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Plotbox
What Is Plotbox?
PlotBox is a cloud based management solution that facilitates cemeteries and funeral homes in operating to world class standards. It is unique and significantly superior because unlike all other providers, it is the world's first solution to fully integrate 2 previously separate functions - software and mapping. The number and scope of problems this innovation solves, revolutionises the way death care facilities both operate and grow, it will change the landscape of cemetery management forever.
Who Uses Plotbox?
Our target market is owners/managers of cemeteries and/or crematoria. We have three packages 'Basic', 'Pro' and 'Enterprise' depending on customer requirements.
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Reviews of Plotbox
You are paying for GREAT PEOPLE & a GREAT PRODUCT
Comments: Ditto what I said above.
Pros:
The personal service is standard setting. Before you ball at the price imagine hiring a tech team who are at your disposal 24/7 to help with ANYTHING- it’s amazing. We love the software and it does EXACTLY as advertised, but the people are the best part. I actually asked them on our last call if they would develop database Managment software too because our other vendor is so weak compared to Plotbox!!!
Cons:
I would have to really make something up here... everything we have wished was better they have taken into a development meeting. Maybe the one thing is a fixed checklist of processes to do the basics. It’s a Porsche but sometimes you just need to get groceries. A simplified 1-2-3 and you’re done would have been helpful getting started.
As always, the most responsible choice for me.
Comments: I have been in the industry a long time and always have come away from dealing with the Plotbox guys feeling assured, calm and supported, In this day and age, that is worth its weight in gold.
Pros:
Ease of use and level of how much this system can do. The reporting is outstanding and having everything on one platform speaks for itself.
Cons:
Only criticism i would have, and its a very first world problem, would be there is no integration into Obitus at present, i hasten to add this may not be a Plotbox issue. But in an ideal world having these systems integrated would be top of my wish list
plotbox
Comments: still learning and growing on us.
Pros:
It's cloud based and loads of space for improvement
Cons:
here is more than 1 way to enter data but then the data doesn't seem to speak to itself in the plotbox. Accounts reports are not satisfactory. it's has loads of reports but not the one which we need.
Welcome to PlotBox and the future of on-line contract creation
Comments: Very helpful and improvement over paper based contract systems.
Pros:
On-line contracts work flows and integration with mapping selection. On-line and control of pricing of plots very helpful.
Cons:
Module integration and cross over between information. Finance modules reporting of contract module information has been interesting. However, most of the difficulty deals with historical information at conversion. Works well with contracts originated in PlotBox.
Great Product
Comments: The whole implementation project was well managed and customer service throughout the project and the aftercare is fantastic, nothing is too much trouble.
Pros:
Being able to drill down through the screens. "How to" documentation is very comprehensive and explains things clearly. Being able to add suggestions for new releases to make improvements.
Cons:
Some of the terminology was confusing as US terms.
Great software package from my perspective!
Comments: It has been great and I am still learning. I am glad we made the switch.
Pros:
Amazing software that does so much more than we have asked of it so far. I thought the learning curve was easy and we have some employees that were not computer savvy that have used the opportunity to embrace Plotbox and grow in the computer usage and knowledge. Growth in their job and as a person. Plotbox brought some good people changes with it's rollout.
Cons:
Every software package comes with a certain amount of rigidity as you transition. The constant mantra of "why can't Plotbox do this like XXXX" was a difficult stage, but the folks from Plotbox did a great job of helping us work through what the could. I guess that would be a negative that turned into a positive. I think that the Quote process is a bit arduous for today's quite response loving shopper. With the ability to change price points so quickly, we need a tool that helps us quote the today price, which may not end in a signed quote. Because the system is the price book, we have no way of checking pricing at that moment without building a quote.
Review of Plotbox
Comments: I have been using Plotbox for nearly 5 years and have found it to be a very good system for arranging and recording burials. In addition to this the other features such as reporting are very useful. We switched from a programme called Cemetery Pro which had become outdated. Would not accept this as an answer in the question below.
Pros:
User friendly, easy access to scheduling and records. Excellent support from Plotbox team. The team are continually improving the system and applying updates.
Cons:
Sometimes have difficulty saving records but this may be due to our systems rather than Plotbox.
Plotbox Review
Comments: Plotbox makes my daily working life alot easier with all records being available at the touch of a button. I would be lost now without this system.
