13 Quotes About the New Year

The Holidays aren't over yet, so we still have reason to celebrate. Here are some of our favorite quotes about the New Year.


Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. ~Hal Borland

The merry year is born, Like the bright berry from the naked thorn.  ~Hartley Coleridge

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. ~Oprah Winfrey

Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account. ~Oscar Wilde

Whether we want them or not, the New Year will bring new challenges; whether we seize them or not, the New Year will bring new opportunities. ~Michael Josephson

Many years ago I resolved never to bother with New Year's resolutions, and I've stuck with it ever since. ~Dave Beard

One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things. ~John Burroughs

It wouldn't be New Year's if I didn't have regrets. ~William Thomas

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential. ~Ellen Goodman

But can one still make resolutions when one is over forty? I live according to twenty-year-old habits. ~Andre Gide

Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties. ~Helen Keller

Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Celebrate what you want to see more of. ~Tom Peters


Datavo wishes everyone an exciting and prosperous New Year! Happy 2013!

Why Choose Datavo?

Communication is the cornerstone for all modern businesses, big or small. Whether it’s relaying creative solutions to your clients or broadening the availability of interaction between the different business lines of your company, communication plays a vital role in everyday life. No matter what your industry, who you’re servicing or who’s putting their nose to the grind at your company, these aspects all need to be interconnected. So why live with the restricted communication solutions that traditional telecom companies have to offer?

Datavo understands the importance of being able to relay information across any medium at any time. We specialize in providing competitively priced bandwidth for your web-based information exchange and analog and/or VoIP services for direct phone support. It’s our mission to work cooperatively with your small business, committing ourselves to providing tailored and responsive solutions to your communication needs.

We’ve built our business around making it simple to streamline information, ensuring that it gets from one person to the next—quickly and coherently. Datavo literally helps you send your emails out and keeps the phone calls coming in by providing you with the necessary bandwidth to make your communication model go round. Best of all, none of this comes with the unneeded frills that traditional carriers offer to make their packages seem better than they really are. From Datavo comes a line of services that is customizable and unique to your needs so that you always have an open line of communication for your small business.

For more information feel free to contact us by web at www.datavo.com/quoterequest, by email info@datavo.com or by phone at 1.877.7DATAVO.

December Employee Spotlight: Maira Castillon

Well its my favorite blog post again... Time for us to shine a spotlight on one or our awesome employees.

Let's take a look at...

Maira Castillon

Maira (not Maria) is Datavo's Regulatory Compliance Clerk. She is a key part of our business here at Datavo, always making sure things are running smoothly in the background. She has been with the company for 5 going on 6 years. 

Let's find out a little more about her.

1. Where are you from/ where did you grow up? I was born in Los Angeles, CA and grew up in the San Fernando Valley.

2. What did you do before you worked at Datavo? I managed the front desk of a Chiropractic Office in Encino, CA.

3. What are your hobbies?  I love Scrapbooking, reading books, and going on nature walks.

4. What is your favorite quote? “Strength is not the absence of weakness but how we wrestle with our weakness” Noah benShea

5. What is your favorite movie? “Remember the Titans”

TV show? “Criminal Minds”

Band? "The Temptations"

6. What is your favorite sports team? Baseball: LA Dodgers, Basketball: LA Lakers, and Football: Dallas Cowboys.

7. What excites you most about working for Datavo? Being a part of the amazing changes that are happening in the telecommunication industry.

8. What is one fun fact about yourself? I was born in the Elevator of the Los Angeles Women and Children hospital.
 

Connect with Maira by sending her a message on our company Facebook or Twitter.

Merry Christmas from Datavo!

Datavo wishes everyone a Merry Christmas!

Interesting Facts of 2012

We love interesting news here at Datavo...so we thought we would review the year of 2012 for you!

Jan 18th - Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) blackout becomes the largest protest in the history of the internet.

Jan 19th -  FBI shuts down Megaupload.com for alleged copyright infringement, hacker group Anonymous responds by attacking government and entertainment industry websites.

Mar 13th - Encyclopedia Britannica announces that it will no longer public printed versions of its encyclopedia.

Mar 19th - Wendy's overtakes Burger King to become the second best selling hamburger chain.

Apr 5th - International internet group Anonymous hack several Chinese bureaus in opposition to censorship.

Apr 10th - Apple Inc claims a value of $600 billion making it the largest company by market capitalization in the world.

May 12th - The discovery of a missing Mayan calender piece disproves 2012 Armageddon.

