Roofing contractors embrace e-payments to beat fraud

By Jesse Sanchez.

Electronic payments aren’t just convenient, they’re a game-changer for roofing contractors navigating today’s high-risk payment landscape.

In an era where mailed checks routinely vanish and fraud is on the rise, roofing contractors are adopting digital payment solutions to safeguard their cash flow and speed up collections. That was the focus of a revealing discussion between Heidi J. Ellsworth and Foundation Software’s Brian Cancian on this episode of the Roofing Road Trips®.

Brian, a veteran in construction accounting systems, highlighted how common payment challenges, especially delayed collections and fraud, can derail even well-managed businesses. “You can bill as much as you want as often as you want. But if you're not getting paid, it doesn't matter,” he said. “You can only work with the cash that you have coming in.”

The conversation zeroed in on one of the most pressing threats facing contractors today: check fraud. “I've talked to many contractors… and they're saying checks that have been mailed out to them just never show up,” Brian noted. “Our mail system today is not the mail system that it used to be.”

Foundation Software’s answer to this growing threat is its FoundationPay receivables platform, designed to streamline and secure the entire payment process. With features like invoice-specific payment portals, QR codes and secure payment gateways, contractors can eliminate reliance on the postal service while also reducing administrative touchpoints. Brian noted, “If I can give you a portal that shows you everything that's owed, the only data entry is what card you’re putting it on.”

Beyond convenience, the system enhances financial transparency and mitigates internal and external fraud risks. “There’s nobody touching it in between,” Brian explained. “Payment received in the accounting system, money hits the bank, nobody touches it. Done.”

For roofing contractors managing maintenance contracts and recurring service invoices, this shift isn’t just beneficial, it’s transformative. Smaller, more frequent payments are processed quickly and securely, improving both client satisfaction and contractor cash flow. As Brian said, “For these high-volume, lower-dollar invoices, this type of payment option is golden.”

The move to e-payments isn’t simply about technology, it’s about protecting revenue, improving efficiency and creating a frictionless payment experience for clients. As Brian aptly puts it, “The quicker you can bill, the quicker you can get paid.”

Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about how Foundation is helping roofing companies upgrade their payment systems and combat fraud!