Compare Funerals, the Sotogrande-based company that helped popularise direct cremation in Spain, has launched a mobile app designed to make managing a prepaid funeral plan simpler, and more personal.
Developed over around 18 months, the app lets clients access documents, book appointments, update personal details, check payments and balances, change payment methods and refer friends for rewards, all from their phone.
Its most distinctive feature, however, has nothing to do with paperwork. Clients can record a video message, securely kept and passed on to their loved ones after they have gone.
The idea grew from one of the realities of direct cremation, now chosen by around 85 per cent of Compare Funerals’ clients. Without a formal service, families can miss the chance to gather, remember and find closure.
“At a time that feels right for them, a family could come together in the comfort of their own home and watch the messages their loved one chose to leave behind,” says director Jack Smith.
“For me, this is the most important part of the app. If those final messages bring some comfort to a family, it has achieved something far more important than letting somebody check their payments.”
The feature carries particular weight for the international community. Funerals and cremations in Spain often happen far faster than expats are used to, and with relatives spread across the UK, Ireland, northern Europe and beyond, getting everyone here at short notice can be impossible. Compare Funerals believes saying goodbye no longer has to happen in one place or at one particular time.
The practical benefits remain central. A prepaid plan means decisions are made in advance rather than left to grieving relatives, and having everything in one app makes that simpler still.
We want clients to have more control and greater peace of mind, but we never want technology to replace the human side of what we do at Compare Funerals
The Compare Funerals app is available now on Apple App Store & Google Play . For more information, call 911 436 813 or visit www.comparefuneral.org.