A phone tree is a highly structured method to pass important messages to large groups of people. Though phone trees are efficient, they have their drawbacks including multiple opportunities for the phone chain to break down through message transmission.
There are a number of ways to communicate a message to many people quickly. One of the most popular ways is by utilizing a phone tree,
which is a structured list of names and phone numbers that looks somewhat like a pine tree when written or typed out on paper. The way it works is the message usually originates with one person, who decides to start the chain. This person might call one to a few others who, in turn, call a number of other people. As calls are made, the number of people contacted grows almost exponentially as contacts move through the list of calls. In this way, a rather large number of people can be informed of a message rather quickly and easily.
How does a Phone Tree Work?
Perhaps the most popular users of phone trees are schools announcing cancellations, late starts, early dismissals, etc. For example, when there is a snowstorm and the roads have not been adequately cleared, the principal might notify their assistant that they have decided on implementing a later start for the school day to allow time for the roads to be cleared and for students to arrive safely. After the principle''s assistant has been notified, the assistant might call the vice principle, a leader of the school''s PTA, and perhaps the local radio or television station that might be announcing cancellations. Next, the vice principle might notify a few parent leaders, the leader of the PTA might notify other PTA leaders. Those contacted will then contact those listed below them on the list. This will go on until the very bottom of the phone tree is reached.
What are Some Uses for Phone Trees?
Phone trees are used for events and situations where individuals urgently need to be notified. This is unlike situations where a message needs to get to many people, but it is not very time sensitive. If this were the case, an email or letter would probably suffice. For pressing matters, however, phone trees are a much better option. One such situation is an evacuation of a local area. Alongside usage of local television and radio media, a phone tree can be an excellent way of making sure that everyone knows that a hurricane, tornado, flood, or other natural disaster is eminent and local leaders have decided that an evacuation is in order.
What are Some Drawbacks for Phone Trees?
The most obvious drawback with using a phone tree is if someone in the tree does not answer for some reason. When the chain breaks down early on, it can be especially dangerous because an entire side of the tree does not get a call at all. For emergencies, this can cause a great number of problems. For this reason, organizers of phone trees might call key people in the tree after some time has passed after they made their initial calls. This does not entirely rule out the possibility that some contacts did not receive phone calls, but it can ensure a better contact rate overall. This is why, for emergencies, a contingency plan is put in place for making sure that every individual has received the message.
What are Some Alternatives to Phone Trees?
Given the great number of things that can go wrong with a phone tree or phone pyramid, many have turned to another method of ensuring everyone has been contacted. One such alternative is an automated dialer that calls everyone on a contact list, plays a prerecorded message, and makes note of numbers that did not pick up. In this way, administrators can log into a website and check to see who has not gotten the message. One downside of this route is that, despite having contacted someone at a certain number, there is no guarantee that the right person got the message. Furthermore, some of the systems that made these calls are unable to detect answering machines and voicemail. Others may have problems with hang-ups.
Another downside with these systems is if contacts need additional information. For example, an automated message might tell a parent that their child''s school is having an early dismissal. The parent might want to know if an event or activity later that night is cancelled as well. With an automated system, the parent would be unable to ask this question. Some systems get around this problem by allowing the recipient of the call to press a number, which transfers their call to a school administrator. After the call has been patched, the parent can get answers to their questions. A good system will allow the administrator to edit the pre-recorded message if they feel additional information should be included.
Using a live operator call center is a popular alternative to implementing an in-house phone tree. One major benefit is that only one call needs to be made to the call center to start the urgent call campaign. Oftentimes the phone tree answering service supports emailed phone tree scripts as well. After the message has been sent, operators begin calling contacts on the phone tree list. However, unlike a typical phone tree, the individuals contacted do not have to contact others on the list. Operators will continue through the list until everyone has been notified, then they confirm this with the list administrator. In the event that some people have not been contacted, the operator can attempt to make another call, call an alternative number, or take a number of other options.