Pros:
what I like most about Plotbox is how easy it is to use and manage. All my records are in one place and I can access these records easily anytime and anywhere. Also the team at Plotbox are 1st Class, always pleasant, friendly and very helpful.
Cons:
There is nothing I don't like about Plotbox.
Plotbox Implementation at Cardiff Bereavement Services
Comments:
The Plotbox system is a modern and slick system created by individuals who clearly understand the complexities associated with administering burial and cremation services.
The training, advice and support is the best I have come across from any supplier. They are professional throughout and deliver excellence at every opportunity for their clients.
Pros:
The system is simple to use and reliable. It being cloud based is a huge advantage as the data is always up to date and accurate and can be accessed easily on site using a mobile internet connection.
Cons:
Nothing yet, so far the system has more than met our expectations.
Excellent Service
Pros:
I like the fact that it is easy to navigate with the dashboard, there are updates and a help centre. The succession team are brilliant.
Cons:
There wasn't much not to like, once you get used to the way it is formatted its quite easy to navigate.
Grateful to have PlotBox
Comments: We got PlotBox in 2019, right before the Pandemic. We were excited about it because it seemed so much more modern and effective than our previous software. But honestly, we got it in the knick of time! I don't know what we would have done without it during the pandemic! Being sent home, with no access to our paper records - we would not have been able to serve our families had we not had PB on our home computers. Being able to look up records, grave availability, contact info - it was really a life saver for us! And the more we use it and enter information into it, the better it gets.
Pros:
I feel like it's user-friendly and pretty intuitive. Like any new software, you have to get used to it, but it has truly made our lives easier. And we don't even use all the features! The customer service folks are great - both our "assigned" person and the people on the chat. I feel like every time we have a training/customer service call I really learn something new and about some cool feature. When we started we were doing the bare minimum to get through the pandemic, but now we are discovering so many more cool features and time saving elements of the program.
Cons:
There is always room for improvement, and no one program is going to immedately meet the demands of every user. But PB is really good about taking feedback and implementing it. They really do listen to our needs and often can make changes to suit us. I do wish it was a little more historic records/genealogically inclined. Our cemeteries are all historic and part of what we do is genealogy and research. PB isn't really set up for that, but I think they are working on that and making some progress towards that.
Takes on the routine tasks, so you can handle the important ones.
Comments: We have streamlined a lot of our processes using PlotBox and that being said, we can do even more than we already do. From inventory to contracts management to work orders, we've implemented new and better ways to ensure families are getting what they need when they need it. At the end of the day, it's made our lives in the office and on the grounds easier, but most importantly, you can tell the impression it leaves on families. The other day when helping a husband and wife with a work order, the husband expressed he was impressed when I told him I would submit his request into our work order system and he'd receive an update from me when it was completed with 1 week. If he had instead seen me go grab a pad of work orders and fill one out by hand, I can assure you he would have probably been more nervous that that paper was going to get where it needed to go. That small difference of interface made all the difference to him.
Pros:
What I like most about PlotBox is the multitude of tools that our different teams can use. I spend most of my time using the CRM as I'm in charge of preneed for our Catholic Cemeteries. However, when spending time in the office, I inevitably end up helping someone find a location or submit a work order. Most everything that we do, we can do through PlotBox, which makes for an easy one-stop location to handle any type of interaction or transaction with a family. Meaning I'm not having to do anything but spend time attending to what the family actually needs help with instead of running around the office grabbing this form or making a copy of that map.
Cons:
With any software, there are always things that could be improved. For me personally, the CRM does what is prescribes in terms of task management, lead management, follow up, and even things like quotations to families, however more robust reporting and some additional process specific customization for what we do at our cemetery would be nice to haves. As it stands, it's more than suitable for our needs in it's current form.
Plotbox Response
last year
Hi David, Thank you for taking the time to leave us a review! We greatly appreciate the thorough review and depth at which your company utilizes the system. Your feedback helps us to continually improve the product! Best, Ashlynn
It's incredible what this team has put together on one, cloud based, cemetery software solution.
Comments: Incredible time saver! Less time meeting with families, recording records, researching historical information. In short... makes our job so much easier... and saves money.