May 25th - A SpaceX Dragon becomes the first commercial spacecraft to dock at the International Space Station.

Jun 6th - The Solar Impulse completes the world's first intercontinental flight powered by the sun.

Jun 11th - Los Angeles Kings defeat New Jersey Devils 6-1 in game 6 to win the NHL's Stanley Cup.

Jun 15th - Apple I computer sells for a record $374,500.

Jun 21st - Miami Heat win the 2012 NBA finals after defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder 4 games to one.

Jul 25th - The 2012 Summer Olympics begin in London.

Aug 9th - Usain Bolt becomes the first person to win the 100m and 200m sprint in back to back Olympics.

Aug 12th - The 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony completes the games.

Aug 16th - Julian Assange, Wikileaks founder, is granted political asylum by Ecuador.

Aug 24th - Both Apple and Samsung are found guilty of patent infringement in a South Korean court.

Aug 27th - First interplanetary human voice recording is broadcast from the Mars Rover Curiosity.

Sep 9th - Serena Williams wins her fourth women's tennis singles at the US Open.

Sep 12th - Apple unveils its iPhone 5 and iOS 6.

Oct 17th - The exoplanet Alpha Centauri Bb is discovered orbiting Alpha Centauri.

Nov 1st - Google's Gmail becomes the world's most popular email service.

Nov 10th - The final US presidential election results are declared after Barack Obama wins Florida to defeate Mitt Romney 332-206 in Electoral College votes.

Nov 16th - Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 grosses $500 million in 24 hours to become the biggest entertainment launch of all time.

Nov 20th - Toshiba unveils a robot designed to help in nuclear disasters.

Dec 10th - Google begins selling US$99 laptops.

Feel free to leave any tech news we left out in the comments.

How to Make a Call to Belgium from the United States

Making an international call can sometimes be daunting. So let Datavo make calling Belgium from the United States effortless.

Here at Datavo we know that making an international call can be difficult. So we developed a simple way to help you make the process easier.

Take these uncomplicated steps:

Landline:

• Start by dialing 011, the US international prefix. or access code
• Second dial 32, Belgium's country code.
• Lastly dial the 1-2 digit area code and 6-7 digit phone number. 

Example: 011 + 32 + XX XXX XXX

   Major Cities and Area Codes:

City	Area Code
Antwerp	3
Ghent	9
Charleroi	71
Liège	4
Brussels	2
Bruges	50
Namur (city)	81

Mobile:

• Start by dialing 011, the US international prefix. or access code
• Second dial 32, Belgium's country code.
• Lastly dial the 1-2 digit area code and 6-7 digit phone number. 

Example: 011 + 32 + XX XXX XXX

Click HERE to go to Belgium's White Pages.

Do you call Belgium regularly? Welll Datavo has a deal for you. Click HERE for more information on Belgium's calling rates. 

10 Exceptional Holiday Quotes

Here at Datavo, we love the holidays. So we thought we would get into the season with a few great Holiday Quotes.

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.  ~Charles Dickens

May the lights of Hanukkah usher in a better world for all humankind.  ~Author Unknown

Kwanzaa is a special time to remember the ancestors, the bridge builders, and the leaders. ~Dorothy Winbush Riley

Christmas is a necessity.  There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we're here for something else besides ourselves.  ~Eric Sevareid

Colorful candles burning bright, each lit on eight very special nights.  ~Author Unknown

We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color. ~Maya Angelou

At Christmas, all roads lead home.  ~Marjorie Holmes

May love and light fill your home and heart at Hanukkah.  ~Author Unknown

Kwanzaa is essentially a family holiday, whether it be the nuclear family, the extended family, or the communal family. ~Jessica B. Harris

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.  ~Author unknown, attributed to a 7-year-old named Bobby

We wish everyone a Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa!

Understanding myDatavo's Multiple Appearance Directory Number (MADN)

Do you wish you have control over how and where your telephone line rings? If so, a Multiple Appearance Directory Number from myDatavo is what you need.

A Multiple Appearance Directory Number (MADN) allows an incoming call to ring at multiple locations simultaneously. All devices where MADN is shared can be used to answer an incoming call or originate a call on behalf of the main location, such as in an administrative assistant/executive scenario for instance.

Functionality:

An MADN allows your devices to share the same line appearance, so that these locations all behave as extensions of a single line/user.

One of the locations will be allocated as the primary location while the other locations are called alternate locations. Any type of device can be used for primary and alternate locations.

