Document Management: Email and FTP Solution

Overview

Cornerstone can map available data fields in subscriber records to fillable PDFs, allowing you to streamline contract creation and management. Filled PDFs can be emailed to customers for completion and signature, then uploaded back to Cornerstone for permanent storage.

This article covers the three available document storage options, setup requirements, the step-by-step fillable form process, user permissions, and common use cases for the Document Management feature.

Document Management Storage Options

Option 1: Drive Mapping (Local Storage)

Scan or save documents on your local computer and map them directly to your customer's account.

Option 2: FTP Site Storage

Store documents on the FTP site and map them to your customer's account.

Option 3: Fillable Forms with FTP Site

Generate fillable forms directly from Cornerstone and attach them to customer accounts. Email to customers for signature, then upload signed versions back to the FTP site.

Setup Requirements

Programming and Form Preparation (Option 3)

Two types of programming work may be required before you can use fillable forms:

• Field Mapping: $150/hour to map data fields from Cornerstone to your PDF forms.
• Form Creation: $150/hour if PDFs need to be converted to fillable format (if not already fillable).

Best Practice

Compress PDF documents — This is recommended for all storage options to save storage space and improve performance.

How the Fillable Form Process Works

Step 1: Generate a Contract

1. Navigate to the Contracts tab on the subscriber account.
2. Click Insert.
3. Fill in the contract information:
   • Choose Contract Type and Category.
   • Enter Start Date and Expiration Date (or add later when the signed contract is returned).
4. Click Generate.
5. Click Yes to the notification.
6. Choose a form from the list.

Step 2: Complete and Save the Form

1. Review the auto-populated customer data.
2. Update the form with any additional information needed.
3. Save the form in your PDF viewer.
4. Click OK.

The populated form is saved in the FTP "Customer" folder with a title that includes the account number and generation date.

Step 3: Email the Contract to the Customer

1. Highlight the contract.
2. Click Print / Email.
3. If applicable, select a Contract Letter. (Contract Letters can be added in Inquiry/Mail > Create Letters > Type "Contract".)
4. If the data is in Cornerstone, attach Zone List and/or Contact List if needed.
5. If sending via email:
   • Click Email Setup.
   • Verify email information and text.
6. Click Print / Email.

Optional attachments (Zone List, Contact List) will be included in a second PDF document.

Step 4: Upload the Signed Contract

Once the subscriber has completed, signed, and returned the form:

1. Upload the signed contract to the FTP "Import" folder.
2. On the Contracts tab, double-click the form you wish to update (or highlight and click Change).
3. Click Import.
4. Click Yes to the notification.
5. Select the updated form.
6. Verify you're replacing the correct form.
7. Click Yes to confirm.

User Setup and Permissions

Required Permissions

Access to Contract Management requires Document List permissions for each user. Your system administrator can configure these permissions.

Setting Default Email Text

To set default text for contract emails:

1. Go to Utilities > System Defaults > Customer.
2. Locate Default Contract Email Text.
3. Enter your default text.

This text can always be edited in the email body when sending individual contracts.

Common Use Cases

Document Management is used across a variety of scenarios where subscriber data needs to be pre-filled and documents need to be stored against a customer record.

Contracts

The most common use for this feature is managing customer service agreements and contracts with automatic data population and signature collection.

City Alarm Permits

Generate and manage alarm permits with customer information pre-filled, reducing errors and processing time.

Central Station Subscriber Agreements

Create and manage subscriber agreements for central station monitoring services with all relevant customer data automatically populated.

Other Documents

Any document where you need to:

• Fill in subscriber information automatically
• Manage the document lifecycle
• Store documents with customer records

Key Benefits

Need Additional Help?

Our Customer Success team is here to assist you.

Phone: 847-405-9517 x1
Email: customer.success@alarmbills.com

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