How to Boost Customer Acquisition with Solar Software

The costs associated with producing solar installations are on a conspicuous decline. But somehow, though every other cost is going down, the cost of acquiring a new customer is stubbornly steady and in some cases even growing. With customer acquisition costs expected to rise to about $4,000 per customer, solar installers will need to get creative and choose the right tools to streamline operations and sell more efficiently. Here, we’ll dive into the different types of solar software available to help. 

A picture is worth a thousand words

Many people are visual learners, so it makes good business sense to provide your customers with the best visuals of their solar installation. Solar software that shows a realistic photo or simulation of your design helps customers better visualize their system and understand the value in their solar investment. 

Design software ranges from three-dimensional representations such the ones generated with Aurora to high-quality aerial photographs from Nearmap. With accurate visuals, there won’t be any surprises: you can ensure that your customers will be happy with how their new system looks and works. 

All systems go

Solar installations aren’t a one-and-done process. Monitoring solar software helps you track ongoing energy savings for customers and bring light to any issues that need troubleshooting. Existing software options allow you to track temperature, voltage, and necessary maintenance activities over a period of time. 

Additionally, monitoring solar installations helps to determine the ROI for both you and your customer. Tracking and proving ROI gives customers something to boast about, leading to more referrals for you. Advanced monitoring software can even help to boost the power of your PV arrays, or suggest maintenance requirements so that the system continues to function with full efficiency. 

More friction, more problems

One of the crucial first steps of building a cost and ROI estimate is gaining an understanding of the customer’s historical energy usage. Installers can base their estimates off of one monthly bill or several (using several bills vastly improves accuracy), but either way, they need to request utility bill information. 

Typically, installers do this by asking customers to find and scan a paper utility bill or to email over a digital copy. This process can take up to several minutes. When customers frequently struggle to find a utility bill, it either lengthens an awkward phone conversation or causes customers to delay or even abandon their response over email. 

With a seamless user experience, customers are more likely to follow through, ultimately boosting solar sales.

Solar software can automate this process, digitally retrieving up to 12 months’ of utility bill history directly from the utility provider. Customers simply log in to their utility accounts through an iFrame or landing page, and their account history will be linked and available to the installer. With a seamless user experience, customers are more likely to follow through, ultimately boosting solar sales. 

Hyper focus at hyper speed

Door-to-door solar selling is not the most effective strategy, especially compared to what modern technology enables.. Lead generation software helps installers and brokers find their next and best customers faster, leading to more efficient customer acquisition.

For instance, the Reonomy platform allows you to run hyper-targeted searches for real estate in the U.S. by typing in addresses and lot characteristics. Property type (e.g. multifamily, commercial), financial history, and ownership can all be found with just a few keywords. With lead generation solar software, you can go from general prospecting to smart prospecting.

Invest in better customer acquisition

Solar is more and more popular among consumers and businesses across the U.S., but the actual process of acquiring a new customer is just as costly. That’s where solar software can help, by proving ROI, maximizing efficiency, improving the customer experience, and generating the right leads. With the right tools, installers can make every sale count – and make every sale efficient. 

 

Ready to find more ways to accelerate solar sales? Check out our free eBook. 

You may also like:

• Why Solar Customers Want and Expect Personalization
• 3 Ways to Enhance the Accuracy of Solar Project Analyses
• Urjanet Launches Utility Data for Solar to Empower Solar Adoption

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