When a user is idle, an incoming call alerts all the assigned locations. The first location to pick up the call is considered the active location and the others are released.

If one of the users is already busy on a call on one of the locations associated with the MADN, the incoming call will ring only at the active location.

Control:

With the myDatavo web portal you can enable or disable your individual alternate locations through the settings on your own without having to contact your phone company and place an order. Disabling a location will not stop the functionality and only removes the call notifications from that user.

As an administrator you will also have the ability to control if or when your calls are allowed to originate from your alternate locations. 

Feel free to contact Datavo at 1.877.7.DATAVO for more information on MADN's.

Overview of the Cisco SPA 504G 4-line IP Phone

The Cisco SPA 504G 4-line IP Phone provides myDatavo small businesses a rich user experience with a monochrome backlit display for ease of use, aesthetics, and on-screen applications; HD voice for unsurpassed voice clarity; enhanced full duplex speaker phone for clear conversations across the desk; and an integrated switch port to connect your computer.

The SPA 504G was designed to be used and operated with minimal end-user training. The phone has several lighted indicators that let users know when there is a message waiting for them, an extension is in use, a coworker is on the phone, or if they are on headset, speakerphone, or mute.

Below the backlight monochrome screen are four buttons that control digitally displayed soft keys. To reduce confusion and the need for additional buttons on the phone, these keys offer access to features that change based on the state of the phone: if you're on a call, off a call, on hold, or dialing, for example. There are also four backlit buttons that can be used for speed dials, shared lines, or other functions. Dedicated buttons for voicemail, hold, and phone settings provide easy access to common features.

Included Features:

● Menu-driven user interface
● Shared line appearance**
● Speakerphone
● Call hold
● Music on hold**
● Call waiting
● Caller ID name and number
● Outbound caller ID blocking
● Call transfer: attended and blind
● Three-way call conferencing with local mixing
● Multiparty conferencing via external conference bridge
● Automatic redial of last calling and last called numbers
● On-hook dialing
● Call pickup: selective and group**
● Call park and unpark**
● Call swap
● Call back on busy
● Call blocking: anonymous and selective
● Call forwarding: unconditional, no answer, on busy
● Hot line and warm line automatic calling
● Call logs (60 entries each): made, answered, and missed calls
● Redial from call logs
● Personal directory with auto-dial (100 entries)
● Do not disturb
● Digits dialed with number auto-completion
● Anonymous caller blocking
● Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) (IP) dialing support (vanity numbers)
● On-hook default audio configuration (speakerphone and headset)
● Multiple ring tones with selectable ring tone per line
● Called number with directory name matching
● Ability to call number using name: directory matching or via caller ID
● Subsequent incoming calls show calling name and number
● Date and time with support for intelligent daylight savings
● Call start time stored in call logs
● Call timer
● Name and identity (text) displayed at startup
● Distinctive ringing based on calling and called number
● 10 user-downloadable ring tones
● Speed dialing, eight entries
● Configurable dial/numbering plan support
● Intercom**
● Group paging
● Network Address Translation (NAT) Traversal, including Simple Traversal of UDP Through NATs (STUN)
support
● DNS SRV and multiple A records for proxy lookup and proxy redundancy
● Syslog, debug, report generation, and event logging
● Highly secure call encrypted voice communications support
● Built-in web server for administration and configuration with multiple security levels
● Automated remote provisioning, multiple methods; up to 256-bit encryption (HTTP, HTTPS, Trivial File
Transfer Protocol [TFTP])
● Option to require administrator password to reset unit to factory defaults

For more information contact us at Datavo at 1.877.7DATAVO.

10 Great Quotes on Teamwork

We love inspiring quotes here at Datavo! Check out our list of 10 Great Teamwork Quotes.

Benjamin Franklin

Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success. ~Author Unknown

Many hands make light work. ~John Heywood

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. ~Henry Ford

Team means Together Everyone Achieves More! ~Author Unknown

We must all hang together or most assuredly we shall hang separately. ~Benjamin Franklin

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won't be worth a dime. ~Babe Ruth

I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion. ~Mia Hamm

Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. ~Vince Lombardi

Remember upon the conduct of each depends the fate of all. ~Alexander the Great

Teamwork is so important that it is virtually impossible for you to reach the heights of your capabilities or make the money that you want without becoming very good at it. ~Brian Tracy

Feel free to leave any great quotes on teamwork you know if in the comments.

