Free Resource
The First-Call Checklist for Funeral Directors
What to capture on the first call after a death, in what order, with the dignity the moment requires — plus the one part of that call the FTC actually regulates.
The first call after a death sets the tone for a family's entire relationship with your firm, and it happens at every hour, with no warning. Most of what makes that call go well is a matter of pacing and care rather than regulation — but one part of it, price questions, is governed by a specific federal rule that's easy to get wrong under pressure.
This is a checklist for the whole call: what to capture, in what order, and how to keep it dignified rather than transactional, plus the phone-specific FTC requirement layered in at the point it actually comes up.
1. Lead with the moment, not the logistics
The first thing the caller hears should acknowledge what's happened before anything else. A brief, genuine expression of condolence, spoken unhurried, before any question is asked — not a script read at intake-form speed.
Let the caller set the pace. Some families want to talk; others want to get through the practical questions quickly because that's how they're coping. Both are fine. The agent follows the caller, not a rigid order.
2. What to capture, and why the order matters
Once the caller is ready: the name of the deceased; the location right now (home, hospital, hospice facility, care facility); whether a physician, hospice nurse, or EMS has already been involved in pronouncing death; the caller's name and relationship; a callback number; and who else needs to be reached before anything proceeds.
Ask location and pronouncement status early — not because it's more important than the family's grief, but because it determines what has to happen next (whether a transport call is urgent right now, or whether the family is calling ahead of a decision still being made). Getting this early prevents a second, more clinical-sounding round of questions later in the call.
Save the questions that can wait — service preferences, cremation versus burial, pre-need arrangements on file — for the director's conversation, unless the caller raises them first. The first call's job is to connect the family to your director, not to complete an intake form.
3. Price questions are a federal requirement, not an option
If the caller asks about price — for a specific service, a package, or a general range — the FTC's Funeral Rule requires you to answer using accurate information from your price lists and any other information that reasonably answers the question, on the phone, when asked. You also cannot require the caller to give a name or callback number before you answer a price question.
The two mistakes to avoid on a first call: deferring price questions to an in-person meeting ('that's easier to discuss when you come in'), and asking for identifying information before answering. Both are common instincts and both fail the requirement. We cover this rule in full in [our piece on the Funeral Rule and the phone](/blog/funeral-rule-telephone-price-disclosures-first-call).
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This resource references dated regulatory material. Last reviewed against its sources for the 2027-08-31 revision cycle.