You might have heard of Cornerstone. Maybe you glanced at our website and thought, “Oh, another billing company,” and moved on. We get it. There’s a lot of noise out there.
But what if we told you that for a specific type of alarm company, we’re not just a solution—we’re a lifetime business partner?
The truth is, our alarm company software is not for everyone. We’re specialists. We don’t work with construction firms or waste management services. We are built for one purpose: to be the operational engine for companies that provide life-saving services – security, fire, medical, access control, and video surveillance.
So, how do you know if you’re the right fit? It’s not just about being an alarm company. It’s about being a company that’s ready to evolve. Let’s see if this sounds familiar.
The Blueprint: Does Your Company Profile Match?
We’ve found a “sweet spot” where our partnership creates the most success. See if you recognize your business here:
You’re Privately Owned and Proud: You’re the owner-operator, maybe with family members on the team. You feel the operational pain points firsthand because you live them every day.
You’re Established: You’ve been in business for a few years, maybe even 20+. You have a stable customer base and a great reputation.
You’re in the Growth Zone: You manage between 200 and 5,000 recurring accounts. This is the critical stage where the systems that got you here are starting to hold you back. (Though we happily partner with companies from 10 to 20,000+ accounts!)
You Run a Lean Team: Your team is likely between 2 and 20 employees, including yourself, a key office manager, and your trusted technicians.
If you’re nodding along, you fit the profile. Now, let’s look at the tools you’re currently using.
The “Alarm Company Software”: Is It Held Together by Duct Tape and Hope?
Every business has a system. The question is whether that system is serving you or you’re serving it. Our most successful partners come to us when they’re wrestling with one of these scenarios:
The QuickBooks Quandary: You’re using a general accounting tool like QuickBooks (Desktop or Online) or Sage for everything. You know it’s not designed for the complexities of RMR, service scheduling, and inventory for alarm companies, but you’ve been “making it work.”
The Spreadsheet Maze: Your business runs on a complex web of spreadsheets, paper invoices, and manual tracking. Customer data is in one place, service history in another, and billing is a monthly manual grind. You’re so used to your “band-aid” fixes that you might not even see the problem anymore.
The Legacy Logjam: You have an old, on-premise industry software that’s clunky, slow, and unsupported. It lacks modern features like a customer portal or a mobile app for your techs, and getting data out of it is a nightmare.
The Breaking Point: Do These Headaches Sound Familiar?
This is the most critical part. Technology is just a tool; it’s about the problems it solves. You are likely ready for a true partnership if you’re experiencing these frustrations:
1. The Chaos of Inefficiency
You or your office manager are spending hours on manual data entry, creating invoices one-by-one, and chasing down payments. There’s no single source of truth for customer info, service history, and billing status, leading to constant double-checking and wasted time.
2. The Frustration of Revenue Leakage
Your cash flow is unpredictable because billing is inconsistent. You have a nagging feeling you’re missing billable items—a service call here, an equipment upgrade there—because your systems are completely disconnected.
3. The Glass Ceiling on Growth
You know you can’t add another 500 accounts (or even another 50) with your current process. You’ve thought about acquiring another local company, but the idea of merging their customer list into your spreadsheet gives you a headache. Your growth is completely stalled by your operations.
4. The Dream of an All-in-One Solution
You’re sick of juggling separate tools. You just want one platform that handles automated RMR billing, collections, service management, scheduling, and customer history seamlessly.
5. The Outdated Customer Experience
You can’t offer customers modern conveniences like an online payment portal, auto-pay, or automated service reminders with your current alarm company software. You know this puts you at a competitive disadvantage, but your current system can’t handle it.
The Tipping Point: Signs It’s Time to Act Now for Better Alarm Company Software
Usually, a specific event triggers the search for a new solution. Have you recently experienced…
A “Never Again” Moment: A costly billing error angered a major customer or caused a significant financial loss.
The New Hire’s Mandate: You just hired a new office manager who took one look at your process and said, “There has to be a better way.”
The Acquisition Opportunity: You have a chance to buy a competitor, but you need a system to merge the two businesses effectively.
The Family Handoff: You’re passing the business to the next generation, and they (or you) want to set them up for success with modern, scalable software.
The Mystery of Your Own Business: You see the bottom line in your bank account, but you have no real visibility into attrition, revenue projections, or sales tax liabilities. You’re flying blind.
Beyond Software, It’s a Partnership
If you saw your business reflected in this post, it’s not a coincidence. It’s a sign that you’ve reached a point where your hard work and potential are being limited by your tools.
Cornerstone isn’t just a software vendor. We are a team of experts dedicated to the alarm industry, ready to become an extension of your team. We help you eliminate the chaos, plug the revenue leaks, and build a scalable foundation for the future.
Ready to see if we’re the right fit?
Let’s have a conversation, not a sales pitch. Click Here to Schedule a 15-Minute Discovery Call to discuss your challenges and see if a partnership with Cornerstone is the right next step for your business.
Cornerstone Billing Solutions is the leading provider of comprehensive billing services and powerful account management software for security alarm dealers nationwide. Call us at 224-577-1197 to learn how Cornerstone’s affordable and time-saving billing services, superior dealer support, and specialized, cloud-based software can help your business improve efficiency and profitability.