options fields to our correspondence manager
  • We have enhanced our ‘First Calls’ by adding a ‘Correspondence’ tab
  • We have added the ability to record a deceased person’s condition (for CMA auditing)
Bug Fixes
  • We rectified the problem that images couldn’t be copied and pasted into email footers
  • We fixed the ‘Arrangements tab search filed to allow for names with with spaces
  • We fixed the problem where a branch user was unable to edit PO’s
  • We fixed a problem preventing certain fields from pulling through on the first call emails
  • We resolved the issue where the mortuary dashboard included mortuary spaces for removed/deleted branches
  • We fixed the issue where the donation tab doesn’t stop loading after the integration connection is lost
  • We resolved the problem where card payments from generated from an address in the US don’t go through
Released 19th December 2022

Changes

  • We enhanced the Finance Export function with the following features:
      • Product category
      • Product sub-category
      • Write on/offs
      • Client full name, address & contact details
      • Payment ‘paid by’
      • Reversed payments
    • We added ‘Angola’ to the list of Countries
    • We updated the ‘Product List’ report to include Product Description
    • We created new reporting for People Management

Online Memorial Pages & MuchLoved Integration

  • We enhanced the ‘Online Memorial Pages’ to include a photo upload allowing Users to bypass the Client portal when requiring a photo to be added to the online memorial page
  • We redesigned the ‘Online Memorial Pages’ box for MuchLoved Users to separate some ML specific features
  • We are pleased to introduce a branch new feature for MuchLoved Users of ‘Themes’ something until now had to be added via the MuchLoved tribute page, this can now be done via eFD

Bug Fixes

  • We rectified the missing fields when linking a contact (relationship and contact by)
  • We removed the ability to manually change the first call status to ‘converted’ to prevent Users from doing this as it causes complications with the removal process
  • We fixed the Coroners removal ‘nature of incident’ and ‘comments’ fields to ensure the full detail is saved and displayed regardless of the length
  • We added a ‘spinner’ for when converting a Coroners removal to an Arrangement
  • We fixed a problem preventing a payment from being displayed if accessed via a Dashboard link
  • We resolved the time out issue when searching for ‘closed/received’ purchase orders, this includes an amendment to the search function
  • We fixed the issue with the Diary performance
Released 30th November 2022

Changes

  • We enhanced the Preparation tab to accommodate Personal Effects & Jewellery in a more effective way
  • We added a ‘Coffin plate’ text field to the Coffin tab (also added to the Correspondence Manager Word Add-on)
  • We amended the postal address for ‘Perfect Choice Funeral Plans’
  • We added a new field to the Correspondence Manager Word Add-on for Donations – ‘Total including gift aid’
  • We added a DOB field to the ‘Person paying for a plan’ contact type for Golden Leaves funeral plans

Funeral Safe 

  • This month we are pleased to launch our integration with Funeral Safe for arrangements 

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an intermittent problem with the first call job sub type selection
  • We resolved an display issue for ‘instalment admin fee’ for funeral plans
Released 31st October 2022

Changes

  • We created a new dashboard widget ‘Donations to be paid’
  • We enhanced the ‘Preparation’ tab with fields for ‘Style hair’ and ‘ID checked’
  • We added a new field for ‘Visiting’ to indicate if there is an intention to visit, we moved the existing options too, they are now above the date/time fields
  • We added a link from the parent arrangement to linked Sundry/Masonry arrangements
  • We moved the ‘Create Sundry/Masonry arrangement’ button to a separate box on the relevant tabs to help with usability of the Ashes Interment & Masonry tabs
  • We created a ‘Notes’ field on the Ashes Interment tab
  • We enhanced the Transport tab for Repatriation arrangements to allow various dates to be selected
  • We enhanced the Schedule & Diary to include Repatriation arrangement details 
  • We created a new report for ‘General Client Letter’ this can be used for any Client mailout 
  • We added new fields to the data warehouse including – Client address, Consent to be contact yes/no, Embalming, Viewing and more… 

