Correct address on move outs a must

Over the years I've noticed that the most fundamental problem with keeping a record up to date, is the lack of the correct address. When a family/member moves in, it is imperative we verify the address.

This also holds true when a family/member moves from the ward/branch. It is amazing just how many members records fail to make it to the new ward/branch due to a typo in the address.

If HQ processing can't identify the ward/branch to assign based on the address, the record goes into Address Unknown.

This can be a REAL problem for you if those members prefer to be lost as opposed to found.

Home Teachers and Visiting Teachers are key in helping the clerk resolve address problems quickly.

Besides, I don't know of a membership clerk who likes to have incomplete information.

This will be easier if/once the clerk's computer has meetinghouse Internet. Then address (in the U.S. or Canada) can simply be cross-checked/verified with the USPS (or Canada Post) before the records are sent out.

With the increased use of cell phones, it would be usefull if phone numbers were carried forward when a record moved unless it was replaced by a new number that was inputed by the clerk.

1historian wrote:With the increased use of cell phones, it would be usefull if phone numbers were carried forward when a record moved unless it was replaced by a new number that was inputed by the clerk.

I second that. The same for e-mail.

It would also be very helpful for the address fields in cases where a member is not moving but only switching to a YSA or foreign language ward - or possibly even more likely, to the ward in which boundaries they already reside.

Greggo wrote:I second that. The same for e-mail.

It would also be very helpful for the address fields in cases where a member is not moving but only switching to a YSA or foreign language ward - or possibly even more likely, to the ward in which boundaries they already reside.

I also agree regarding maintaining persistence of cell phone number and email addresses when records are moved to a new unit.

In the special case where the physical address of the household is not changing, but their records need to be moved to a new unit, you might consider using Membership/Moves/Boundary Realignment as opposed to Membership/Moves/Move Records Out. Moving the record in this way preserves the contact information and address(s) in the records and saves you from having to manually enter the information.

Boundary Realignment record moves are household based. So if you need to move an individual record to a YSA unit and the membership record is not already in its own household, this method would actually involve more effort than just doing a normal Move Records Out. You would first have to remove the member from the current household and assign the member as head of a new household. This process requires that you to reenter contact information and address(s) for the new household, which is what you are trying to avoid in the first place.

So this workaround will only help in some cases.

MLS feature recommendation:
Add a checkbox control on panels where you are asked to enter contact information or addresses for a household or individual that lets you choose to preserve the existing data. This would be helpful in at least these two situations:

• You need to assign a membership record to a separate household but the member is not moving to another unit. For example, a young man starts attending Elder's Quorum. Due to some special need, it is decided that he will be assigned his own HT, other than the one assigned to the household. In order to make the assignment in MLS and record visits, the young man needs to be moved to his own household. Currently, when making this change, you are required to reenter contact information and addresses or leave them blank.
• You need to move a membership record to another unit, but there is no change in address or phone. For example. a young woman begins attending the YSA ward. You use the Membership/Moves/Move Records Out to move her membership record. Here again, you must either reenter the data or leave it blank.

The clerk should have the option of preserving the existing data in situation like these.

I have found that unless the member is using Yahoo/Hotmail/Gmail/work email, the email address they provide the first day almost always changes. That's because their email tended to be tied to their now-former Internet service and it has changed to whatever the local provider is.

And I'd say 80% of the membership uses their cell phones but doesn't want them put on the records. They still have a number for the house and that's the number that goes on the records, even if they check it only a tenth as often as their cell.

We average about 20-25 move-ins a year.

geek wrote:That's because their email tended to be tied to their now-former Internet service and it has changed to whatever the local provider is.

No forwarding?

RussellHltn wrote:No forwarding?

Until recently, I had never used an e-mail provider that would forward if I changed addresses.

The biggest challenge I have is going through the process of tracking down the new address, sending the record, and then getting rid of the new address just before I need it again. [grin]

Here is the other issue. What used to come on disk (the COI) is now internet based. I have been told that only the Bishop and Stake President can view this.

Yes I can use meeting locator to find the right ward but it doesn't give me the unit number.

So what's a clerk to do??:p

kmalone wrote:Here is the other issue. What used to come on disk (the COI) is now internet based. I have been told that only the Bishop and Stake President can view this.

Yes I can use meeting locator to find the right ward but it doesn't give me the unit number.

So what's a clerk to do??:p

Once you have found the right ward on the new meetinghouse locator, there will be a link for "Go to Website" on the popup for that unit. If you look at that link, it will look something like https://secure.lds.org/units/home/0,978 ... 82,00.html; the number at the end just before ",00" will be the unit number (in the above example, 44482). You can follow that link and go to the stake website and use the same technique to get the stake's unit number.

Of course, this will only work for stakes that participate in the Local Unit Web Site program, but that's a pretty high percentage of the units in the US and Canada.

You can also still use the old CDs. Over time they will get more and more out of date, but unless your member moved to a brand-new unit, you can get the unit number from the old COI CD. I still do that and haven't missed a single ward I was looking for.

Alan_Brown wrote:Once you have found the right ward on the new meetinghouse locator, there will be a link for "Go to Website" on the popup for that unit. If you look at that link, it will look something like https://secure.lds.org/units/home/0,978 ... 82,00.html; the number at the end just before ",00" will be the unit number (in the above example, 44482). You can follow that link and go to the stake website and use the same technique to get the stake's unit number.

Alan, great "trick". Thanks for sharing. I am amazed at how you come up with these answers! By the way, congratulations on breaking 1000!

opee wrote:Alan, great "trick". Thanks for sharing. I am amazed at how you come up with these answers! By the way, congratulations on breaking 1000!

Either he knew the trick already, or he saw my post 3 weeks ago:

http://tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.ph ... #post18744

mkmurray wrote:Either he knew the trick already, or he saw my post 3 weeks ago:

http://tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.ph ... #post18744

I indeed learned from your post, but I couldn't find it right away to link to.

As Isaac Newton said, "If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants."

mkmurray wrote:Either he knew the trick already, or he saw my post 3 weeks ago:

http://tech.lds.org/forum/showthread.ph ... #post18744

I guess if I read the details as well as he did then I would look smart too . Thanks for sharing your wisdom. I had a clerk ask me about this a while back and now I have an answers.