08 onTOPS

December 2002

onTOPS

Happy Holidays from TOPS Software, and welcome to onTOPS, an e-zine produced by TOPS Software to keep you informed about our products and services. We at TOPS Software are very busy at this time of the year, as we are sure you are too. Therefore, as a special holiday issue of the onTOPS e-zine, we wanted to present you with some key information that may help you during your year end processing.

First, we introduce you to the TOPS Internet Backup Service in onSoftware. Next, we talk about some of the new and exciting things that are coming down the pike in 2003 in onSales. In onSupport, we discuss the many ways you can contact support for quick information during the busy year end season. Finally, we discuss the many ways that the Job Streaming module can help streamline your job processes in onSpecial.

HOLIDAY SCHEDULE: TOPS Software will be closed Tuesday, December 24th, Wednesday, December 25th, and Wednesday, January 1st. Please keep this schedule in mind when contacting support this holiday season.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: TOPS 2000™ version 3.1 is now available for release. For your convenience, we have designated two shipping groups, one before year-end, and one after. Please select a shipping date by filling in the online form.

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

Andrea Drennen  

onSoftware

TOPS Software Releases Internet Backup System

Last month, we told you about an exciting new service that we have been developing called the TOPS Internet Backup Service. This product is currently undergoing testing, and will be released on December 30th, 2002. The service is completely automated, and, if you have installed TOPS 2000™ version 3.1, is already available on your computer. Here is how it works:

On December 30th, when the new service is activated, go to http://www.topsbackup.com. Here you can read more about the service, and when you are ready to sign up (and we know that you will be - this service is just too important to pass up) click the "Sign Up" button at the top of the page. This will direct you to an automated sign up screen where you can subscribe to the TOPS Internet Backup Service.

Once you have subscribed, simply open TOPS 2000™ version 3.1, and click Internet, Web Backup. This link will activate the synchronization program that will update the backup files on your system so that they are current with the TOPS servers. Next, a simple, three step wizard will walk you through defining your backup settings. As a part of this process you will define which modules, and which communities you want to back up. The wizard will also help you define security settings for your backups, and set a schedule to have TOPS automatically backup your selected community data. Once you have completed the wizard, the TOPS Internet Backup Service takes over, by automatically connecting to the Internet and backing up your data based on the scheduling information you set in the wizard.

Since the TOPS Internet Backup Service is completely automated, you don't have to do a thing after the initial setup process. This service helps eliminate the time, expense, and manpower typically associated with backing up your important data. TOPS Software is so confident in this product that we are using it to back up our own internal customer data, and we can absolutely testify that you are going to LOVE this service.

The TOPS Internet Backup Service is extremely reasonably priced, with plans starting at $15 per month. For all of this, the TOPS Internet Backup Service offers the following features:

• Easy 3-step setup
• Predefined or custom backup schemes
• Customized scheduling
• Redundant servers in two different locations
• Automatic data compression reduces files 20% to 40% of original size
• Online administration
• Easy restore process

The Internet Backup Service is will be available December 30, 2002, in time for you to make year-end backups of your community data. Please visit http://www.topsbackup.com for more information on this new service from TOPS Software.

Andrea Drennen 

onSales

Make a Resolution that will be Easy to Keep!

Thinking about making those New Year Resolutions? Here's one we know you can keep - increase the quality of communication in your associations! The TOPS Community Web Site Service has been called the "manager's best friend" because many of its features were specifically designed with the purpose of increasing communication within an association without putting a burden on the Property Manager.

Imagine being able to easily send a mass email to your residents to inform them that snow removal will happen by 9am and their cars need to be off the streets, or the pool is closed for maintenance and will reopen at 2pm on Wednesday. (See the support article later in this issue for instructions on doing this!) It's absolutely amazing the number of phone calls from residents that can be eliminated by simply using the built-in features of your community web sites! The ability for residents to look up their own account balance saves your back office staff from having to deal directly with residents (wouldn't that make your staff happy?). Posting clubhouse rental schedules saves hours of back and forth phone tag when someone needs to rent it. The list goes on and on.

You can experience the TOPS Community Web Site Service for yourself with our live online demo. The demo is located at http://www.topshome.net, simply click Assn Demo. If you would like to try the Management Company site demo, click the PM Demo link.

If you're interested in sharing this concept with your Board, definitely give our Web Site Sales group a call at 1-800-556-7852, or send an e-mail to websales@topssoft.com. We've got some amazing presentation materials we can share with you!

