Why did I choose the name “Friendly Systems” for our company?

As a high school and junior high and pre-school teacher, I discovered that people learn better from you if they like you. I learned that my job was to know my stuff and also to present it in a way that made my students like me, too.

When I worked as an accountant, financial analyst, systems manager and controller, what I wanted from my software provider was someone who was knowledgeable about their product. I also wanted someone who be kind to me, as I learned about and used the software. Someone who was going to be supporting and helpful. Someone who would be on my side when the going got tough. Someone with integrity. I wanted a “friend in the business”.

When I started the company in 1982 I knew I wanted to be a business that was friendly. When we added software vendors, that was a key characteristic we looked for. People like to to work with people that are friendly. While all software may, at times, be not so co-operative, the people who help you with the software can be. We listen to what you want and determine what it we can do to provide for you. After a few years, it was proven by our work that we could do the work and still be seen as friends by our allies.

So I decided to name the business “Friendly Systems” so that we would always remember that one of our main jobs was to be “friendly” even while working with “systems”.

Now that’s Friendly!