Thursday, July 7, 2011

10 Reasons to Start a Calling Chain

In case you aren’t familiar with the concept of a calling chain, this is how it works. There is a list of people who are a part of the chain, along with their phone numbers.The purpose of the calling chain is to communicate information to a particular group of individuals. Some calling lists begin with a designated person; others may begin with anyone on the list. When information needs to be passed on to each of the members in the group, a call is placed to the next person on the list. That person takes down the information and calls the next person on the list and relays the information. The information is relayed from one person to the next until it finally completes the chain of people on the list, and everyone has received the needed information. There can be several reasons for creating a calling chain.
  1. Prayer Requests – Prayer chains are probably the most common calling chains. Many churches have them. When a church member has a need that they would like others to pray about, they call the prayer chain. The prayer request is passed from one person to the next, so that all the individuals on the chain can be praying for the needs of the church members.
  2. Family Reunion – Family reunions can require a lot of coordination and planning. In order to keep everyone on the planning committee informed and up to date, a calling chain is sometimes used. Often times the chain will consist of one member of each branch of the family.
  3. Missing Person – Communities have sometimes set up calling chains to quickly spread information about missing persons, usually children or vulnerable adults. Time can be a critical element in these situations.
  4. Rotational Meetings – Some clubs have meetings that meet at different locations on a rotational basis. In order to make sure that everyone is aware of the correct meeting spot for the current meeting, calling chains are used to pass that information along.
  5. Funerals – Deaths and funerals are another reason calling chains are started. There often isn’t much time available for notifying people in these situations. Having an established calling chain can speed up the process of notifying the family members of the passing of a loved one.
  6. Cancellations – If meetings or events need to be cancelled at the last minute due to weather or other situations, having a calling chain established can make sure that everyone is aware.
  7. Birth Announcements – When a new baby is arriving, there are many people who are waiting to hear the statistics of the new birth. Setting up a calling chain to deliver the news can save the new parents a lot of time on the phone.
  8. Emergency volunteers – Volunteer coordinators have found that they can save a lot of time by creating a calling chain to notify their volunteers of emergency situations. It sets the coordinator free to work on other logistics regarding the work to be done.
  9. Illness/injury – When a friend or family member has been hospitalized due to injury or illness, calling chains are sometimes initiated to create a rotation of meals for the family.
  10. Surprise party – When you’re planning a surprise party it can be a little tricky keeping the surprise a secret. Anything in print might be discovered. Creating a calling chain to keep invitees informed can be a way to keep the surprise carefully hidden.
Email is beginning to replace the calling chain in many instances, but it still doesn’t cover all the bases. Some people don’t check their email as often as they do their voice messages; so, a calling chain can still be the most effective means of getting the word out to everyone in a group quickly.http://www.landlinephoneservice.net/blog/2011/10-reasons-to-start-a-calling-chain/
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