Skype and a headset for every CEO!

As I prepare for my trip to Israel this weekend for a board meeting, one piece of equipment I am sure to bring is my Plantronics DSP 400 headset so I can Skype with the CEOs in my portfolio companies. I have been using Skype for the last 6 months and can honestly say that it not only saves a ton of money but more importantly allows me to end the phone-tag game with my porfolio company CEOs and easily communicate with them.  Sure VOIP is great from a cost-saving perspective, but having presence is even more important in my mind.  I know when someone is available to speak and when they are not-no more wasted time with voicemails or I'll call you back later.  As you know, as an active board member and investor much of the value add happens outside of the board meetings in ad-hoc in-person meetings and calls.  Prior to Skype I had all of the CEOs that I worked with logged into IM, and we would frequently have long, off-the-cuff exchanges throughout the week.  Well, with Skype, we can not only IM but through an extra click turn that into a high, value-add phone call.  Just like in customer service, not every exchange needs to escalate to a live phone call, but having the ability to easily point and click to make it happen is a huge benefit. Wait till Skype adds live video to its platform and the value of that conversation goes up higher.  Of course, the beauty of Skype is that as long as my laptop in logged into a network, I can easily make calls from anywhere in the world.  Since it is the holiday season and a time of giving, one of the gifts that I sent to a new CEO hire (will be announced in New Year) was the the Plantronics DSP headset.  I am now just waiting for him to get registered so we can start Skyping.