Overview of the Cisco SPA303 3-Line IP Phone

The Cisco SPA303 IP Phone is a feature rich VoIP phone that administers voice communication over an IP network that is fully functional with myDatavo. This model phone includes traditional features, such as redial, transferring calls, call forwarding, conference calling, speed dialing, and access to your voicemail. Calls can be handled through the handset, headset or over the speaker option.

IP Phones include specialized features that are not available on traditional phones. The SPA303 phone has an Ethernet port that allows it to be connected directly to the internet and linked to your computer network. It also included an additional port so that your computer can be connected to the network through the IP phone.

Included Features:

• Three voice lines
• Pixel-based display: 128 x 64 monochrome graphical liquid crystal display (LCD)
• Line status: active line indication, name and number
• Menu-driven user interface
• Shared line appearance*
• Speakerphone
• Call hold
• Music on hold*
• Call waiting
• Caller ID name and number
• Outbound caller ID blocking
• Call transfer: attended and blind
• Three-way call conferencing with local mixing
• Multiparty conferencing via external conference bridge
• Automatic redial of last calling and last called numbers
• On-hook dialing
• Call pickup: selective and group*
• Call park and unpark*
• Call swap
• Call back on busy**
• Call blocking: anonymous and selective
• Call forwarding: unconditional, no answer, and on busy
• Hot line and warm line automatic calling
• Call logs (60 entries each): made, answered, and missed calls
• Redial from call logs
• Personal directory with auto-dial (100 entries)
• Do not disturb
• Digits dialed with number auto-completion
• Anonymous caller blocking
• Support for Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) (IP) dialing (vanity numbers)
• On-hook default audio configuration (speakerphone and headset)
• Multiple ring tones with selectable ring tone per line
• Called number with directory name matching
• Ability to call number using name: directory matching or via caller ID
• Subsequent incoming calls show calling name and number
• Date and time with support for intelligent daylight savings
• Call duration and start time stored in call logs
• Call timer
• Name and identity (text) displayed at startup
• Distinctive ringing based on calling and called number
• 10 user-downloadable ring tones
• Speed dialing, eight entries
• Configurable dial/numbering plan support
• Intercom*
• Group paging
• Network Address Translation (NAT) traversal, including Serial Tunnel (STUN) support
• DNS SRV and multiple A records for proxy lookup and proxy redundancy
• Syslog, debug, report generation, and event logging
• Support for highly secure encrypted voice communications
• Built-in web server for administration and configuration with multiple security levels
• Automated remote provisioning, multiple methods; up to 256 bit encryption (HTTP, HTTPS, Trivial File Transfer Protocol [TFTP])
• Option to require administrator password to reset unit to factory defaults

*Feature requires support by call server.
**Feature activated via feature code.

For more information please contact Datavo at 1-877-7-DATAVO.

7 Clever 'C' Characteristics of Confident Leaders

We're back again with the third installment of Datavo's Business Leaders Attributes by Letter series. If you missed the last installment feel free to read it here: 7 Best "B" Behaviors of Bold Business Leaders.

Let's get things started with the C's....

Confident

Confidence is a powerful trait. Confident people are like magnets but you have to keep a good balance and not come off  as arrogant. With confidence you will be able to capture peoples attention, trust and respect. 

Captivating

To be captivating is to enchant the people around you and hold their attention. Once you have it make sure to remain engaging and genuine. 

Committed

When you commit yourself to your job, your employees and colleagues will notice. If your team members trust that you are behind them and want to provide the best resources for them to complete their jobs, they will have more motivation and be willing to go the extra mile for you.

Competitive

Being competitive can be a negative if taken too far, but with the right amount it can give your team members a gentle push to be that much better at what they are doing. When competitive people are winning it excites them, when they are losing they will double down and work harder to win.

Calm

A good leader knows when to celebrate their team members excellent work and how to be consoling during their less than stellar moments. During the rest of their time remaining a calm and competent force is the best way to keep morale high.

Charitable

Being charitable does not only mean with your money. Make sure to be charitable with your time, talents and praises of your teams accomplishments. For instance, giving your highest performing workers an occasional Friday afternoon off will make them feel appreciated and plus you know they are good for it.

Compassionate

Being a compassionate does not mean that you are a counselor or babysitter to your team members. However, by showing empathy and compassion to them you will show a sign of strength that will command loyalty and respect from your team members.

Here are the  7 "C's you don't want to be": Chauvinistic, Certifiable, Condescending, Corrupt, Cantankerous, Chaotic, and Callous.

