Your solar company runs Facebook and Instagram ads, and on a hot week the WhatsApp number receives more enquiries than the team can answer. Some ask for a price in one line, some send their electricity bill, some want a survey tomorrow. Salespeople reply from their own phones, quotations are made in Excel, and three months later nobody knows which customers are stuck at net metering and which have not paid the final instalment.
A CRM for a solar installer is about one thing: no lead, survey, quotation or file falls through a crack. We will not discuss savings or system prices here; this guide is about running the pipeline.
The pipeline, stage by stage
| Stage | What is recorded | Who owns it |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | Source, name, phone, city, bill photo, interest | Lead desk |
| Qualified | Home or business, roof type, load, budget range noted | Salesperson |
| Survey | Date, surveyor, roof photos, measurements, shading notes | Survey team |
| Quotation | System design, components, versions sent | Salesperson |
| Won | Advance received, installation date | Projects |
| Installed | Team, date, serial numbers, handover photos | Installation team |
| Net metering | Application stage, documents, follow-up date | Documentation desk |
| After-sales | Cleaning, service visits, warranty claims | Service team |
Catching the flood of leads
Leads from ad forms, WhatsApp, calls and walk-ins should land in one list with their source, so you know which campaign brought real customers. Assign them automatically by city or in turn, and set a rule that every lead gets a first reply within your target time. The CRM for sales teams on WhatsApp guide explains how chats are logged without slowing salespeople. For ready replies and auto-acknowledgements, see WhatsApp automation for business.
Survey to quotation
The surveyor fills a form on a phone at the site: roof type and size, orientation, shading, distance to the meter, photos. That data feeds the quotation, so the salesperson does not retype measurements. Quotations are versioned; when the customer asks for a different inverter or panel brand, it becomes version two, and the CRM shows which version was accepted.
Installation and the net metering stage
After the advance, the job moves to projects: team assigned, date booked, components issued from stock with serial numbers recorded. Once installed, the net metering file starts. Treat it as its own stage with a checklist of the documents your distribution company asks for, the current status, and a next follow-up date. The documentation desk sees all files by stage, and customers can be updated on WhatsApp without someone digging for the latest news. Requirements differ between distribution companies and change over time, so keep the checklist editable.
Name your stages
Write the stages your company actually uses, from lead to after-sales, and who owns each.
Connect lead sources
Ad forms, the WhatsApp number, website form and call log into one list.
Build the survey form
The fields your surveyors need, with photo upload, usable on a phone.
Make the quotation template
Your component list and layout, so a quotation is produced from the survey in minutes.
Add open net metering files
Every customer currently waiting, with stage and next follow-up date.
Reports the owner should open every week
- Leads by source and campaign, with how many reached survey and how many were won.
- Leads with no reply after your target time, by salesperson.
- Quotations sent but not followed up in the last few days.
- Installed customers still waiting at the net metering stage, oldest first.
- Final payments still due after installation.
These five lists tell you where the pipeline is leaking. Most solar companies find that the problem is not too few leads but slow replies and forgotten follow-ups.
After-sales and referrals
Installed customers need panel cleaning, inverter checks and warranty claims. Record each visit and each serial number, and schedule reminders. A customer who is looked after refers neighbours, and the CRM can record who referred whom.
Stock and accounts
Panels, inverters, batteries and structures are expensive stock, so serial numbers matter. If you hold stock in a warehouse and run several teams, connect the CRM to an inventory and accounts system; our inventory management guide covers serial-number tracking. Our CRM software page shows how Operix builds CRMs, and the Sea Keepers project shows a similar flow from enquiries to quotations to orders in another trade.
A small installer doing a few jobs a month can manage on a shared sheet. If ads bring more leads than you can follow, book a demo and bring last week's WhatsApp enquiries.
Questions people ask
Can leads from Facebook ads come in automatically?
Yes. Lead forms can be connected so each new lead appears in the CRM with its campaign name. WhatsApp leads are added from the chat with one tap or through the Business API.
Will the CRM calculate savings for customers?
We do not build savings promises into the CRM. Your engineers design the system and the quotation states components and terms; any estimate is your company's responsibility.
Can it track net metering for each distribution company?
Yes. Each file carries the distribution company, a checklist you can edit, its current stage and a follow-up date. Requirements change, so the checklist is not hard-coded.
Do you have an office in Lahore or Islamabad?
No. Operix works from Karachi. Solar companies in other cities are served online, with visits when the project needs them.