Funeral Safe – Phase I

  • This month we are pleased to launch our integration with Funeral Safe initially for Funeral Plan sales via Golden Leaves (Phase II is coming next month and this includes this feature for arrangements)

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the misplaced payment display on Masonry arrangements
  • We resolved a message error on the creation of funeral plan templates
Released 26th September 2022

Changes

  • We created a new dashboard widget ‘Donation Payments to be Approved’
  • We developed a new dashboard widget ‘Upcoming Ashes Interments’
  • We adjusted the logic for arrangement creation to allow the edit of the ‘Branch’ on arrangements where the status is ‘New’ (once ‘Confirmed’ the branch will not be able to be changed)
  • We enhanced the ‘Visiting’ function on the Preparation tab to include a ‘Notes’ box
  • We enhanced the Xero integration allowing ‘payment IDs’ to be displayed on payments in eFD
  • We updated the name of ‘Ecclesiastical Planning Services’
  • We redesigned the ‘Create User’ modal, the redesign includes allocation of ‘Branch’ during User creation
  • We adjusted the ‘Roles’ list to be in alphabetical order 
  • We enhanced the Service Information and personalisation function of the Client Portal to prevent changes in eFD updating any personalisation 
  • We amended the logic for Purchase Orders to prevent them from being removed once ‘Received’ if a product is changed at an arrangement level

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the issue with bulk releasing Purchase Orders from query
  • We resolved the issue that prevented the automatic Purchase Order audit from updating this month
  • We fixed the display error on the First Call>Removal tab to ensure the ‘Team Manager’ is displayed on the preview once entered
  • We resolved the problem with the Team Manager on ‘Transfers’
  • We fixed the occasional error when marking a ‘Job’ as ‘Complete’
  • We resolved the issue preventing MuchLoved branches from being assigned to Company>Branches (this will automatically be updated after the update)
  • We continued to investigate and enhance logging for when arrangements are occasionally created without displaying an arrangement number 
Released 31st August 2022

Changes

  • We enhanced the NYD flag on First Calls. The flag is now visible on the main ‘First Call’ view and a new filter for NYD only is available 
  • We added a NYD flag to the ‘First Calls’ report and ‘Open First Calls’ dashboard widget
  • We enhanced the Appointment Diary ‘Type>Other’ to include an ‘all day’ flag
  • We added an ‘Infection’ flag to removals and transfer on the ‘Jobs’ tab
  • We developed the ‘Arrangements Report’ to include arrangements invoice date and value, and additional date filters
  • We added ‘Branch Bank Details’ to our Correspondence Manager Word Add-on 
  • We created a new ‘Funeral Plan’ company – ‘County Funerals Ltd’
  • We adjusted the logic of the ‘Upcoming Funerals’ dashboard widget to mirror the logic from the new ‘Funerals by Funeral Director’ widget – all funerals will be displayed from the moment they are created, prior to a ceremony/committal date being entered 
  • We enhanced the Golden Leaves integration further 

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the issue occasionally causing arrangements to be created without displaying an Arrangement Reference
  • We resolved the problem causing a delay to the deceased person status updating when actions were completed
  • We resolved the issue causing pending removals to be hidden on the Mortuary Dashboard when the First Call is converted to an Arrangement prior to the removal being completed
  • We fixed the issue preventing ‘Pending’ purchase orders automatically updating to ‘Received’ when the invoice has been received against the purchase order and the Purchase order is then approved
Released 25th July 2022

Changes

  • We enhanced the Xero integration by adding the ‘invoice ID’ to the Account>Finance tab
  • We added additional logic to Xero payments to allow them to be ‘reversed’
  • We enhanced our API to allow customisation for ‘online donations’
  • We enhanced our integration with TrustPilot following our new partnership

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the rounding difference of VAT on the Correspondence Manager 
Released 27th June 2022