Pros:
*Mapping: Unlike any other mapping on the market. Uses your REAL aerial photo to use for mapping. Makes it so much easier for customers to find graves. *Document retention: Scan/attached relevant current and historical documentation to any transaction, burial, deed, or transfer record. Never go looking for it again. It's always attached for a quick review or question. *Cloud Based: PlotBox team handles all updates, backups, and IT. I'm a cemetery professional not an IT professional. Also, I can jump on PlotBox from home and assist staff that is in the office working with a family should they need my assistance. *Deed History: When plot transfers happen, PlotBox tracks all previous transactions and links them all together for a full view of the history of each plot (with all documentation) at your finger tips. *Permits: I can track all work being done in my cemetery from our own work, to all work done by outside contractors, and outside memorial companies. If a question arrises later, we have all documents, authorizations, and memorial spec drawings, all in one place for review at any time in the future. *Images: PlotBox allows you to attach images to plot records, interment records, etc., so you have a complete view of what is out on the grave, crypt, or niche, without leaving the office! *Aggregation of information: Bringing it all together.. Open up a decedent record and - BOOM there is everything related to that burial - linked and accessible!
Cons:
Some minor features are still being cleaned up; however, the PlotBox team is constantly improving and upgrading the product. They take feedback well and institute fixes in a timely manner when a glitch is uncovered, which is rare.
Plotbox Response
7 years ago
Dave, thank you for your review. It has been an absolute pleasure to be your technology partner for Park View Cemetery. We love the ideas - keep them coming!
Highly Recommended
Pros:
What I enjoy most about Plotbox is the amount of time that it saves our staff. Our previous system was bare bones 1980's software that would only allow us to look up basic info like name, date of burial and location so for us it was like upgrading from a flip phone to an iPhone. The amount of data that you can upload is so helpful, vital deceased info, biographical info, photos, monument photos, notes etc. Having the locations linked on the cemetery map is a big plus when it comes to giving directions to a grave or trying to find it yourself. After implementing Plotbox we make less trips to our file room because most of the info we need to answer simple questions can be accessed through the software. It has streamlined every aspect of our operation from contracts to booking burials to completing burials to bookkeeping in one easy to use system. We have been using Plotbox for about 3-4 years at this point and still aren't even using all of the features that it has which I think is a testament to how much it can do and has to offer.
Cons:
There are bugs that occasionally arise but with the built in chat function you can bring it to their attention immediately and they are quick to respond. They are very thorough with their follow up and don't rest until the issue is fixed and you are satisfied.
PlotBox Cemetery Management software review
Comments: Overall this is system is a major improvement from our previous software in its functionality and ease of use. We are still early in our use of the system and working out some kinks but the Plotbox team is responsive to our requests and actively working to fix issues. We have had to change some of our processes but overall it hasn’t created unmanageable change in our operations. We are looking forward to further integrating the software into operations.
Pros:
• Plotbox has allowed us to digitize many of our previously handwritten processes, reducing the need for multiple points of data entry and reducing the chance for error. • The modules are fairly easy to use to quickly find information about a plot or burial. Information is easy to update and add to. • The creation of contracts and deeds by the software is quick and simple. • Cloud based software allows cemetery coordinators to complete sales at our remote cemeteries. • The mapping module is robust and easy to use. It provides a good overview of the cemeteries.
Cons:
• Some of the processes can be confusing and cumbersome. Having a central point to enter all relevant burial or plot sale information would be ideal, rather than having to enter different pieces of information in multiple modules. • Our previous system was able to capture just the year, month or day, because Plotbox doesn’t allow this we lost a lot of important digital information that will have to be recreated and altered. • There are a lot of unused fields, making it easy to miss necessary fields we use in the clutter. A streamlined version would be ideal.
Making it Easier
Comments:
I love being able to pull up a preneed contract immediately when you type in the owner name. In software we used before, we had to go to the vault to find index cards to locate information. I also enjoy being able to review the reports at the end of the month. Easier to manage the items that are being sold, review the sales agent contributions and overall sales reports in general. Much easier to review!
Our cemetery is 300 acres and Plotbox's mapping makes it easier to find a grave before you leave the office! You already have an idea where you need to go. Overall we made a great switch over to Plotbox.
Pros:
The use of this software makes easier to meet with a customer in an office and literally select a location for the map, start the paperwork for signing and contract for purchase all in your office. Our employees enjoy being able to expedite the process. The software we used before was very dated and this change make a huge difference for them. The help desk is very friendly and very patient when you need help.
