It’s very common for snowbirds to call in to board meetings when they can't be there in person. A common way of dealing with this is the easiest, but worst speakerphone solution on the planet:
Your cell phone on the table with speakerphone turned on.
People do it because it’s easy and FREE – no wires, and it works on all phones. The only problem is that the phone speaker is not very loud, so other board members might not hear what is being said clearly AND the cell phone microphone is not very good, so the snowbird can’t hear what other board members are saying.
Here is the old school solution.
This worked great at your company office, but they cost $600
and require a wired phone, which may or may not be easy for your board
meeting. They also need a power source, which requires a little more work.
So, here is our Tech Tuesday recommendation – the best of both worlds. What if we had a solution that:
- Is wireless and does not require a power source
- Projects sound well
- Has an effective microphone
- Is reasonably inexpensive, under $100.
Introducing Bluetooth Speaker Phones!
You still use your cell phone, but it connects via Bluetooth to the speaker phone, which can operate off a battery. Here is an example of one that I own and have used at Board Meetings.
Click here to check out the Jabra Speakerphone. They recommend it for groups of up to 4, but I thought it worked fine for 7 people. They have a more expensive one – 710 model, that is recommended for groups of up to 6. It costs about $200.
This is a really simple product and connects easily to your cell phone. I am sure there are others available, but give it a try if having a wireless solution that does not require power is appealing to you.