Vectors is one of our favourite events of the year. The SkySwitch community is a specific kind of crowd: MSPs who are already in telecom, already reselling UCaaS, already past the “should we do this?” conversation. That changes the quality of the conversations on the floor.
We’ve been coming back for a few years now, and this time we were at Booth 502 in Orlando at the Walt Disney World Swan alongside two of our closest partners: HaloPSA at Booth 503 and Alternative Payments at Booth 501. All three of us right next to each other on the expo floor, giving us a rare chance to show something we don’t usually get to demonstrate in one place.
The billing stack, end to end
Most MSPs understand the pieces. Fewer have seen them all connected and running together.
Here’s what the workflow looked like on the Vectors floor this year:
- Usage data in. Call detail records flow from SkySwitch into Datagate automatically.
- Rate, tax, invoice. Datagate applies your pricing plans, calculates taxes by jurisdiction, and generates branded invoices.
- Into your PSA. Invoices push into HaloPSA, sitting alongside your other service invoices in one system.
- Payment collected. Alternative Payments syncs those invoices and runs payment against the client’s card or bank account on file, automatically.
- CDR data in. Cash collected. No manual steps in the middle.
Datagate connects with a wide range of telecom providers and PBX systems, so this same workflow runs regardless of who sits at the top of your stack.
Bob Bascom from Charleston Telecom described it well: “Datagate + Alternative Payments is a machine that kind of runs itself, and you’re just the manager.”
That’s the goal. Having all three of us in adjacent booths meant MSPs could walk from one conversation to the next and see how the pieces fit together, not in a slide deck, but on a screen, running live.
The partners on the floor
HaloPSA
HaloPSA is where most MSPs already manage their tickets, contracts, and customer invoicing. The HaloPSA-Datagate integration means telecom invoices land there too, with no re-keying between systems.
What the integration does:
- Customers, contracts, and site information sync from HaloPSA into Datagate automatically
- Datagate handles the complex telecom taxes that HaloPSA can’t calculate on its own
- Fully rated, taxed, and formatted telecom invoices push back into HaloPSA as line items
- Any system already connected to HaloPSA, including your accounting platform and payment solution, can see those invoices immediately
The result is a single pane of glass. Telecom billing lives in the same place as everything else you bill for.
Alternative Payments
Getting invoices out is one problem. Getting paid is another.
Alternative Payments is purpose-built payment automation for MSPs and telecom providers. It syncs invoices from HaloPSA and Datagate, then collects payment automatically based on rules you configure.
The numbers:
- Industry average DSO: ~30 days. Alternative Payments customers get paid in 7 days
- 62% of payments processed through the platform are fully automated: no manual action from the MSP or the client required
When a billing cycle closes, payments largely collect themselves. Your accountants get a clean view of what’s paid and what’s outstanding, and can close the books without chasing anyone down.
What the sessions were saying
A couple of themes from the Vectors agenda matched conversations we were already having at the booth.
Compliance Without Complication Jenn Nading, Joe Connolley, Eileen Cohan — SkySwitch
Telecom compliance has two distinct layers that often get conflated. Operational compliance covers CPNI, Robocall Mitigation Database (RMD) filings, and Know Your Customer practices. Financial compliance covers 499 Reporting, FUSF obligations, and collections and remittance.
The RMD requirements in particular are worth revisiting if you haven’t lately.
The takeaway for billing: A lot of compliance accuracy runs through your billing platform. If billing is manual, so is your compliance exposure.
Preparing for the AI-Driven Sales Era Visualize for ValueSelling Associates
Most MSPs walk into prospect conversations selling something that looks the same as everyone else: UCaaS, SIP, Teams, CX. According to the RAIN Group, 71% of buyers say what most influences their purchase decision is a seller who leads thorough discovery of their needs, not a product pitch.
The takeaway for billing: Showing a prospect what the back office looks like when it actually runs itself is often what makes a conversation stick.
What’s next
If you were at Vectors and came by the booth, you saw this stack running live. If you didn’t make it, or want to go deeper on any part of it, we’re running a joint webinar with HaloPSA and Alternative Payments on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 12pm EST.
All three teams on the call. A focused walkthrough of how the integrated billing workflow runs in practice. Not a sales pitch.
Or reach out directly at [email protected]
Datagate was at SkySwitch Vectors 2026, April 26–29, Walt Disney World Swan, Orlando. Booth 502.
Session references: “Compliance Without Complication,” SkySwitch Vectors 2026 (Jenn Nading, Joe Connolley, Eileen Cohan, SkySwitch). “Preparing for the AI-Driven Sales Era,” SkySwitch Vectors 2026 (Visualize for ValueSelling Associates). Buyer research: RAIN Group Center for Sales Research. Charleston Telecom quote: Bob Bascom. Alternative Payments statistics: Baxter Lanius, Datagate + Alternative Payments joint webinar, 2025.
