A Fond Farewell

TOPS has come a long way in the past two years. I remember my first project when I came on board was to contact our TOPS 2000™ customers and ask how they liked the software. This was about the time that the Windows version had come out and our programmers were working to fix problems that were coming up.

I started out discouraged because I was not getting a lot of positive feedback. But we made some changes, expanding and rearranging the technical support department, changing the mission of the sales department, and putting an emphasis on customer satisfaction. Within no time, our customers were ecstatic about the product and our market share began to exponentially increase. Our programmers began to work on enhancements to the product, rather than fixes, and the TOPS product family began to take shape.

Life in the Sales Department was a busy one. From the time I got into the office until the time I left, there were phone calls to make, emails to respond to, and questions to answer. Sales reached a record high in 2001, with the help of an excellent support staff and programming department. We all grew together as a family, and it showed through our customers.

In about June of 2001, I began working on the web sites that we offer. From the first time I learned about the web sites, I knew they would be a success. Who wouldn't want to provide such a useful tool to their customers? Things were slow at first because it was a new product and many people were reluctant to move to business on the Internet.

Once I got my first good-sized client under my belt, it was like a wave had hit the property management business, and we jumped 1000% in a few short months. Now, we have a good base of web site clients who are adding to their business by sponsoring web sites for their customers. Life is good at TOPS and the future looks bright for the TOPS Family.

Unfortunately my life is taking me down a different path. However, it has been made clear to me that I will always be a part of TOPS. I just thought I would take my last column to thank everyone that I have spoken with or emailed, all my customers that I have made a special friendship with, and all of you that have ever waited on hold for me.

TOPS is a great place to work, and an opportunity of a lifetime. I want to thank all of my co-workers for giving me a chance, and allowing me to put my own personal spin on the way TOPS does business. Thanks again, and as you are all very aware, I leave you in extremely capable hands. Goodbye and God bless!

Goodbye Matt!