One contacts sheet: single external voice
Name one external contact and one backup (put it in the memo title, not only the group chat). Providers reach only those two; everyone else adds facts internally—prevents three people asking three versions.
The backup should be able to: restate fee lines on the spot, photograph paper receipts, and archive key screenshots the same night under a shared path (example folder name: 「YYYY-MM-DD_memorial」).
Scope: write includes/excludes as rows
Boundaries evaporate on calls: night surcharges? mileage rules? urn or keepsakes billed separately? Ask for at least five included items and five excluded items—short is fine; screenshots must be possible.
If itemization is refused, ask for an SMS recap with four cells: pickup window / price cap / deliverables / reschedule rule—that chain stays least ambiguous later.
Timelines: aim for verifiable milestones, not “ASAP”
Split the workflow into checkboxes: handover time, expected completion window for cremation or disposal, latest promise for returning ashes or keepsakes, invoice channel. If an answer is “depends,” ask for delay triggers on the same memo page.
Watch rush fees: do they change deliverables or only queue priority? For the latter, ask for queue rules or refund milestones, not just reassurance.
Fees: align lines to invoice rows
Beside totals you need lines: transport / disposal or cremation / urn / optional keepsakes / night or holiday multipliers. Each notes tax included? and cancellation cutoff. Installments need next due dates tied to deliverables—if “balance before ashes release” is standard, it still belongs on paper before signing.
Rename payment screenshots as 「date_amount_note」; forward promise sentences in chat to the backup contact—avoid voice-to-text drift.
Household roles: fewer people onsite ≠ fewer owners
Split four roles: external comms, payment check, belongings (tags, leash, blanket), minors or elders support. One person can wear multiple hats—but avoid “everyone thinks someone else will handle it.” Write who answers the phone tonight and who keeps contract copies.
If opinions clash, write two red lines first: budget cap and hard nos (e.g., “no unquoted add-ons onsite”). Expression of remembrance can wait a week; logistics red lines should not.
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