The residential solar market is growing, and fast.
For solar installers and service providers that have done the work to prepare, this can be an exciting time – offering an opportunity to take on more customers, hire more employees, and create additional lines of business.
When you think of this new wave of growth, do you feel your company is prepared to double or triple its monthly projects? Is your client and installation data centralized? Are your current processes working seamlessly?
Having the right processes in place is often a result of an integrated and optimized solar software stack. Scoop is the leading residential solar project management software and offers several benefits for renewable energy companies, including streamlined project tracking, enhanced communication, and organized data and documentation.
Streamline Project Planning and Tracking
Due to the field-intensive nature of the solar industry, arguably one of the most important features of software for solar companies is the ability to track installation and service visits in real-time. The Scoop platform gives you full control over assigning project leads, crew members, creating custom project phases, automated tasks, and more.
Scoop’s residential solar project management software gives solar leaders the ability to plan and track projects as they progress through various stages, including solar sales, design, inspection, installation, job closeout, and service. The Project Tracker Live™ dashboard provides users with an at-a-glance view into all projects and their current standing. The dashboard and its filters are customizable, allowing each team to surface and drill into the data that is most relevant to them, while the Project Performance Analytics™ feature flags projects that are at risk of missing deadlines.
Improve Efficiency with Workflow Automations
Once you have a solid understanding of how projects are progressing, one of the best ways to boost productivity is with workflow automations. By automating manual and redundant tasks, your team can spend more time on what matters – providing quality products, services, and support to your customers. The power of automation is apparent through the Scoop platform, allowing users to automate tasks such as:
- Progressing projects to the next phase as specific criteria are met
- Sending email updates to internal or external stakeholders
- Assigning tasks and due dates to specific teams or team members
- Trigger bi-directional data and workflows between two or more tools, including solar proposal or design tools, ERP systems, accounting and financing software, and more
Empower Field Crews with Mobile Technology
In order to engage your field crews and collect the most accurate data possible, your solar project management software should be available on mobile and offer a real-time sync back to office teams. The Scoop Solar mobile app offers advanced features such as offline mode for job sites with an unreliable internet connection, integrated Smart Forms and checklists, native photo capture, and much more. By offering residential solar companies a platform that is available across all teams, Scoop improves collaboration, transparency, and data sharing.
Organize Data, Documents, and Media
Project document management can be a daunting task as both your projects and teams grow in size. Luckily, Scoop’s Global Fields™ simplify project management by efficiently organizing data and processes. The unique data architecture allows your team to automatically populate data, media, and documents as projects advance through different stages while Smart Forms™ offer the versatility to incorporate various types of content, such as text, dropdown menus, numeric inputs, addresses, and signatures, into work orders and other project forms.
Manage Scheduling and Resource Optimization
Connecting work orders and calendars is an important but often overlooked step in residential solar project management. The easiest way to accomplish this is through integrations with tools such as Google Calendar or with Scoop’s native Scheduling and Resource Optimization (SRO) feature. In addition to simplifying scheduling across your team, SRO also offers a conflict resolution mode that highlights users who have been double booked and suggests available and equivalent team members, such as those with the same role or seniority.
Solar Project Management Software Success Stories
Scoop has helped hundreds of solar companies around the world scale operations, increase productivity, and generate a return on investment through solar project management software. For example, PV Squared uses Scoop to foster collaboration and optimize solar project management and Kembla automated and streamlined their multi-home solar projects within the platform.
Best Practices for Implementing and Using Solar Project Management Software
Before implementing new software and driving adoption across your team, you should first evaluate if your team is ready. Evaluating new software can seem daunting at first, but defining your project management goals, identifying gaps in your existing software stack, and nominating the leaders in your organization who will spearhead the evaluation and training processes are a good place to start. Once you have selected your software, you will want to explore possible integrations and customizations. For example, Scoop integrates with over five hundred other software tools through the GLOO Integration Service.
Scoop helps solar companies prepare for growth and scale their operations. To learn more about our solutions and how we can help solve your specific business challenges, reach out today.
