Bespoke Funeral Records System Case Study

The Challenge - Bespoke software for funeral directors

Held Back by Ageing Hardware

F.E. Addlesee & Son had run their business on the same ageing database for years - right up until the computer it lived on could no longer be supported. As a family-run firm of funeral directors in Boston, Lincolnshire, caring for local families since 1930, theirs is a business built on doing things properly and personally - one that had every one of its records tied to a single, ageing office computer.

The firm's funeral records lived in an old Microsoft Access database on a machine that would no longer run a supported version of Windows, leaving the whole system fragile and, in IT terms, out of support. Records could only be found if you knew the deceased's full name — searching by a family member, a place or a date simply wasn't possible. Written estimates weren't always issued, and invoicing depended entirely on one computer nobody could work away from.

They had looked at a large off-the-shelf funeral-management platform, but it did far more than they needed and would have cost thousands every year, indefinitely, to rent.

F.E. Addlesee & Son approached Little Lion Digital for help and advice on options to update their existing system.

The mission was to minimise change and new processes by creating a solution to make managing their business easier, more efficient and maintain continuity. It needed to help them to uphold their business standards and expertise.

Services Provided

Bespoke Web Application

We built a custom system from scratch around the firm's existing paper process, not an adapted template.

Data Migration

Every historic record moved across safely, with nothing lost in the process.

Hosting, Monitoring & Support

Continuous monitoring after launch, so issues are caught and dealt with quickly.

F.E. Addlesee & Son: Project Overview

Built Around the Way They Already Work

When F.E. Addlesee & Son came to us, one thing was crystal clear: the new system had to fit how the team already worked, not force them to change. We took their existing paper arrangement card — the document they fill in with every family — and made it the backbone of the design, so the system felt familiar from day one.

Migration

Every Record, Carried Across

More than 10,000 records migrated out of the old database, with nothing lost in the process.

Searchability

Records Found in Seconds

Searchable by the person who has died, any family member, or a place or date — not just a full name, as the old system required.

Pricing Built In

Prices That Remember Themselves

Stored with the firm's own margin applied, always editable for the one-offs, and ready to turn into a quote in a click.

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F.E. Addlesee & Son: Project Overview

From Filing Cabinet Logic to a Modern System

Once the core system was built, the focus turned to making the day-to-day genuinely easier - estimates and invoicing that took minutes, not a walk to a single fixed computer, and a system the team could rely on from anywhere.

Key App Features We Built:

PAperwork Sorted

Estimates and Invoices in a Click

Produced straight from the arrangement details as tidy PDFs, printed or emailed as they prefer, on the firm's own letterhead.

Work From Anywhere

Access From Any Device

A browser-based system that works on the office PC, a laptop, a tablet or a phone - no longer tied to one machine.

Built To Last

Owned Outright, Built to Grow

Because it's bespoke, it's theirs outright - no per-person software fees, and room to grow entirely at their own pace.

The Results: A Digital Power Up

The transformation has given F.E. Addlesee & Son a system that finally keeps pace with how they actually work. Producing an estimate now takes 50% less time - and because the process is quick and reliable, every family is now issued a written estimate as standard, closing a gap that left the business less protected than it should be.

A record that once could only be found by searching a full name now turns up in seconds, searchable by family member, place or date. And because the system runs in a browser, the team is no longer tied to a single office computer - records and invoicing are accessible from anywhere.

Perhaps most importantly, F.E. Addlesee & Son now own their system outright, on modern, supported infrastructure, with all historic records safely carried across and nothing lost in the move.

Thinking about something similar?

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What OUr customers say

5 Stars

"Nothing is to much trouble, and always available to help."

F.E Addlesee & Son Ltd

App Development For Funeral Directors | Little Lion Digital

Is your business held back by ageing software?

At Little Lion Digital, we build bespoke systems that fit the way a business actually works, not the other way around. Whether it's a database that's outgrown itself or a process still running on paper and hope, we'd love to talk.

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