Changes

  • We amended the Charity display to show the address ‘Town’ to assist with the selection of charities via Arrangements
  • We enhanced the ‘Funeral by Funeral Director’ widget to use funeral creation date
  • We added an ‘Address Name’ field to the NOK entry on First Calls to be consistent with address fields elsewhere in eFD 
  • We updated the Memory Giving admin settings to allow further configuration to the integration 

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the performance issues on the Arrangement Data Warehouse
Released 30th May 2022

New Integrations

  • Life Ledger is a free easy-to-use service helping families deal with death notifications, partnering with them gives you even easier access to their services, enabling families to notify over 900 service providers of their loss by the click of a button within eFD
  • Stripe is a card payment provider, the new integration allows card payments to be taken directly in eFD via arrangements (including donations) and the Client Portal

Changes

  • We amended the name of the ‘PFD/ROP’ Dashboard to ‘Management’
  • We created a new dashboard widget found on the ‘Management’ dashboard for ‘Funerals Per Funeral Director’
  • We enhanced the Mortuary Dashboard filter function to allow the selection of multiple business area and branches
  • We created a data warehouse for Funeral Plans to assist with reporting
  • We added ‘Community Event Source’ to the Statistics>Arrangements data warehouse
  • We made further enhancements to our data import tool to assist with importing your data 

Bug Fixes

  • We resolved the problem causing the duplication of the ‘Officiant Confirmation’ document type on Arrangements
  • We fixed the display issue with email attachment names
  • We resolved the blank entry display on the ‘First Call Report’ when a first call is created via an entry on your external website using the ‘Appointment Booking’ feature with the API 
Released 27th April 2022

Changes

  • We added ‘Bank Detail’ fields to Branch admin, this will be added to the Correspondence Manager soon
  • We enhanced User Admin to allow more than 25 Users to be displayed 
  • We created a new donation type for ‘Direct to Charity’ 
  • We enhanced the data import tool in order to assist with new & existing Client data migrations and provide support when prices change

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the bug causing cancelled Arrangements to be displayed on the ‘Arrangements’ report
  • We corrected the issue with the ‘completed’ button on the Bereavement Support dashboard widget 
Released 28th March 2022

Phase IV of the brand new Mortuary Management Dashboard:

  • Display a deceased person from the moment a removal is marked as ‘required’ – this includes when first calls and arrangements are in the status ‘awaiting collection’
  • New alert & filter for ‘critical’ status based on the logic of incomplete tasks 1 day before visiting and/or 2 days before funeral 
  • Additions to display:
    • Date of death
    • Infection 
    • Medical device
  • Search function
  • Logic to handle coffin preparation tasks marked as ‘Not applicable’ as complete 

Changes

  • We enhanced the Trustpilot integration to include an email template selection
  • We created a new Dashboard widget for ‘Sundry arrangements to be invoiced’
  • We updated the Memory Giving payment codes
  • We enhanced the Client portal admin area

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the bug causing a charity to be removed from an arrangement if deleted from the global charity list 
  • We corrected the ‘Scatter instruction’ display on the Ceremony tab
  • We fixed an problem causing masonry payments to occasionally be hidden
Released 28th February 2022
  • Our brand new Mortuary Management Dashboard 
  • We added the ‘Starting’ transport address to the Transport allocation email
  • We removed the business area restriction on Arrangement transfers allowing you to create transfers across any branch companywide
  • We updated the address for Plan with Grace & Ecclesiastical Planning Services 
  • We enhanced the Correspondence Manager Microsoft Word add-on and email lookups with many additional fields 
  • We added the ‘Date of Death’ to the First Calls Report
  • We added the Deceased person name to the Coroners removals ‘Job’ preview available on the Jobs tab
Released 24th January 2022

