This was the first year TOPS has tried the panel format at the User Conference, and we were all a little anxious that it should go well. As it turned out, we had absolutely nothing to be worried about. The panel was one of the most funny, insightful and informative sessions of the conference. We got a great look behind the curtain where the wizards are hard at work. After the cut, check out a transcript of the Questions and Answers, along with pictures and a special treat - a poster sized version of the hilarious comic "The TOPS Development Process", drawn by our very own Wayne Drennen...

The second day of the user conference has dawned as fabulously as yesterday. The clouds in the sky are so puffy and white, it looks like they were painted by an artist. My husband and I call this a Simpsons sky because it looks like the animated skies on that show (look it up!).

The first class of the day is the TOPS OnPoint Hybrid class, presented by Nicole Beal, Director of Professional Services. She is the one that coordinates the conversion, implementation, setup, and training of each new TOPS OnPoint customer, so she is uniquely qualified to show us the hybrid and all it can do. After the cut, I'll give you an overview of the class along with the questions and answers from the session...

After the opening ceremonies, we break out into 3 groups for a free-form question and answer period. The breakout session groupings are Accounting, Management and Technical. I opted to sit in on the Accounting Breakout, which was moderated by Deb White, one of the trainers from our Professional Services division, with assistance from Cande Estrella, Director of Technical Support, and Kim Repass, Support Team Lead. Following is a sampling of the questions and answers from the session:

I decided for my first class of the day to sit in on the TOPS Go! class, taught by Nicole Beal. The class was very informative, both from the training content, and the Q&A session at the end. This is one of the new classes that has been added to the TOPS training subscription, and I highly recommend that you check it out for the full content. I have included a brief overview of the content, along with the questions and answers from the session:

A number of excited user conference attendees joined Deb White at the new class featuring the Enhanced Bills and Statements program. If you aren't familiar with it, enhanced bills and statements allows you to streamline and customize the look and feel of the AR process for billings to homeowners. This class turned out to be just as exciting as the hopeful attendees had hoped it would be. We got a slew of great tips and tricks for using the program, and Deb ended the session with a very helpful Q&A session, which I have faithfully included here for you...

It's another installment of our question and answer blog series, Q&A, not to be confused with QA - our fabulous Quality Assurance team! This time we have a variety of answers covering new products, important forms and helpful instructions on your most pressing questions. 

So lets move on to the questions and answers...

It's time (well, past time, but who's counting?) for the next installment of the blog series with answers to all your pressing TOPS questions - Q&A! This time, we explore the intricacies of MICR Check Scanning, MICR Check Printing, Phone Messenger, TOPS OnPoint, online dues payments, and everyone's favorite topic - Themes! So let's get on with it, shall we?

Welcome back to our TOPS question and answer blog series, Q&A. After the cut, we talk about going paperless with TOPS Pro, how to transfer communities between management companies, the origins of TOPS and more! I am Andrea Drennen, your hostess on this journey, and your personal TOPS researcher. You ask me the questions and I do my best to find you the answers you seek. However, please try to keep your questions limited to topics related to TOPS Software, I can't do much to help you plan your summer's end pool party. (Feel free to invite me though!)  ...

Welcome to the inaugural post of our newest blog series, Q&A. In this series, we'll be answering any questions you have about TOPS and our various products and services. This week, I answer your questions about Windows 7 compatability, the Customer Care Center, Phone Messenger, and the 2011 Federal Payroll Tax Rates. Read on for the answers!

Live from the User Conference

There were three breakout sessions this morning, where attendees could ask questions and get answers on any of three topics: Accounting, Management and Technology. I attended the Accounting Q&A session, held by Debbie White, Corporate Trainer.

Read after the cut to see the full script...