Cons:
Like any software transition, it does requires patience to get through the training and the changes. Not knowing where to find the information you need. The concerns always start at the beginning but eventually soar into becoming second nature once using the program.
Plotbox User
Comments: I liked it, but it will be nice that Plotbox can have a signature option so we don't have to save the contract and sent it to DocuSign for signature. Also it will be nice to set up automatic payments with visa or Mastercard in Plotbox.
Pros:
Is a four-step system easy to use, and can access the system with my cell phone.
Cons:
Quotations, because it holds the location property. It will be nice just to have a tab on the left side under plots that displays prices of what the customer wants to purchase
Plotbox implementation and overall effectiveness for a mid-sized historic Cemetery and Crematorium
Comments: Positive and proactive. The death care industry is complex and has a lot of variety to deal with so it's a difficult task to implement the new system and bring the staff along for the journey. As a customer we have had to spend a lot on our own resources to get the result but I always anticipated this. PlotBox were responsive and helped us through. Changing systems was necessary for us and PlotBox was the right system for our operation. I would do it all again with PlotBox.
Pros:
Comprehensive digital application for Cemeteries and Crematoriums
Cons:
Not having an 'in person' assistance option. We had to solve many of the problems and issues on our own. Fortunately, we had a highly skilled employee who could fulfill this function.
great service
Comments: 98% good
Pros:
ease of access great at keeping stored information
Cons:
sometimes doesnt show all bookings which can be quite frustrating when we have double booked when 1 booking hasnt shown up
Plotbox Response
last year
Denise thank you so much for taking the time to review PlotBox. Dawn
Arkansas Memorial Gardens Cemetery
Comments: Scheduling services, finding Graves, finding headstones. etc.
Pros:
The best thing about Plotbox is the ability to find and schedule services so quickly.
Cons:
Although I understand that updates are necessary, many updates seem to disrupt things that are already working.
Plotbox Response
last year
Hi Stephen Thankyou for taking the time to give us a review! So glad you are finding benefit in working with us! We are always working to find better ways to make any necessary updates as smooth as possible and we really appreciate your feedback on this. Have a lovely day, speak soon Jodie
Plotbox changed the way we work
Comments: Saves time visiting cemeteries when you have the information at your fingertips. Better service for our users such as Funeral Directors and memorial masons. Customers can use' discovereverafter' feature.
Pros:
Everything in one system, no separate add on's. Help at the touch of a button through 'chat' feature. Ongoing product back up with monthly meetings. Updates to system regularly. Regular product enhancements. System is portable, can be used out on site.
Cons:
None. Everything has been amazing from start to finish.
Crematorium based
Comments: very good. a massive step up from the old system we had and very easy to use
Pros:
Easy to use and very user friendly when wanting to create documents and prints its very easy to achive this
Cons:
sometimes can run slow as its a internet based app.
PlotBox was right for us
Pros:
For us, drone mapping was very important. While interacting with the customer, this map provides an overhead view of what you see in the field. It paints a more accuracy picture than paper maps.
Cons:
At times there have been tweaks that we would personally make but the team is always improving the end user experience based on feedback.
PlotBox review
Comments: Overall, I'm very happy with PlotBox. We would not have been able to successfully work remotely without using PlotBox.
Pros:
PlotBox has been immensely helpful while our staff has been working remotely during the pandemic. We have been able to easily send contracts to families, look up records, confirm grave availability and issue/ transfer deeds. If I have any questions or issues with the program the customer service agents are always available to help.
Cons:
I would like to see the modules a little more streamlined. Instead of putting all the decedent's information into one place, I have to go into different modules to input the information. Because we're a government agency, we have to back up all of our records due to records retention laws. It was difficult to get all of the information that we put into PlotBox into our own system.
Excellent Product and Team
Comments: I would highly recommend Plotbox. It is a super system for cemeteries & crematorium administration, the mapping feature is amazing. I think it is a system that will only continue to develop.
Pros:
The amount the system can do is fantastic. We use it for Cemeteries & Crematorium Administration. Once you have the training and have been working the system, it is a super to use.The mapping feature is great and it very helpful for the public searches for burials.
Cons:
It does take a little time to get the way of it - like any new system. It has taken a little time to get the way of searching records - burials, plots etc.. but you do find your own way to navigate the system, to suit how you work.
Plotbox Response
last year
Thank you so much for your kind review, it is so great to hear how well you and the team are doing! Dawn