28 Sales Department

User Group Report

Eighty some people gather together in a room suffused with a barely suppressed sense of excitement. While they fill their coffee cups they begin chatting amongst themselves. Some are competitors, some friends but all are linked by a common fact – they are all users of TOPS. They have gathered together in this room to hear from us – what we have released, what we are working on; and also to learn from each other – best practices, tips and tricks, new ideas on how to better use the software.

The above scene was duplicated five times over the last few months as TOPS conducted our second year of User Group Conferences. I was privileged to be able to attend the conference in Clearwater, Florida. The atmosphere was friendly, relaxed, and invigorating. As one attendee there said, “I have been using TOPS for 17 years, and I am still smiling!”

Attendees shared their challenges and needs, and learned new ways to use the software to address those needs. We spoke about the new features that were released in TOPS v3.2.1™, what is in the pipeline now, and about the new project, code named TOPS Viper. TOPS Community Web Sites and the Internet Backup Service both received a lot of interest from customers looking to expand the service they are able to offer to their clients. Our sponsor, Colonial Bank, gave an excellent presentation on the services they offer that work with TOPS v3.2.1™ and Pete Dutton of AssociationReady offered potential new sources of profit through their product line - ReadyDocs, ReadyResale, and ReadyCollect – all of which plug in to TOPS.

All of the presentations were warmly received, but the most popular segment was the break out groups, where users were invited to ask questions, and answer them. This was truly an inspiring experience to listen to users helping other users overcome challenges, without even having to say a word.

Now that all of this year's user groups are completed, we are compiling all of the feedback and information we have received from all the 2006 User Group Conferences. We have learned a great deal about how people are using our software, and what they are looking for in the future. We have also received a great deal of encouragement for the direction in which we are taking the software.

I would definitely say that the 2006 User Group Conferences were an unqualified success, not only based on the feedback we received from the attendees, but also from our own perspective. I left the conference in Clearwater feeling invigorated and excited to work to live up to the expectations of these people who had taken time out of their busy schedules to share with us. Thanks to all of you who attended. I am looking forward to 2007, and I hope to see you then!

Andrea Drennen

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