Feel free to leave any words you think we left off or would have on your own list in the comments. Make sure to look out for our next list of 'D' adjectives.

myDatavo Assistant

The Datavo myDatavo Assistant is a lightweight application toolbar, designed to complement your myDatavo Web Portal. It offers automatic notifications and instant access to regularly used calling features making it a valuable tool for keeping your users connected.

HIGH FUNCTION TOOLBAR

myDatavo Assistant significantly enhances the user experience by enabling your users to access communication services at any time from their desktop. Subscribers can now access their most advanced telephony services from their computers, without having to change applications. 

An intuitive toolbar application, it allows your subscribers to:

• search their myDatavo contact list

• initiate and configure synchronization with Outlook contacts

• search contacts in an external LDAP directory

• initiate click-to-dial outgoing calls

• enable/disable key call services.

This integrated approach even provides extensions that allow your subscribers to initiate click-to-dial outgoing calls directly from Microsoft Outlook.

INTEGRATED NOTIFIER

The myDatavo Assistant Notifier transparently maintains contact with myDatavo Web Portal so that it can alert subscribers whenever calls are incoming, or when a new voicemail is received, via a pop-up notification. The notification displays the name of the caller (pulled automatically from the user’s myDatavo contact lists), their number and the time of the message. In addition, when a user receives an incoming call, the notifier provides options to send the call to voicemail or forward it to another line, at the click of a button. Residing in the Windows system tray, it offers a notification area icon that shows voicemail status and provides a shortcut to myDatavo.

IMMEDIATE STATUS CHANGES

myDatavo Assistant allows users to easily change their status in much the same way they’re already used to doing through their instant message clients. A simple point and click allows users to select:

• Ring my phone – deactivates any other service that might be in effect

• Do not disturb – activates the Do Not Disturb (DND) feature

• Forward calls – to the previous five numbers used for forwarding or to a different number they can input

• Find Me Follow Me – delivers granular control over advanced call routing functionality.

Feel free to contact us at 1.877.7.DATAVO or www.datavo.com for more info.

How to Make a Call to the Philippines from the United States

Datavo makes calling Philippines from the United States a breeze.

We know that making international calls can be hard for some. So we have developed a simple way to help you make the process easier.

Take these uncomplicated steps:

Landline:

• Start by dialing 011, the US international prefix or access code
• Second dial 63, the Philippines country code.
• Lastly dial the 1-2 digit area code and 7-digit phone number.

         Example: 011 + 63 + XX XXX XXXX

  Major Cities and Area Codes:

City	Area Code
Manila/Caloocan/Quezon City	2
Cagayan de Oro	88
Bacolod	34
Davao City	82
Cebu City	32
Zamboanga City	62

Mobile:

• Start by dialing 011, the US international prefix or access code
• Second dial 63, the Philippines country code.
• Lastly dial the 10 digit phone number starting with 9.
Example: 011 + 63 + 9XX XXX XXXX

                

Click HERE to go to the Philippines Yellow Pages.

Do you call the Philippines regularly? Well Datavo has a deal for you. Click HERE for more information on the Philippines calling rates.

Smartbiz - A myDatavo Hosted Phone Solution

myDatavo Smartbiz is a VoIP, cloud based, fully featured phone system that lets you manage extensions, view voicemail, faxes and handle inbound or outbound calls to your business lines from the web, through free mobile apps and Windows software. 

With the click of a few buttons you can manipulate call handling rules from anywhere in the world by accessing Datavo’s easy to use portal. Our web portal mobile apps not only give you complete control over your business extensions but convert your team’s smartphones and tablets into a fully featured desk phones; therefore, when your desk line rings, your devices with myDatavo mobile installed will ring at the same time.

With myDatavo SmartBiz you only need a high-speed internet connection and everyone at your business is making calls in no time. Unlike old systems, myDatavo Smartbiz does not have any expensive, bulky hardware and can be set up online in minutes. Your Datavo phones will be sent directly to your office and will arrive Datavo Ring Ready® so there’s no time wasted.

Ultimately, myDatavo SmartBiz delivers the features and services you require to communicate efficiently with customers and colleagues no matter where you are.

