Attrition in the security industry is the measurement of customer dissatisfaction with or need for the system. Overall, in 2013 — the latest year for which data are available in the annual Attrition Measurement Study — both gross and net attrition increased and attrition caused by competition also inched up.
The Attrition Measurement Study, conducted by TRG Associates, accumulates annual attrition results from a growing number of security companies, from small on up to large national firms. The 2013 Attrition Measurement Study is in its 13th year and includes data on more than $289 million of recurring monthly revenue (RMR) from companies in the United States, Canada and Europe. The consistency of the companies reporting continues to enhance the insight into the attrition trends within the security industry. The study seeks to provide a measurement of the attrition results across the marketplace as to the level of customer RMR losses — called gross attrition — and the offsets to those losses through re-signing of like customers/locations and other increases in the RMR related to the same base of customers — called net attrition.