Changes

  • We added the ‘Deceased person’ surname to ‘Ashes collection’ on the Schedule
  • We created a new field for ‘Gestation’ on the Deceased person tab including a ‘Notes’ field 
  • We developed a new report for ‘Ashes in our Care’ 
  • We added 2 new payment types for Funeral Plans
  • We added the ‘Transport’ tab to Repatriation arrangements
  • We amended the search of the global contacts to allow Users to filter by Country
  • We added 3 new Funeral Plan providers
  • Following User feedback we have amended the logic for the automatic check of ‘Clear to Embalm’ on our Preparation tab – more information on this can be found in the eFD Help Centre
Released 13th December 2021
  • Donation receipts & refunds report
    • We enhanced the filter to allow for for ‘transaction’ date
    • We added the ‘closing’ date
    • We added the ‘donor name’
  • We added 21 x repatriation fields to the Correspondence Manager Word add-on & email template lookups
  • We added 5 funeral plan providers 
  • We enhanced the Repatriation arrangement type with the addition of the ‘Preparation’ tab

One of our main focuses for November-December was fixing outstanding issues

  • We fixed the ‘Vehicle usage report’ – over time changes made to the Vehicle products and Transport tab had prevented the report from working properly
  • We resolved the issue allowing a funeral plan to be submitted twice if put on hold 
  • We fixed the problem with the ‘Deceased location’ on the Schedule download
  • We fixed the issue preventing the correct contact from being presented on the default eFD masonry estimate
  • We fixed the problem preventing the manual entry of a Stone location on the Memorial tab
  • We resolved the issue resulting in cancelled arrangements being present on the Funeral Service Team dashboard
  • We fixed an issue with the ‘Sold funeral plans’ report
  • We amended the funeral plan search to allow for the search of the funeral plan number (if entered for another provided)
  • We resolved the problem preventing ‘Fees payments’ from exporting to Xero when approved via the main ‘Fees payment’ tab
  • We fixed the issue preventing the Finance Export from ignoring the exported flag
Released 22nd November 2021
  • We amended the VAT rate functionality to allow legacy arrangements with VAT to calculate the correct VAT for the time period 
  • We enhanced the performance of the Dashboard by warehousing the ‘Workflow by Arrangements’ widget

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the issue preventing the Client pulling through to the ‘Invitations to Memorial Service’ report
  • We fixed the problem 
  • We fixed the Bereavement Support dashboard widget
Released 25th October 2021

Further changes made to Support you adhere to the CMA’s Funerals Market Order

  • We added the ‘Product Data’ to the eFD API
  • We enhanced the Deceased Person’s Location function;
    • Updating the location manually is now position based
    • Movements are audited 
    • Location and movements are available via the Correspondence Manager and email lookup field

Other updates following User feedback

  • We created a ‘Workflow by Arrangements’ summary dashboard widget that displays all arrangements outstanding workflow tasks
  • We enhanced our diary preview tile to include the Ceremony & Committal venue
  • We added new fields to our Statistics>Arrangements report including
    • Migration reference
    • Ashes interment data
    • Masonry conversion data
  • We increased the expiry date for card payment processing with Opayo to 2030
  • We amended our ‘Invoice and Credit Note’ report to display the funeral and transaction date along with an additional filter function for funeral date 

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the issue causing the ‘Work in progress’ report to include arrangements invoiced on the last working day of the month
  • We fixed the issue preventing Purchase Orders from automatically going into query after 90 days
  • We fixed the issue preventing the ‘up to date’ on the ‘Full aged debt report’ from working correctly 
Released 27th September 2021

Further changes made to Support you adhere to the CMA’s Funerals Market Order

  • We created an additional date filter for 16th June – 31st August
  • We tweaked the title of the Attended and Unattended columns to include ‘CMA’ 

Redesign of the Transport tab

  • We enhanced the transport tab to allow ‘church in advance’ and ‘prior reception’ transport allocations
  • We redesigned the preview of the transport tab to improve visibility
  • We added a ‘starting address’ to be used in addition to the ‘loading address’ if required
  • We enhanced the Schedule to include the new transport options
  • We added logic to only include Sundry arrangements on the Schedule if they have transport allocated 

Other updates 

  • We defaulted the ‘country’ to United Kingdom to assist with data entry where using the MuchLoved integration
  • We enhanced our funeral plan module to include the option to record a ‘Committal Type’ and ‘Committal Venue’

