Local Unit Support Hours

The Local Unit Support Hours are absolutly ridiculous. When they are able to make sure that computers only break Monday through Friday from 7:30 to 5, and never on a Saturday, then their hours should from 7:30 to 5 Monday through Friday. For the record, I do realize that they have extended hours to 8 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, but that does not help a Ward with a dead computer on Saturday. If the Local Unit Support group is going to insist on "Bankers Hours" then they should at least give the Global Support Desk authorization and access to fix basic problems like resetting the security authorization for a new instance of MLS.

/rant

They have extended hours every Tue/Wed until 8pm. With the current increase in calls, they often increase these hours to 10pm. This week, for example, they had extended hours until 10pm Tue-Thu. I'm not saying it's still easy to get through, though. That's a whole different problem. Your suggestion could be a good fix for that - until word gets out at least!

Just remember that these are real people on the other end of the phone as well (and real nice people, at that). I sympathize with folks on both ends as we clean up problems. It's frustrating to not be able to get through, but eventually things will work out.

Maybe some agents can be pulled out of inbound calls and a sort of "callback" system can be implemented with appointment times.

A callback system would absolutely be an improvement, but my main point is that Local Unit Support is 100% in the customer service business. When your "customer" is the Stake Technology Clerk, or Ward Clerk, you should adjust your business hours to to fit the needs of your customers.

Local Unit Support is a paid position within the church, Clerks are unpaid callings, I should not have to take time off from my day job in order to actually be able to get someone on the phone. There is a reason that it is nearly impossible and very time consuming to get a hold of Local Unit Support during the "extended" hours window on Tuesday and Wednesday.

In my opinion, Local Unit Support should staff their call center on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday until at least 9 pm, and should also have staff available on Saturday. If I owned a pizza shop, and decided to only be open from 7:30 am to 5 pm I can guarantee that I would have few if any customers. They would buy their pizza from pizza shops that actually sell pizza when customers buy pizza. Clerks with MLS problems and needs are, unfortunately a captive customer.

It is hard to time things just right for everyone. Your 9 p.m. is 8 p.m. in California and 3 p.m. in Hawaii, etc. There is also a small number of people who actually do this support. There have also been directives to not work on Sunday, but our Saturday is actually part of Australia's Sunday, etc.

In the future, I think there will be more extended times, but these are some of the reasons they were originally set up like this.

I am simply saying that the hours should be adjusted for call volume. I know for a fact that the church's phone system can produce call reports for the Local Unit Support phone group. You run a report, and you adjust your call center hours to match the needs of the customer. You should not force the customer to match the desired work shifts of the Local Unit Support personnel. And if you are not willing to do that, then give the Global Support Desk call center group the rights and access to help with as broad a range of MLS issues as possible.

There have been some significant improvements in recent years. Several things which used to require a phone call can now be done through an email message. In fact, it might be helpful to compile a list of things which require a phone call vs. things that merely require email or a message sent through MLS. That way "old timers" like me wouldn't reach for the phone as quickly (out of habit) and tie up the system.

DJC wrote:Your 9 p.m. is 8 p.m. in California and 3 p.m. in Hawaii, etc.

5/6pm in Hawaii, depending on Daylight Savings. How far West does American Area support? American Samoa?

They generally support anyone that can call in, but generally it is the U.S and Canada. They support military and other units worldwide, in probably every time zone. The hours will increase as more countries are told to call and the support group can handle the languages. The limitation has been resources and direction thus far. That is why we have pushed this forum, the wiki, MLS messaging, etc. Self -service is always cheaper and hopefully more timely. I understand things like resetting security are time sensitive issues that only the current support group can do.

Hopefully things are changing for the better.

DJC wrote:... I understand things like resetting security are time sensitive issues that only the current support group can do.

Hopefully things are changing for the better.

For security resets, perhaps some sort of automated system can be put in
place. Perhaps tied in to the LDSAccount.

Why bother support with security resets if a webpage can be put in place
that would allow the Bishop or clerk to press a button that would initiate
one ?

For that matter, how many tasks tie up support right now that would be
better served by some automation ? How many tasks require less judgement
on the support staff than action ?

I remember how happy I was as a clerk when the bulk of financial
adjustments went from needing a call placed to CHQ to an automatic
message being sent using the MLS messaging system.

With the increasing call volume, it makes sense to find ways to solve the
most common problems by other means.

Also, I agree with what was said earlier; That support should work around
the schedule of clerks, not the other way round. Clerks have day jobs, so
support should be night jobs. If local support needs to be closed, it should
be from 9a-5pm, and open from 6p - 2a. Of course, the times would be
adjusted for volume and time-zones, but I imagine the bulk of Local Support
is for the continental United States which is only 4 hours apart. The rare
call from Hawaii to LUS would force that clerk to have to work around the
time-zones, but I expect he would be used to that already.

- Atticus

Re: the clerks having day jobs, I have been financial clerk this time for about 41/2 years, and I retired last March, and I have found that it is a lot easier to get through in the day hours now that I have that option. But I also agree that the hours should accommodate the clerks.

We just recieved another new computer in our stake. I had to take half a day off work to be able to call durring support hours today. I could not do this on Tuesday or Wednesday night because the ward needed the computer for tithing settlement. After thirty mintues of time on-hold, the support rep had the security reset in ten seconds flat. The Local Unit Support reps are very plesant and wonderful, it is the management of the call center that need to adapt and be flexible to meet the needs of the end users.

PRSPower wrote:I had to take half a day off work to be able to call durring support hours today.

I'm sorry that you thought you had to be at the computer for a security reset. You can call from anywhere. The only requirement is that the next transmission for the unit has to be done from the new computer.

I hope my sarcasm sensor did not just give me a false possitive.

I fully realise that you do not have to be at the computer to get security reset for a unit. If I had called ahead and got the security reset, then went to work on the computer tonight, and something went wrong or the security reset somehow did not take, I would have a brand new computer that is unusable, and there would be no support to call until Monday morning at 7:20 am.

I would like to know how early the support group gets in.
IT is there 24/7
but leader resources- I have no idea of how early I can call them.
and for the record when you call them they are usually a great help.

rggoodie wrote:I would like to know how early the support group gets in.
IT is there 24/7
but leader resources- I have no idea of how early I can call them.
and for the record when you call them they are usually a great help.

The Help Center's article on Local Unit Support has those details.

Still get this message
"No content in this list currently exists for your calling"
Not a very useful response to a Ward Clerk

rggoodie wrote:Still get this message
"No content in this list currently exists for your calling"
Not a very useful response to a Ward Clerk

I get the same thing. There must be something wrong with the website.

The local unit support link has changed. Go to https://www.lds.org/support-membership and scroll to the last section.

scgallafent wrote:The local unit support link has changed. Go to https://www.lds.org/support-membership and scroll to the last section.

Well, that's still the link from the Global Service Center article. So that link needs to be fixed. I submitted feedback on the GSC article noting this.

aebrown wrote:Well, that's still the link from the Global Service Center article. So that link needs to be fixed. I submitted feedback on the GSC article noting this.

I'll report it, too.

Yes still takes you to the same place.
Thanks for reporting the broken or need to be updated link