September 23, 2021

A term that we have heard a lot lately is “call tree”. What is a call tree? Is it a tree or something else altogether? If you too have been left curious about this tree, help is at hand. Here, we have answered the four most important questions about call tree.

What is call tree?
A call tree is a layered hierarchical communication model that is used to notify specific individuals of an event and coordinate recovery, if necessary, through a phone call. It is part of an organisation’s Business Continuity Plan (BCP – rings a bell, eh?)

Who initiates the call in a call tree?
The head of a department initiates the call and informs his/her direct reportees (eg Senior Managers/Mangers) of the event. Next, the Senior Managers/Mangers inform their reportees, who, in turn, inform their juniors, thereby branching out and forming a tree of calls. The process is completed once all the team members are informed of the emergency.

When should one follow the process of call tree?
The call tree is to be implemented during an emergency, when one must use the hierarchical communication model to inform one’s team members of the emergency. To ensure smooth flow of information in times of crisis, testing of the call tree must be carried out every six months by each and every team of the organisation.

What documents need to be maintained for the call tree and by whom?
The call tree list, ie the list of staff of each team in the organisation with their phone number and other details including the calling hierarchy, needs to be updated on a quarterly basis. Also, the reports of the half-yearly call tree tests should be maintained for audit purpose by the Business Continuity Single Point of Contact (ie BC SPOC) of each team. The BC SPOCs can update their respective call tree lists too.