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.

How to Call Armenia from the United States

Datavo makes calling Armenia 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 374, Armenia's country code.
• Lastly dial the 2-3 digit area code and 5-6 digit phone number.

   Example: 011 + 374 + XXX XXXXXX

  Major Cities and Area Codes:

City	Area Code
Yerevan	10
Gyumri	312
Vanadzor	322
Kapan	285
Hrazdan	223
Abovyan	222
Artashat	235

Mobile:

• Start by dialing 011, the US international prefix or access code
• Second dial 374, Armenia's country code.
• Lastly dial the 8 digit phone number starting with 9

   Example: 011 + 374 + 9 XXX XXXX

                

Click HERE to go to Armenia's White Pages.

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

10 Tips for Better Organizing Your Workspace

Is your desk or office cluttered? Do you have a hard time finding things when you need them? Here at Datavo, we know how important it is to keep your work space organized so that you can maximize your efficiency and become a more productive employee. 

Organizing your office does not have to be a daunting task, it can be done efficiently and in little time. Once your space is organized it can be maintained with minimal upkeep. To get started, just follow these simple tips. 

1. De-clutter. Go through everything in your office and get rid of anything that you do not use. This goes for equipment, furniture, supplies, files, decorations, etc. 

2. Put everything in its place. Go around your office and collect things that are out of place and put them where they go.

3. Keep things you need close. Make sure that things you use frequently are easily accessible and within arms reach. Things that you use less can be put away or in storage.

4. Clear & organize your desk. Remove everything from your desk, only keep items that you must use everyday. Use desktop organizers such as paper trays and paper clip holders to keep things in place.

5. Organize your drawers. Keep like items together. Sticky pads with notepads, stamps with envelopes, etc. Make a separate drawer for your own personal items. 

6. Seperate your inboxes. If you work directly with many people, create a tray, folder or inbox for each.

7. Don't accumulate piles. Once you are fully organized you will hopefully stop having piles of paper sitting around. Go through your existing ones and either file them away or toss them.

8. Read, Sort, Shread. Read all mail the same day it is received; decide whether you will need to act on it, file it, delegate or shread it.

9. Clean your desk. Before you leave each day, do quick clean up of you desk. Put everything back in its place so that you have a clean start each and every day. 

10. File at least once a week. When you let your filing pile up it can become daunting. By setting a specific  time aside each week, it will ensure you stay on top of it. 

Feel free to leave any tips in the comments you think we may have left out. 

9 Quotes About the Telephone

Take a look at Datavo's favorite quotes on the telephone.

• "Grand telegraphic discovery today ... Transmitted vocal sounds for the first time ... With some further modification I hope we may be enabled to distinguish ... the 'timbre' of the sound. Should this be so, conversation viva voce by telegraph will be a fait accompli." ~ Alexander Graham Bell

• 'Watson, ... if I can get a mechanism which will make a current of electricity vary in its intensity, as the air varies in density when a sound is passing through it, I can telegraph any sound, even the sound of speech.' ~ Alexander Graham Bell

• I have read somewhere that the resistance offered by a wire ... is affected by the tension of the wire. If this is so, a continuous current of electricity passed through a vibrating wire should meet with a varying resistance, and hence a pulsatory action should be induced in the current ... [corresponding] in amplitude, as well as in rate of movement, to the vibrations of the string ... [Thus] the timbre of a sound [a quality essential to intelligible speech] could be transmitted ... [and] the strength of the current can be increased ad libitum without destroying the relative intensities of the vibrations. ~ Alexander Graham Bell

• I then shouted into M [the mouthpiece] the following sentence: 'Mr. Watson-—Come here—I want to see you.' To my delight he came and declared that he had heard and understood what I said. I asked him to repeat the words. He answered 'You said—'Mr. Watson—-come here—I want to see you.' We then changed places and I listened at S [the reed receiver] while Mr. Watson read a few passages from a book into the mouth piece M. It was certainly the case that articulate sounds proceeded from S. The effect was loud but indistinct and muffled. If I had read beforehand the passage given by Mr. Watson I should have recognized every word. As it was I could not make out the sense—but an occasional word here and there was quite distinct. I made out 'to' and 'out' and 'further'; and finally the sentence 'Mr. Bell do you understand what I say? Do—you—un—der—stand—what—I—say' came quite clearly and intelligibly. No sound was audible when the armature S was removed. ~ Alexander Graham Bell

