06 onTOPS

October 2002

onTOPS

Welcome to onTOPS, an e-zine produced by TOPS Software to keep you informed about our products and services. In this issue we will be talking about TOPS 2000™ version 3.1, a new sales office opening in South Florida, defining charges for renters, and more. Also this month we are offering a special discount on TOPS On-Site™, be sure to read about it below.

We look forward to hearing your feedback about the e-zine. Please let us know what things you liked, what you would like to see, and any suggested articles by e-mailing us at Ezines@TOPSSoft.com

by Andrea Drennen  

onSoftware

TOPS 2000™ Version 3.1: Community Fact Sheet

One of the many new features that will be included in TOPS 2000™ version 3.1 (coming soon!) is the Community Fact Sheet. This new feature, bound to become a great resource, allows management companies to track all sorts of pertinent information about each community they manage. This information is not only useful to managers, but also to board members and emergency personnel. Following is a brief list of information included in this feature:

• General Category: Assn. Type, Home/Renter Statistics, Meeting dates, Common Area Responsibilities, Board President and Alt. contact info, ability to e-mail board president, contact, or community manager directly from TOPS 2000™, and even attach files such as reports printed in TOPS 2000™.
• Location and Access Category: Nearest cross street/intersection, printable directions, community access/key/gate information.
• Amenities Category: Seventeen user-defined amenities tracking status, name, quantity, and notes.
• Legal Information Category: Quorum percentages needed, right of refusal, various policies (late payment, architectural, leasing, etc.)
• Insurance Category: Add and delete unlimited insurance companies, browse vendor file for insurance companies, maintain insurance types.
• Contractors Category: Add and delete unlimited contractors, browse vendor file for contractors, maintain contractor types.
• Special Information Category: Ten user-defined special information categories tracking name and description.
• Community Fact Sheet Reports: Ability to preview and print all or selected information from the fact sheet.

The Community Fact Sheet is just one in a line of many new features being added to TOPS 2000™ version 3.1 in response to customer feedback. Check our website for a complete list of what's new: http://www.tops2000.net.

Only customers who have purchased a Maintenance Support Agreement with Updates will be eligible to receive the update.

by Andrea Drennen 

onSales

Seasonal Sales

Would you believe that sales of TOPS Software is seasonal? It’s true. Historically, over half our annual sales revenue is generated in the four months from October through January each year. So we are just beginning our “busy” season again. The seasonal nature of our business does not just affect the Sales Department, it extends to all areas of the company, particularly Tech Support.

When you contact our Sales Department, we want to give each customer our personal, undivided attention to help you with whatever you need. But there is only so much time in the day! The closer it gets to year end, the more hectic we get, and the less time we have to spend with each customer. So, if you are considering a purchase of any TOPS products, whether you are a new purchaser of TOPS 2000™ or TOPS On-Site™, or an existing customer who wants to expand the capacity of your current TOPS system with a new module or other add-on product, please place your order as early as possible so we can give you the attention you need and deserve.

New Sales Office

TOPS Software has opened a new sales office in south Florida. The sales office will house our expanding sales staff. Bruce Gran, Director of Sales, will be working from this new office and will be supervising the sales staff from this location. The phone number for the Sales Department will remain the same, 800-760-9966, as will the e-mail address: sales@topssoft.com.

Until notified otherwise, please continue to send all sales correspondence and Sales Order Forms to our corporate offices at:

364-C Christopher Avenue
Gaithersburg, MD 20879
Phone: 800-760-9966
FAX: 301-869-4371

Welcome Nicole Beal

Nicole has joined our Sales Department team as the Sales Administrator. In this position, Nicole will be assisting Bruce Gran with many of the administrative aspects of sales, like answering the sales phone, writing up sales orders, making trade show arrangements and keeping the sales office functioning smoothly.

Other Announcements:

• Mark your calendar to join us at the CAI Community Leadership Forum in Orlando, Florida. The show is scheduled for October 24 through October 26, 2002 at the Walt Disney World resort.
  
• In addition to a booth on the trade show floor, we will be participating in a panel discussion on October 26 at 9:00 am at the CAI Leadership Forum. Bruce Gran, Susan Sanders from AtHomeNet, and William Owens, CPA will be the speakers for the panel. The topic is "Getting the Most Out of Technology".
• We will be attending the FLICPA Conference on November 21 and 22, 2002, at The Renaissance Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida.

by Jeff Hardy & Bruce Gran  

onSupport

Charges to Renters

Charging renters for association fees has been a creative problem for our clients in the past. One of the new features of TOPS 2000™ version 3.1 (being released next month) is the ability to charge renters for maintenance fees, late fees, work orders, and pool passes. This will allow you to be able to manage units that are rented out on behalf of the association, or even commercial properties that are charged a rental fee.