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the issue causing funeral plan documents to pick up the incorrect description via the Correspondence Manager
Released 13th September 2021

Further changes made to Support you adhere to the CMA’s Funerals Market Order

  • We created a second ‘Unattended CMA’ job sub type which has 1 consolidated product for the total price for the ‘Unattended’ funeral
  • We enhanced the Attended & Unattended CMA job sub types to allow the edit of the job sub type after the arrangement is created
  • We created a report and submission area for the CMA report to be produced and submitted directly to the CMA

Other updates following User feedback

  • We added the ‘Loading address’ from the Transport tab to the Arrangement Summary
  • We created new fields on the ‘Ashes interment’ tab for ‘Grave Marker’ and ‘Grave Number’
  • We removed the date/time restriction from the Ashes Interment tab to allow Users to add a location and other details prior to knowing the date/time
  • We enhanced all Sundry arrangements to allow the entry of Transport 
  • We amended the ‘Copy from Ceremony’ flag to copy the date from the Ceremony tab to the Committal and Reception date 
  • We enhanced the Schedule PDF/Word download to include the deceased person ‘Known as’ 
  • We enhanced the Schedule PDF/Word download to show the ‘funeral details’ in bold
  • We added a new field to the Correspondence Manager and Email lookups for ‘account balance minus funeral plan redemption value’

Golden Leaves Integration

  • We tweaked the information sent to Golden Leaves on the submission form

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the issue preventing auto fees from updating when the job sub type is edited following the creation of an arrangement 
Released 25th August 2021

Updates to assist with the CMA’s Funerals Market Order

  • We created 7 default products as defined by the CMA, the name and description cannot be edited. The price and other details can be.
  • We created 2 job sub types – Attended (CMA) & Unattended (CMA), the new job sub types have the products as defined by the CMA automatically allocated to them
  • We enhanced the existing job sub types to allow eFD Experts to identify whether they are ‘Attended’ or ‘Unattended’ funerals (to assist with the reporting required by the CMA)
  • We amended Arrangements where a Attended or Unattended CMA funeral is selected to prevent services outside of the CMAs defined offering being added by Users
  • We created a flag to easily identify the CMA funerals when entering an arrangement as the arrangement is slightly different
  • We enhanced the new CMA funerals to prevent other fees being added via the Additions tab etc

Updates to our Donation function and MuchLoved integration

  • We added a warning for ‘non-online’ charities to notify Users if a Charity selected isn’t set up for online donations with Memory Giving or MuchLoved
  • We added the facility to add ‘Gift Aid’ to offline donations
  • We enhanced the MuchLoved integration to allow the ‘Client’ contact to be sent through as the account ‘Owner’
  • We added ‘Donations Instructions’ to the Donation tab to allow Users to pass through information such as ‘collection for local branch’ etc
  • We added ‘Tribute Information’ to the Deceased person tab to allow Users to pass through updated Tribute titles to MuchLoved
  • We increased the search results when searching for a Charity
  • We created a function to link MuchLoved branches to the branches in eFD to assist with reporting

Golden Leaves Integration

  • We tweaked the Direct Debit integration transaction type

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed the number counter on the Dashboard widgets 
  • We increased the limit on the Xero account number length to ensure Sundry arrangements with a long description pass through seamlessly 
  • We removed Supplier payments from the ‘Receipts & Refunds report’
  • We added the ‘Discount’ product to the bottom of our standard Estimate / Final Account
  • We fixed the search function on the diary Arrangement number lookup to ensure all Arrangements are found
Released 26th July 2021

Phase II of our exciting integration with Golden Leaves – allowing you to submit a funeral plan, process a card payment and direct debit details directly to Golden Leaves via eFD

Updates

  • We created a new ‘Open Funeral Plan Enquiries’ dashboard widget
  • We enhanced the Funeral Plan Enquiry function to allow emails to be sent directly from an Enquiry

