New Employee Spotlight: Donna Basist

One of the things that makes Datavo an awesome company to work for is the diverse group of talented, fun and interesting people.

Starting today, once a month we will be shining a spotlight on one of our employees to help you learn a little more about them and why they love working at Datavo.

First up, is our newest addition to the team,

Donna Basist

Donna has recently joined Datavo as the Director of Channel Sales with multiple years of experience in the telecom field, specifically dealing with phone equipment, cellular and network (voice and data) technologies.

Let's find out a little more about her.

1. Where are you from/ where did you grow up? I was born and raised in Southern California.

2. What are your hobbies? I love hiking and yoga.

3. What is your favorite quote? “what a long strange trip it’s been” -The Grateful Dead

4. What is your favorite movie? “Must Love Dogs”

TV show? “That 70’s Show”

Band? It's a toss up between The Grateful Dead, Led Zeppalin, and The Doors

5. What excites you most about working for Datavo? The amazing opportunity to build and establish a quality channel program from the ground up, with amazing, quality people.

6. What is one fun fact about yourself? I dress up as Janis Joplin every Halloween

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

The History of the Landline Telephone

The invention of the landline telephone made it possible for people to have verbal communications over long distances, drastically changing the way the world communicated. 

As technology has improved in telecommunications, landline telephones became cheaper, easier to operate and more accessible. Making it possible for billions of people all over the world to remain in contact with each other.

The first practical telephone derived from the creation of the electrical telegraph. It's invention is most often credited to Alexander Graham Bell in 1876 who was the first to patent the technology. There is much controversy surrounding this as Bell may have stolen the invention from Elisha Gray (who is not the only person who claims to have invented the phone before Bell.) The modern telephone that we use today is the result of many people working together.

The first long-distance telephone line was installed in 1877, covering a distance of 58 miles across Nevada County, California. This trend continued during the 20th century, increasing accessibility and usage dramatically. Between 1955 and 1956, the first transatlantic cable was installed, carrying 36 telephone channels, making international calls possible. It ran from Gallanach Bay, Scotland to Clarenville, Newfoundland.   In a little over 90 years after the first long-distance telephone line was installed, landline service reached 100 million users worldwide.

During the 21st century, landline telephone usage reached its highest point. In 2000, there were 16 fixed lines per 100 people in the world. In more developed countries the numbers peaked in 2000 and 2001 at 57 fixed lines per 100 people.

The landline telephone has recently seen usage decreases due to wireless telecommunication technologies. Statistics show nearly 16 percent of Americans receive almost all of their calls on a wireless device. While it took 90 years for the landline to reach 100 million users, it only took the cell phone 17 years.

How to Make a Call to Italy from the US

Datavo makes calling Italy 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 39, Italy's country code.
• Lastly dial the 2-4 digit area code and 5-8 digit phone number.

   Example: 011 + 39 + XXXXXXXXX

  Major Cities and Area Codes:

City	Area Code
Rome	06
Milan	02
Naples	081
Turin	011
Palermo	091
Genoa	010
Florence	055

Mobile:

• Start by dialing 011, the US international prefix or access code
• Second dial 39, Italy's country code.
• Lastly dial the 10 digit phone number starting with 3

   Example: 011 + 39 + 3XXXXXXXXX

                

Click HERE to go to Italy's White Pages.

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

10 More Motivational Quotes to Start Your Day

Here at Datavo we know that running a business is hard work and you can sometimes start feeling scared and powerless. So we came up with another list of motivational quotes to help you through your day.

• I had to make my own living and my own opportunity! But I made it! Don’t sit down and wait for the opportunities to come. Get up and make them! – C.J. Walker

Richard Branson

• The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it. – Debbi Fields

• Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming. – Richard Branson

• I like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big. – Donald Trump

• Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. – Bill Gates

• I feel that luck is preparation meeting opportunity. – Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey

• Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly and get on with improving your other innovations. – Steve Jobs

• Success in business requires training and discipline and hard work. But if you’re not frightened by these things, the opportunities are just as great today as they ever were. – David Rockefeller

• The enemy of the truth is very often not the lie – deliberate, contrived, and dishonest – but the myth-persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic. – John F. Kennedy

• In all realms of life it takes courage to stretch your limits, express your power, and fulfill your potential. It’s no different in the financial realm. – Suze Orman

For more motivational quotes check out our blog 20 Great Motivational Quotes to Start Your Day. Feel free to leave any of your favorite quotes in the comments.

Datavo Has a New Office Location!

Datavo has moved it's offices from North Hollywood to sunny Agoura today and everyone is excited and moving in. Let's take a peek around while everyone is busy getting their desks ready.

Our New Office Building

Above is the front of our new building. We are located on the third floor. 

Come on in!

I was able to catch a few people setting up their desks and getting ready to work.

Customer Service is ready to work

Accounting getting it done.

Provisioning is getting a head start.

Back Office is almost there.

5 Tasks for Business Owners to Do Before Going on Vacation

When you think about going on vacation, for most it means relaxing and sightseeing. For most small business owners it can mean stressing that things are being done instead of having fun or taking their laptop and working while lounging on the beach or by the pool. There are some small business owners that don't go on vacation at all.

Datavo knows that stress can cause a vacation to be ruined so we came up with a short list of items you should take care of before you leave so that you can have a relaxing and refreshing time.

• Make a list of your tasks. At least a two weeks prior to your vacation go through all of your responsibilities. Determine which tasks must be delegated and which can await your return. Do things such as paying bills or invoicing customers early so that you are not worried while you are away. Make sure to update your list the day before you leave and mark off all completed tasks. 

• Make a schedule for checking in. To stop yourself from working all day and your staff from calling you with issues every second, set up specific times you are available and which circumstances you need to be contacted for. It may also help to only give one of your staff members your contact number and make them the designated point person while you are out.

• Be specific and clear with your employees. Keep your employees in the loop. Have a meeting with them at least a week prior to your departure and let them know what you expect from them while you are gone. Go over any projects or assignments and assign who will be in charge of your responsibilities while you are gone. The day before you leave have another short meeting reviewing everything and confirm that your staff has everything it needs. 

• Use your phone system's features. Most phone systems have features that allow you to optimize your customer service. Make sure you set your voicemail greeting to out of the office and set up any forwarding features so that your calls can route to you properly. 

• Let your customers know you are leaving and who they can contact. Start letting your customers know that you will be going out of town a few weeks prior to your departure date. Set up an automated email response for any received emails that lets people know you're out of the office, what day you will return and who they can contact in the interim.

Now that you have all of that taken care of try to enjoy your vacation. Have faith that your employees will take care of everything and keep you in the loop if anything arises that needs your immediate attention.  Taking a vacation should leave you refreshed and revitalized, making you more productive in the long run. 

Quiz: Are you a Professional?

The following quiz has 4 questions that will let you know if you are qualified to be a "professional." Each answer is listed below. Hopefully you can pass!

1. How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

The correct answer is: Open the refrigerator put in the giraffe and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

2. How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Open the refrigerator put in the elephant and close the refrigerator. Wrong Answer!

Correct Answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.

3. The Lion King is hosting an animal conference. All the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct Answer: The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. This tests your memory.

OK, even if you did not answer the first three questions correctly, you still have one more chance to show your true abilities.

4. There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?

Correct Answer: You swim across. All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

For more funny business jokes click HERE.