A solar client is not a one-off job. They are an assessment, a quote worth tens of thousands, a multi-day install with a crew, a commissioning report, and then twenty-plus years of a system on their roof that needs inspecting, cleaning and the occasional inverter.
The installers who do well treat it as one long relationship, with every stage on record.
The short version
- Turn the site assessment into a quote with options, signed online.
- Take a deposit and split the rest into a payment schedule tied to the work.
- Record commissioning and every panel, inverter and battery at the property.
- Sell an operations and maintenance plan at handover.
Stage 1: The site assessment
The assessment decides whether the quote is right. Record it properly:
- Roof: orientation, pitch, condition, material, age
- Shade: trees, chimneys, neighbouring buildings
- Structure: what the roof can carry
- Electrical: panel capacity, meter location, whether a panel upgrade is needed
- Photos of all of it
On a phone form, with photos, it goes straight to the quote and the install crew.
Stage 2: The quote
A solar quote is a big decision for the client. Make it easy to say yes:
- Options: system size, battery storage, a critical-load panel, critter guards
- Clear lines: what is included, what is not, permits and connection
- E-signature online, so the client can accept from home after talking it over
- A deposit on acceptance, to cover equipment ordering
Stage 3: Getting paid in stages
Five-figure jobs need a payment schedule, tied to the work:
| Stage | Example |
|---|---|
| On accepting the quote | Deposit, covers equipment |
| On equipment delivery or start of install | Progress payment |
| On completion and commissioning | Balance |
Clients can pay online or by Interac e-Transfer. (More on deposits.)
Stage 4: Install and commissioning
- Schedule the crew across days, with each day on everyone's calendar
- Record the commissioning report on site
- Record every panel, inverter, battery and optimizer as equipment at the property, with install dates
- Photos of the finished install, the labels and the panel
Stage 5: Years of maintenance
The install is the start. Offer an operations and maintenance (O&M) plan at handover:
- Annual inspection: mounting, wiring, inverter, monitoring
- Panel cleaning where it is needed
- Priority service if production drops
With the equipment on record, every future visit starts informed, and recommendations (an inverter near end of life, a battery expansion) turn into quotes.
How crewduo helps solar installers
- Solar site assessment form with photos, then a quote with options, signed online.
- Deposits and payment schedules on five-figure jobs, paid online or by Interac e-Transfer.
- Multi-day installs with a crew on the calendar.
- PV commissioning report as a form on the phone, saved to the job and the property.
- Equipment at each property (Crew plan): every inverter and panel, and when it next needs service.
- Recurring contracts for annual inspections and cleaning.
See crewduo for solar installers, or read about quoting EV chargers and panel upgrades.