Updates to our Xero integration

  • We added the ‘XerocontactID’ to Arrangements and Suppliers
  • We improved the Xero error messaging to give Users more information on why the transaction cannot be completed etc.
Released 30th June 2021

An exciting integration with Golden Leaves – allowing you to submit a funeral plan directly to Golden Leaves via eFD

Debtor Status – our new debtor status feature allows you to;

  • Create a bespoke list of statuses (debt recovery, court action etc.)
  • Add a debtor status to each Arrangement
  • Enhance your debtor control with changes to the Aged debt reporting 

Updates

  • We added additional functionality to the Trustpilot admin area to allow a different connection per ‘Branch’
  • We created a function to allow an Arrangement>Transfer to be ‘cancelled’ should one be created in error
  • We developed the option to send a purchase order from a ‘Funeral’ Arrangement manually (prior to the final account being raised)
  • We improved the fields available via Arrangement>Finance>Funeral plan tab allowing you to add the redemption value and todays value for funeral plans

Updates to Reports

  • We added additional fields to our Sales Ledger & Sales Ledger Cashbook Finance Export
  • We added additional fields to our Statistics>Arrangements data warehouse

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an issue causing the ‘Donation’ tab to fall over if the MuchLoved tribute page was manually deleted
  • We fixed an issue causing a discrepancy in the ‘Coffin sales report’
Released 1st June 2021

Bulk debt letter production

  • We created a new function to allow Users with the appropriate permission to produce debt letters in bulk which is administered in a new ‘debt letter settings’ area 

Updates 

  • We added new fields to our Correspondence Manager Microsoft word add-in to include family bearers, bearers, newspaper notice details and additional breakdowns for donations
  • We added 2 new funeral plan providers to the drop down list on the Funeral plan tab

Bug Fixes 

  • We fixed an issue preventing ‘Next of kin’ details pulling through to the Arrangement summary
  • We fixed an issue preventing the ‘Last payment’ being picked up on correspondence if 2 payments had been made on the same day
  • We fixed an issue causing the ‘Arrangements report’ to ignore payment reversal
Released 28th April 2021

Updates to our Client Portal which is launching on 1st May 2021 – more information to follow shortly

Updates to our Xero Integration

    • We enhanced the Xero integration to allow the following transactions to be sent from eFD to Xero;
      • Donation receipt reversals
      • Partially received PO’s
    • We improved the credit note transaction transfer to use the invoice date

Updates to our Trustpilot Integration

  • We changed the Trustpilot review request trigger to ensure the notification is sent to Trustpilot after the funeral has taken place, even if the final account has been raised beforehan

Updates

  • We changed the ‘Interest’ and ‘Interest Payment’ function to allow the reversal/delete of these transactions

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an issue preventing invoice details being stored against partially received PO’s
  • We fixed an issue preventing some filters on the Arrangement>Statistics report not working
  • We fixed an issue preventing the Coroners removal address searching other types of addresses
  • We increased the expiry date for card payments to go up to 2026
Released 29th March 2021

New Integrations

  • Opayo previously known as Sage Pay – our new integration enables card payments to be processed in eFD via a secure payment gateway with 8 card payment providers 
  • Trustpilot – our new integration enables you to submit the review request trigger to Trustpilot upon an action within eFD

Updates to Correspondence Manager & Email Template lookup fields

  • 1, 2, 3 – Charity name & address
  • Ashes Casket product, size, info
  • Ashes interment details
  • Coffin colour
  • Fittings colour
  • Gown
  • Instructions for Clothing Removal
  • Job description
  • Newspaper publish date
  • Preparation>embalming required
  • Religion
  • Scatter instructions
  • Transport note

Updates to reports

  • We enhanced the ‘Arrangements Report’
    • Addition of job type
    • Sub job type
    • Total by branch

Bug Fixes

    • We fixed an issue that caused the ‘Funerals report’ to not filter by certain job sub types
    • We fixed an issue that prevented the Officiant being added to the Ashes Interment tab if there were 2 Officiant products
Released 3rd March 2021

