Categories are the building blocks of your estimator. Each one groups related choices — Caskets, Flowers, Venues, Catering — and the settings you apply to a category shape exactly how it behaves for families. To open a category’s settings, go to Estimator → Categories & Pricing and click any category name.Documentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.funeralestimatorpro.com/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
What families see
The first section of the category editor controls the text families see in the estimator.- Name — The heading above the category (e.g. “Caskets”, “Floral Arrangements”, “Catering”). Use plain, familiar language. Avoid internal jargon or supplier codes.
- Description — A short sentence below the heading that helps families understand what this category covers. One sentence is usually enough: “Choose the casket for the service and burial.”
- Empty state message — What families see if no options are visible for their selection. For example, if Caskets is hidden for Direct Cremation, you might not need an empty state at all — but if something changes dynamically, this message reassures families.
How this category works
These settings control the functional behaviour of the category.Component type
The component type determines how options are displayed to families. Choosing the right one makes a real difference to how natural and easy the estimator feels.| Component type | What families see | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Image cards | Visual cards with photos, name, and price. Tap to select. | Caskets, urns, coffins, memorial items — any choice where seeing the item matters |
| Text list | A clean list with name, description, and price. No images. Families pick one option, or multiple if you enable multi-select. | Venues, transport, service extras, certificates — choices where the description matters more |
| Quantity stepper | A single item with a + and − counter. Price multiplies by quantity. | Death certificates, order of service booklets, newspaper notices |
| Per-person menu | A menu of options combined with a guest count. Price = option price × attendees. | Catering packages priced per head |
| Included item | Always shown, always included. Families can see it but can’t add or remove it. | Professional services fee, fixed third-party charges |
Cost type
Cost type controls how the estimate is grouped and labelled in the estimate summary. Families see costs separated into three sections, which helps them understand what they’re actually paying for.| Cost type | What it covers | How it appears in the estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Included | Your professional services, team, facilities, and coordination | Grouped under “Included in your service” |
| Optional | Extras families choose: flowers, catering, memorial items, printed booklets | Grouped under “Optional additions” |
| Third-party disbursement | Fees collected on behalf of another provider: crematorium, doctor, council, registry | Shown separately with a note that these are external charges |
Third-party disbursements are shown in a dedicated section of the estimate with a short explanation. This transparency is important — families can see that a crematorium fee is charged by the crematorium, not by you. It builds trust and avoids misunderstandings about what your fee actually covers.
Pricing type
Pricing type determines how the cost of this category is calculated.| Pricing type | How it works | Use when |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed | One price, regardless of how many people attend | The cost doesn’t change with attendee numbers |
| Per person | Price × number of attendees (from the greeting screen) | Catering, per-head venue charges |
| Per unit | Price × quantity chosen by the family | Certificates, booklets, copies |
When this appears
The visibility settings control which service types and sub-types show this category. Different service types suit different categories. Caskets make sense for burial. Urns make sense for cremation. Direct cremation likely doesn’t need a catering category at all. You have three visibility options for each service type:| Setting | What families see |
|---|---|
| Active | The category appears and is fully interactive |
| Greyed out | The category is visible but dimmed, with a note explaining it doesn’t apply to this service type |
| Hidden | The category doesn’t appear at all |
Display options
A few additional settings that affect how the category is presented.- Required vs Optional — Required categories must be engaged with before families can continue. Optional categories include a “Skip this section” option for families who don’t need them. Mark catering as optional if not all families will want it; mark caskets as required if burial families must choose one.
- Allow multiple selections — Available for Text list categories only. When enabled, families can tick several options instead of picking just one. Options with a $0 price are automatically shown as “Included” and permanently checked, so families can see what’s already part of their package alongside optional extras they can add. See Text list with multi-select for setup examples.
- Category icon — Choose an icon that represents the category. Icons are decorative and pulled from your chosen icon theme (set in Appearance).
- Show total in sticky bar — The sticky price bar at the bottom of the screen shows the running estimate total. For most categories this is on by default.
What’s Included panel
Available for Included item categories only. When turned on, this category appears in a dedicated panel at the top of the estimator, above all the builder sections families work through. The panel is always visible and expanded, with a tick icon next to each item. This is the right place to surface your professional services fee and any other costs that families should see upfront — before they start adding extras. It makes clear what’s already part of the service without burying it at the bottom of a long list. The panel is filtered by service type, so a category only appears for burial or cremation families depending on your visibility settings. Third-party fees that vary or items that are less central to the core service can stay in the main builder instead.When “Allow multiple selections” is turned on, the “Allow none” option is automatically hidden. Families can simply leave all the optional items unchecked if they don’t want any of them.
Link to your website
If you have more information about a category on your website, you can add a link here. It appears as a small “Learn more” button within the category, opening in a new tab. This is useful for:- Linking to a casket gallery page
- Pointing to a venues page with photos and floor plans
- Showing catering menus in more detail
Keep links optional and supplementary. The estimator should stand on its own. A link to more info is a nice touch; relying on it to explain pricing or options is a sign that your descriptions might need more detail.
Common configurations
Here are the settings that work well for the most common categories:| Category | Component type | Cost type | Pricing type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caskets | Image cards | Optional | Fixed |
| Urns | Image cards | Optional | Fixed |
| Floral arrangements | Image cards or Text list | Optional | Fixed |
| Venue / Chapel | Text list | Optional | Fixed |
| Catering | Per-person menu | Optional | Per person |
| Death certificates | Quantity stepper | Third-party disbursement | Per unit |
| Crematorium fee | Included item | Third-party disbursement | Fixed |
| Professional services | Included item | Included | Fixed |
| Order of service booklets | Quantity stepper | Optional | Per unit |
| Transport | Text list | Included or Optional | Fixed |
| Additional services | Text list (multi-select) | Optional | Fixed |