Included Features:

• Administration Web Portal
• myDatavo Mobile for iOS and Android
• myDatavo Assistant Toolbar
• myDatavo Communicator Softphone
• Easy Phone Manager
• Easy Call Manager
• Music on Hold
• Visual Voicemail with VM to Email
• Phone Remote
• Unified Contacts
• Voice Mail Fusion
• Call Jump
• Cisco 3 line phone per Extension
• Unlimited local, station-to-station or on-net calling

Premium Options:

• MPLS dedicated T1 Access
• Unlimited Additional Users
• Easy or Premium Auto Attendant
• Unified Fax Messaging
• Incoming Call Manager
• Voicemail Speech to Text
• HD Conferencing
• Installation Services Available

myDatavo Visual Voicemail

myDatavo Visual Voicemail allows you to see a list of the messages in your Voicemail box and choose which of them you want to play or delete, in whatever order you select, right from the your myDatavo Voicemail tab . Visual Voicemail lists your voice mail messages by date and time and also displays relevant information like caller name & callback number.

Visual Voicemail comes free with your myDatavo service and allows you to:

• Listen to your messages in any order you want.
• Swiftly get to your most important messages first.
• Save numbers directly to your contacts list.
• Has an option to receive and email alert when a message is received.
• Instantly call the person back with the click of a button.

5 Effective Ways to Engage Your Employess

Office managers get a lot of bad press, from their treatment in the every day cartoons to their perpetual stereotyping in films and on TV, but it is not simple to manage people. 

In these times of extra long work schedules, dwindling annual-raise budgets, and corporate merging, it may be tougher than ever to lead a team. One of the simplest leadership lessons to lose sight of is: As crucial as it is to get production out of our teams and keep them on task and below budget, it is even more important to listen to, mentor, and show appreciation to them. There's lots of days in an average manager's schedule when, even with the best intentions, none of that happens. With lots of days like that, the atmosphere at work starts to feel like chaos.  Here are five ways to keep your employees in the know and feeling appreciated that even the most time-starved manager can use.

1. Ask for ideas and opinions

You hire your employees for their brains. Nothing makes a person feel more appreciated than asking their opinions and ideas. It is not necessary for you to use or implement every idea but it goes a long way for people to know that their opinions matter. 

2. Give them feedback

Don't wait for your employees annual review to tell them what your think about how they perform their job. It can be difficult to give people constructive criticism but people actually like to know when they can be doing something better. By not giving feedback you may make your employees feel like you don't care.

3. Say what you mean and mean what you say

Never compromise in this area. If you tell one of your employees that you will meet with them, do it. If you make plans to visit one of your off site locations before the end of the year, do it. If you miss something make sure that you own up to it.

4. Praise your employees to your boss

If your employees do things that deserve recognition let your higher up know as it is the highest form of appreciation. If possible, do it in front of the employee or make sure to 'cc' if it is done by email.

5. Say 'Thank You'

People love to feel appreciated. If your employees have made accomplishments tell them thank you and explain how the action benefited the company.

Feel free to leave any ways that you use to engage your employees in the notes. 

November Employee Spotlight: Benjamin Guzman

Well its that time again... For us to shine a spotlight on one or our awesome employees.

Let's take a look at...

Benjamin Guzman

Benjamin or 'Ben' (as we like to call him around these parts) is Datavo's Customer Care Manager, which includes both our Customer Service and Technical Support Departments. He is an integral part of our business and he prides himself on making sure that his departments are doing everything they can to keep our customers happy and proud to be with Datavo. He has been with the company for 9+ years. 

Let's find out a little more about him.

1. Where are you from/ where did you grow up? I was born and raised in Southern California, specifically the San Fernando Valley.

2. What are your hobbies?  I like to play basketball with friends and family and I love making music. I produce and write music.

3. What is your favorite quote? “I'm a great believer in luck and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it” ~ Thomas Jefferson

4. What is your favorite movie? “Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy”

TV show? “Everybody hates Chris”

Band? "Mana"

5. What is your favorite sports team? The Los Angeles Lakers and the Oakland Raiders

5. What excites you most about working for Datavo? The opportunity to learn and grow with a more family oriented company. The Sky is the Limit with Datavo.

6. What is one fun fact about yourself? I always like to do spontaneous activities with my family that take me wherever the wind may blow. I would also like to add that I am a very outgoing person and I always have an open ear for a friend or co-worker in need.

Connect with Benjamin by sending him a message on our company Facebook or Twitter.

It's Here! Website Relaunched

Datavo is proud to announce the relaunch of our website with a whole new look and feel.  We know that you will find the new design easier to use and navigate.

The website includes a number of new options such as, video tutorials, request a quote, and immediate connection to customer service with click-to-call.  The updated product pages contain information about existing and new products. We have added additional FAQ's on all of our services so you never are left without an answer.