To utilize this option, you can go to AR, Owner Balances, choose the owner, then click the select button. After selecting the renter, you can proceed with an add/waive charge as normal. This is will help when managing communities where renters are responsible for certain fees/charges. It will also assist in situations where the owner and renter have come to agreements as to who pays what. As always, you are limited by the legal guidelines of your community documents and your state jurisdiction, but now TOPS Software has given you the tools.

This particular option has been requested by our clients, and we are able to offer it to you now. Once more, you spoke and we listened. If you have any questions about this article or any suggestions for future articles, please e-mail me.

Editor's Note: Cathy Flynn is the corporate trainer for TOPS Software. If you have a question related to training, feel free to send her an e-mail at Training@TOPSSoft.com.

by Cathy Flynn  

onSpecial

10% off TOPS On-Site™ when you purchase two or more modules!
Mention this E-zine to receive your discount.

What is TOPS On-Site™ and what does it do? TOPS On-Site™ is our newest stand-alone product designed for on-site staff to provide access to much of the same information on their local computer as the main office that uses TOPS 2000™.

What is the difference between TOPS On-Site™ and TOPS 2000™? They are different products with different capabilities. For one thing, TOPS On-Site™ has NO accounting capabilities, only the main office using TOPS 2000™ has access to accounting functions. Rather, TOPS On-Site™ has many of the same modules as TOPS 2000™, which gives the on-site staff access to:

• Owner Database - view owner info; print mailing labels and form letters; create owner reports and annual meeting reports; track community officers and committee members.
• Work Order - create work orders or service requests; track the status until closed; add labor, material or other charges into a work order; print reports or history.
• CCR Enforcement - add violations, approved, disapproved or pending requests; handle violations automatically; set inspection reminders; set pending request reminders; print CCR letters, reports, and history.
• Gate Security - add visitor records; screen visitors at the guard gate; track vehicles and parking; print parking decals, gate passes, and reports. Great for loading at a remote guard gate.
• Pool Pass - add pool pass members; print pool passes with picture ID; reprint passes as needed; print pool pass report.
• Palm Pilot Interface - take information from the above modules to the field as you and your staff do inspections, or take your handheld home when on call for emergencies.
• Easy Update of Owner Data - get automatic updates of data from the main office. TOPS On-Site™ can be updated easily from the office copy of TOPS 2000™ as often as needed. Use either an internet connection, direct modem connection, copy data to and from portable media such as a diskette or CD.

TOPS On-Site™ lets the on-site staff take over many of the administrative duties of property management, relieving the main office of having to do the work, or provide the necessary information. This will save time both in the main office and the on-site office. And, because the on-site office relies on the main office version of TOPS 2000™ for periodic updates of the owner info, this creates a strong tie between both offices.

TOPS On-Site™ offers a win - win situation for both the main management office and the remote, on-site office. Contact TOPS Software's Sales Department at
(800) 760-9966 or Sales@TOPSSoft.com to request a free demo CD or more information on this product.

by Jeff Hardy  

onLine

Some of the new items online at WWW.TOPSSoft.com:

• What's New in TOPS 2000™ Updated: The What's New in TOPS 2000™ page now displays the list of new features, revisions, and updates in TOPS 2000™ version 3.1, to be released by year end. The list of updates in version 3.04 has been archived.
• In the Spotlight: This month, we have added the bio of Debbie White, Support Representative, to the Spotlight section.
• General Updates: Several pages in the site have been updated with new or corrected content. Of particular note are the TOPS 2000T System Requirements Page, and the Promaster User Home Page.
• Newsbytes Archived: Old Newsbyte web updates from this page have been archived by year. If you wish to view past web updates, go to 2001 web updates, or 2000 web updates.

by Andrea Drennen  

onTopic

Did You Know?...

Not that it will provide much consolation to your checkbook, but "footing the bill" used to be considerably less painful than it is today. The original meaning of "foot" in a financial sense back in the 15th century was "to add up and set the total at the foot, or bottom, of a bill or account." Thus Harriet Beecher Stowe, in "Uncle Tom's Cabin," wrote of "The wall-paper … garnished with chalk memorandums, and long sums footed up."

Unfortunately, by the early 19th century, "foot" had acquired its modern meaning "to pay up or settle a bill," leading one writer to complain in 1819 that "My dogs ... helped themselves to the first repast presented, leaving their master to foot the bills."

From www.word-detective.com

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