Posts Tagged ‘alarm billing’
What Happens to Your Alarm Company’s Cash Flow When a Customer Cancels? (And How to Stop the Bleeding)
In the security industry, we talk a lot about growth — new installs, new RMR, new accounts. But there is a number that quietly threatens everything you build, and most alarm dealers are not watching it closely enough: your attrition rate. The right alarm company management software can change that. Customer cancellations are one of…
Read MoreBeyond the Quick Buck: Why Growing Your RMR the Right Way is the Secret to Long-Term Success
In the security and fire-life safety industry, “getting paid fast” is the drum everyone beats. We see marketing everywhere: flashy promises to help you get paid as fast as possible. While cash flow is undeniably the lifeblood of any business, there is a fundamental—and often expensive—difference between chasing a quick payment and getting paid right.…
Read MoreSimplifying the Way You Scale: Why We’re Moving to Service Packages
Since 1999, Cornerstone Billing Solutions has had one mission: to serve as the operational backbone for life-safety companies. In fact, Cornerstone started with just 1,000 subscriber accounts. Today, we support over 250,000 accounts for hundreds of alarm companies. As we’ve watched the industry evolve from basic security to complex smart-home ecosystems, we realized our software…
Read MoreEmails are Free. Getting Paid Isn’t. The Real Story of Professional Email Invoicing.
We hear it often in sales conversations. A sharp business owner will look at a proposal and ask, “Why is there a charge for email invoicing? Emails are free. We can just send them from our own account.” Although the question appears reasonable on the surface, it’s based on a common misconception about professional email…
Read MoreQuickBooks vs Automated Billing Software: Where Does your Business Stand?
QuickBooks is a familiar name for many businesses, often serving as the go-to general ledger and accounting tool. However, when it comes to the unique, recurring billing needs of the alarm industry, its “memorized transactions” feature often falls short. For alarm companies demanding agility, depth, and precision in customer billing, these limitations can translate into…
Read MoreNavigating the Compliance Maze: Ensuring Seamless and Secure Billing for Your Business
In today’s fast-paced business world, strong compliance isn’t just a hurdle to clear – it’s the bedrock of trust, financial health, and customer happiness. This is especially true when it comes to how you bill your customers and manage those crucial autopay arrangements. At Cornerstone, we get it. We understand the complex layers of compliance…
Read MoreThinking Billing is Just Sending Invoices? Think Again! ➡️ We’re So Much More.
“Billing is just sending invoices and collecting payment.” We hear that sometimes, but the reality is far more intricate and impactful! At Cornerstone, billing is a strategic function that goes way beyond the basics. For many, “billing” conjures up images of simply generating and dispatching invoices, followed by the sometimes-tedious process of chasing down payments.…
Read MoreThe Evolution of Alarm Payments: What Alarm Installation Companies Need to Know for 2025
In 2015, Cornerstone Billing Solutions looked ahead to see how customers would pay in the future. Now, ten years later, it’s clear that a lot has changed for Alarm Installation Companies. Technology has moved fast, and so have the rules around handling customer payments. This means if you’re in the alarm business, you need to…
Read More5 Reasons Why Automating Billing Software is a MUST in 2025
Happy New Year! Ready to tackle 2025, or are you still running your business like it’s 1995? The alarm industry is brimming with cutting-edge technology to prevent crime, minimize loss, and protect lives. Yet, so many alarm companies cling to outdated methods when it comes to their operations—billing being one of the worst offenders. Here’s…
Read MoreSurcharging for Life Safety Companies: How to Avoid the Hassle
With inflation driving up operating costs recently, more life safety companies are opting to add surcharges to customers that pay by credit card. Surcharges are simply fees that a business can add to recover its merchant fee expenses. Say you have a customer that pays a $100 quarterly monitoring invoice, and your company has adopted…
Read More