Updates to Diary

  • We enhanced the diary function to make it easier to use at a first glance
    • Arrangement/Appointment have been split into 2 categories
    • Arrangements are automatically filtered to give a clear view at a glance of the Arrangement bookings in place
    • Vehicle requirements have been added to the diary tile – if an Arrangement has 1 hearse and 1 limousine you will see ‘H1 L1’ on the diary tile
    • Other appointments can be added by selecting the filter options (as they can be currently)
  • We improved the information available when the diary tile is selected
    • All Transport & Ceremony details are now shown here in time order

Updates to Schedules

  • We made additional fields available on the Schedule PDF/Word download. We will meet with each Client individually on this over the upcoming weeks, to ensure the Schedule function is used in the best way for each Client
  • We added a bulk production of the ‘Arrangement Summary’ available from the Schedule tab

Update to Reports

  • We changed the ‘Funerals report’ to group together by ‘Branch name’ rather than ‘Brand code’ to allow duplicate codes to be used if required

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an issue that caused some Transport address names to appear twice
  • We fixed an issue preventing the Purchase Order export being produced when filtered for ‘Received’ purchase orders
  • We fixed an issue preventing arrangements that are in the ‘Clear to embalm’ status appearing on the ‘In our care’ report
Released 15th February 2021

Updates

  • We added the Transport to the ‘Appointments’ diary preview
  • We enhanced the Preparation tab to include a ‘Clear to embalm’ flag
  • New deceased person status ‘Clear to embalm’
  • We improved the Branch/Business Area admin area to allow branches/business areas to be deleted or deactivated – if Arrangements have been created against the branch/business area it can be deactivated – if Arrangements have not been created against the branch/business area, it can be deleted

Updates to Schedules

  • We changed the link to an Arrangement on the Schedule to take you straight to the ‘Transport’ tab
  • We added the ‘Coffin’ to the Schedule
  • We changed the logic to allow ‘Bearers’ that have been added via the Transport tab to feed through to the Schedule, even if they have not been assigned to a Vehicle
  • We added ‘Transport Notes’ to the Schedule, these can be added/amended in 2 places -Schedule or Arrangement, both places are updated when a change is made (don’t worry, other notes can still be added if required)
  • We amended the Schedule PDF/Word export to make better use of the space available, note that the funeral details are now to the left rather than in the middle

Updates to reports

  • We renamed the ‘Uninvoiced Jobs Report’ to be ‘Uninvoiced Arrangements Report’
  • We enhanced the ‘Uninvoiced Arrangements Report’ to include a date field, if the job type is a funeral – the date is the committal date, if the job type is a sundry/masonry/repatriation – the date is the creation date

Bug Fixes

    • We have worked hard to improve the performance throughout eFD over the last few deployments, further changes have now been made
    • We fixed an issue that caused pending ad-hoc purchase orders, to not export once approved 
    • We fixed an issue that caused an anomaly on the ‘Aged Debt’ dashboard widget
Released 25th January 2021

Updates

  • We have created a new ‘Arrangements Report’ which shows all Arrangements by created date. We are adding some additional fields to this report (committal type, job type, job sub type & total by branch) in the next release
  • We have enhanced First Calls to allow ‘Gender’ and ‘Contact By’ to be added, these fields are not mandatory so can be added later via the Arrangement 
  • We have added the ‘Address Name’ to the Schedule print out

Bug Fixes

  • A number of Users will be aware of the performances issues around the ‘Jobs’ tab, we have added additional optimisation to improve performance here
  • We have improved the layout of the ‘Schedule’ print out to remove the phantom spacer that caused the ‘Transport’ to be squashed, further improvements are being released in the next update
Released 6th January 2021

Updates

  • We have developed our Finance Export to allow a ‘Nominal Code’ to be added for a ‘Cashbook Export’
  • We have enhanced our Removal function to allow multiple Teams to be assigned to a Removal
  • We have made 2 changes to the Correspondence Manager to add ‘Funeral Arranger’ and ‘Special Attention’
  • We have developed our Diary & Schedule consolidated view to include ‘Daily Notes’ added via our Schedule tab
  • We have improved our data import function to allow more flexibility when assisting our Customers with a data migration
Released 14th December 2020