Susan Sanders

onSupport

Contacting Technical Support

Year end is the busiest time of the year for the TOPS Software technical support department. While we strive to handle all calls in a timely manner, our support team can definitely be stretched to the limit during this busy time. Therefore, I wanted to let you know about all of the support resources that are at your disposal for getting technical support on your year-end closing process.

• Knowledge Base: The very first thing that you should always do before calling technical support is check our web site. The knowledge base is an excellent resource that covers a number of topics relevant to year end. You can find the knowledge base at www.topssoft.com. Simply click on Support, and then Knowledge Base. Being a web-based product, it is regularly updated and accessible 24 hours a day.
• Support Email Form: If you have been unable to locate the information that you need in the knowledge base, you can always check out the support email form at www.topssoft.com/Support/support_form.htm. Fill in this form as completely as possible to give our support department accurate information. You will receive an email or telephone response from our support department in a timely manner.
• Toll-Free Telephone: Of course, TOPS Software's Technical Support telephone line is available to you from 9am to 8pm EST Monday through Thursday, and 9am to 5:30 pm on Fridays. Due to call volume, you may receive a voice mail message when you call. Just remember to speak clearly and leave your name, company name, telephone number, and a brief description of your problem, and a support representative will get back to you as soon as possible.

Andrea Drennen 

onSpecial

$300 off the NEW Job Streaming Global Add-On for TOPS 2000™

Are you a portfolio manager? If you are, then the best tool that you are not using is the new Job Streaming Global Add-On from TOPS Software. Job Streaming is integrated into TOPS 2000™ property management software to allow you to easily perform tasks for many communities all at once! Job streaming is easy to use, and greatly reduces the time that you spend performing repetitive tasks. Now is the time to purchase Job Streaming - As a special introductory offer, TOPS Software is offering the Job Streaming module at $300 OFF the regular sales price. This offer will end soon, so order your copy today!

Here are some of the tasks that you can perform globally with the Job Streaming Global Add-On for TOPS 2000™:

• Printing Monthly Financial Packages
• Printing Reports Defined in Report Defaults
• Printing Owner Mailing Labels
• Processing Recurring Owner Charges
• Processing Late Fees
• Processing Interest
• Taking Collection Action on Delinquent Owners

Job Streaming has been released, and is already helping managers in other companies. What are you waiting for? Let Job Streaming help you streamline your processes today! Contact TOPS Software's Sales Department at (800) 760-9966 or Sales@TOPSSoft.com to purchase your copy of the Job Streaming Global Add-On.

Andrea Drennen

onLine

Some of the new items online this month:

• Internet Backup Service Site Online: The TOPS Internet Backup Service will be online December 30, 2002, but you can visit the site now to learn more about this incredible service! www.topsbackup.com
• Internet Backup Service Press Release: The TOPS Internet Backup Service will be online December 30, 2002, just in time for you to back up your year 2000 books. Read about it in our latest Press Release.
• Internet Backup Service Added: The TOPS Internet Backup Service will enable you to backup your TOPS 2000T data automatically over the Internet, based on a backup scheme that you choose. If you are interested in our newest Internet Backup Service, check out the Internet Backup Service page to read about it and view screen shots.
• New Article Added: Buckskin Artist Community suffered greatly from the July 2002 wildfires in Arizona. Learn how TOPS helped them recover from the incident in our newest feature article: Buckskin Artist Rises from the Ashes.
• Dealer and Trainer Pages Updated: Our Locate a TOPS Dealer and 3rd Party Vendor Training pages have been redesigned and updated to make it easier than ever to find a vendor in your area.
• E-Zines Updated: The November issue of the onTOPS e-zine has been added to the e-zines archive under Articles.

For more new stuff, visit the What's New page: http://www.TOPSSoft.com/News/. 

Andrea Drennen

onTopic

Endnote: 

Here are some new terms that you can use:

• Cube Farm: An office filled with cubicles.
• Prairie Dogging: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a cube farm, and people's heads pop up over the walls to see what's going on.
• Ego Surfing: Scanning the Net, databases, print media and so on, looking for references to one's own name.
• 404: Someone who's clueless. "Don't bother asking him; he's 404." From the WWW error message "404 Not Found", meaning the requested document couldn't be located.
• Keyboard Plaque: The disgusting buildup of dirt and crud found on computer keyboards.
• Mouse Potato: The online, wired generation's answer to the couch potato.
• Ohnosecond: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize that you've just made a big mistake.
• Stress Puppy: A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiny.
• Tourists: People who take training classes just to get a vacation from their jobs. "We had three serious students in the class; the rest were just tourists."
• Treeware: Hacker slang for documentation or other printed material.

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