• As to Bell's talking telegraph, it only creates interest in scientific circles, and, as a toy it is beautiful; but ... its commercial value will be limited. ~ Elisha Gray

• TELESCOPE, n. A device having a relation to the eye similar to that of the telephone to the ear, enabling distant objects to plague us with a multitude of needless details. Luckily it is unprovided with a bell summoning us to the sacrifice. ~ Ambrose Bierce

• TELEPHONE, n. An invention of the devil which abrogates some of the advantages of making a disagreeable person keep his distance. ~ Ambrose Bierce

• Every improvement that is put upon the real estate is the result of an idea in somebody's head. The skyscraper is another idea; the railroad is another; the telephone and all those things are merely symbols which represent ideas. An andiron, a wash-tub, is the result of an idea that did not exist before. ~ Mark Twain

• If you had come to me a hundred years ago, do you think I should have dreamed of the telephone? Why, even now I cannot understand it! I use it every day, I transact half my correspondence by means of it, but I don’t understand it. Thnk of that little stretched disk of iron at the end of a wire repeating in your ear not only sounds, but words—not only words, but all the most delicate and elusive inflections and nuances of tone which separate one human voice from another! Is not that something of a miracle? ~  Sir William Crookes

Space Shuttle Endeavour Ends its Journey

Today, Datavo saw history flying in the sky. A few of my coworkers and I were able to see the Endeavour Space Shuttle flying for the last time from right outside our office.

Endeavour was delivered by the Rockwell International Space Transportation Systems Division to NASA in May 1991 and first launched a year later, in May 1992. Endeavour was the fifth and final space worthy shuttle that NASA built and was a replacement for the space shuttle Challenger.  It was named after the British ship HMS Endeavour, that is why it spelled in British English instead of American English (Endeavor). It flew its final mission in May 2011 and was decommissioned immediately after. 

NASA has ended the American Space Shuttle Program and retired all of its Space Shuttles. Each one has been delivered to its final site. Endeavour is the last one and has landed at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and will be moved through the streets of Los Angeles (La Tijera, Manchester, Crenshaw, and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards) to its final resting place at the California Science Center sometime in October. 

10 Tips for Great Customer Service

Your Customer Service department is the front line for your company. They are the image that your customers see and hear. Datavo put together a list of 10 tips that every customer service department can use to be better and keep their customers loyal.

1. Smile and Posture. Always make sure to sit up and smile when taking any calls.

2. Stay Confident. The person that is the most certainty leads the conversation. Make sure you give off the feeling that everything will be okay and you are in control.

3. Be Authentic. If you have a script that you read, make sure to not sound like you are reading. Make sure you are listening and responding properly.

4. Listen and Repeat. Make sure to confirm what the customer has told you so that you are sure you clearly understand their needs. This will also make the customer more confident in your ability to handle their problem.

5. Be Gracious. Always thank your customers for calling, especially if they have a complaint. You may be able to fix the problem and gain their loyalty.

6. Stay Honest. If you do not know something, don't lie. Tell them you are not sure but you will be following up on it and will have an answer for them shortly. Make sure to follow through and provide them with the answer. 

7. Train Properly. Make sure all of your employees that have customer interactions have basic communication skills.

8. Put in Extra Effort. Customers will appreciate and be loyal to you if they feel you have gone above and beyond what the expected.

9. Own the Call. When it is possible try not to transfer the customer to anyone else, people don't like having to repeat what they have just went over with you. 

10. Apologize, Fix It and Move On. Make sure to always apologize when something goes wrong then fix it. Customers tend to remain loyal and be forgiving when you are able to fix their problems quickly.

Feel free to leave any tips in the comments that we may have left out. 

How to Make a Call to Colombia from the United States

Datavo gives you an uncomplicated look at calling Colombia from the United States.

We know that making international calls can be difficult at times. 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 57, Colombia's country code.
• Lastly dial the 1 digit area code and 7 digit phone number.

   Example: 011 + 57 + X XXXXXXX

  Major Cities and Area Codes:

City	Area Code
Bogotá	1
Medellín	4
Cali	2
Barranquilla	5
Cartagena	5
Cúcuta	7
Bucaramanga	7

Mobile:

• Start by dialing 011, the US international prefix or access code
• Second dial 57, Colombia's country code.
• Lastly dial the 10 digit phone number starting with 3

   Example: 011 + 57 + 3 XXXXXXXXX

                

Click HERE to go to Colombia's phone book.

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