Updates

  • We have enhanced our Xero Integration capability to allow integration with Multiple Xero accounts per company
  • We have developed our Xero Integration to give more flexibility to each company to indicate whether the address on a Purchase Order should be the default company address, or a different address from Xero
  • We have made 2 changes to the Correspondence Manager to add ‘Visiting’ to a list and allow ‘Payments’ to include reversals

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an issue that prevented ‘Ashes Collections’ from filtering based on the filters selected via our Schedule tab
  • We fixed an issue that prevent Users from linking a ‘Payment Supplier’
  • We fixed an issue that prevented automatic Schedule emails from being sent to User groups
Released 23rd November 2020

Updates

  • We enhanced the Preparation tab to allow additional information to be added
  • We have included all new Preparation tab fields in the Correspondence Manager Word Add-in which will allow additional information to be produced on workshop correspondence
  • We added the Schedule Vehicle information to the Diary/Schedule consolidated view
Released 11th November 2020

Updates

  • We have developed a ‘Full Aged Debt Report’ which shows all Arrangement types and can be created retrospectively
  • We enhanced the PWG Interest rate to allow 2 different interest methods/rates
  • We changed the ‘Hymns’ in eFD to be a standard list which all Users have access to
  • We have added an additional breakdown of VAT & Gross figures for Fee & Disbursement totals on the Correspondence Manager Word Add-In

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an issue that caused partially received Purchase Orders to update the ‘Cost’ of the product
  • We fixed an issue that prevented some partially received Purchase Orders being reversed
Released 30th November 2022

Changes

  • We enhanced the Preparation tab to accommodate Personal Effects & Jewellery in a more effective way
  • We added a ‘Coffin plate’ text field to the Coffin tab (also added to the Correspondence Manager Word Add-on)
  • We amended the postal address for ‘Perfect Choice Funeral Plans’
  • We added a new field to the Correspondence Manager Word Add-on for Donations – ‘Total including gift aid’
  • We added a DOB field to the ‘Person paying for a plan’ contact type for Golden Leaves funeral plans

Funeral Safe 

  • This month we are pleased to launch our integration with Funeral Safe for arrangements 

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an intermittent problem with the first call job sub type selection
  • We resolved an display issue for ‘instalment admin fee’ for funeral plans
Released 30th November 2022

Changes

  • We enhanced the Preparation tab to accommodate Personal Effects & Jewellery in a more effective way
  • We added a ‘Coffin plate’ text field to the Coffin tab (also added to the Correspondence Manager Word Add-on)
  • We amended the postal address for ‘Perfect Choice Funeral Plans’
  • We added a new field to the Correspondence Manager Word Add-on for Donations – ‘Total including gift aid’
  • We added a DOB field to the ‘Person paying for a plan’ contact type for Golden Leaves funeral plans

Funeral Safe 

  • This month we are pleased to launch our integration with Funeral Safe for arrangements 

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an intermittent problem with the first call job sub type selection
  • We resolved an display issue for ‘instalment admin fee’ for funeral plans
Released 30th November 2022

Changes

  • We enhanced the Preparation tab to accommodate Personal Effects & Jewellery in a more effective way
  • We added a ‘Coffin plate’ text field to the Coffin tab (also added to the Correspondence Manager Word Add-on)
  • We amended the postal address for ‘Perfect Choice Funeral Plans’
  • We added a new field to the Correspondence Manager Word Add-on for Donations – ‘Total including gift aid’
  • We added a DOB field to the ‘Person paying for a plan’ contact type for Golden Leaves funeral plans

Funeral Safe 

  • This month we are pleased to launch our integration with Funeral Safe for arrangements 

Bug Fixes

  • We fixed an intermittent problem with the first call job sub type selection
  • We resolved an display issue for ‘instalment admin fee’ for funeral plans