This blog was originally published on October 21, 2022, and was revised for freshness, clarity, and accuracy.
With more competition in the industry, solar contractors are looking for solutions that will give them a competitive edge, like solar project management software.
Solar project management software helps businesses focus on innovation, sales, and success. As your solar company grows, the right solar project management software grows with you, helping you stay on the cutting edge.
In this post, we’ll look at what solar project management software is and the features it should have to boost your business’s productivity and ROI.
What Is Project Management?
Project management is an ongoing process that handles the project from start to end. Quality, cost, and time form the cornerstones of project management.
It’s vital to have an effective strategy that addresses each phase of your solar projects.
Some of the core components of project management include:
Listing project requirements
Developing and implementing a management plan
Managing issues and changes to projects
Monitoring progress in the overall timeline
Maintaining communication between stakeholders and the team
Why Is Project Management Important for Solar Projects?
Solar projects tend to be short-term (running for a few days or weeks). Solar project management details the steps of each phase, including planning, scheduling, and managing resources like materials and labor.
As a solar project manager, you should fully understand the technical project aspects like procurement, engineering, integration, and commissioning. Solar project management is vital to every project because it lets you:
Have a competitive advantage in a crowded market
Gain visibility into the entire project, from sales to production
Increase efficiency as you focus on a single phase at a time
Estimate the time and cost of the project
Best Solar Project Management Software Features
The market is full of solutions that claim to be the best solar project management software. But, testing each solar platform you come across can consume time and finances.
Understanding the key features of solar project management software will save you time. Here’s a list of features to ensure you get the best solar project management software for your company’s needs.
1. Cloud Capabilities
Solar work usually happens in the field, so any solar project management software discussion naturally moves toward mobile apps.
However, remember that the best mobile apps for your business should integrate with powerhouse desktop tools. This cloud-based approach connects your team to each other and the information they need to get jobs done right. The information ranges from local industry codes to metrics such as utility rates.
The information is loaded into a cloud-based platform, making it easy for your team to access the latest resources regardless of location.
Also, cloud-based software maintenance happens in the cloud instead of your office. What’s more, each time you access the project management software via desktop, mobile, or web browser, you’ll use the latest version. That means fewer bugs, better stability, usability improvements, and new features will be yours at no additional cost or work on your part.
With cloud-based project management software, you can save a lot of time, allowing you to focus on core business functions.
2. Estimates & Proposals
A great project management software will let you create estimate templates, populate an estimate from existing products and services, and share estimates with customers.
Each of your customers is different when it comes to solar quotes. Project costs will vary, and estimating costs can be challenging. But the right tool makes estimates and proposals into simple tasks that take seconds.
Solar project management software should come with customizable invoice and proposal templates. They should also be easily adjusted to meet your client’s requests, showing full details or just highlights.
You should get a solar project management software that lets you generate quotes from your main office or the mobile app. With mobile estimating capabilities, you’ll impress leads, serve more customers, and win more deals.
Solar software should also allow you to attach data sheets, industry information, or pricing tables to improve accuracy.
3. Reporting
You need a solar project management software to crunch the numbers for your business. It should give your team updated information about estimates, invoicing, billing, payments, financing, rates, rebates, and other incentives. After all, you need to share the right information in the right way to close more deals.
Additionally, reporting tools can help your team understand the financial details of every solar job, including expenses, profit, and loss. Some solar project management software options, like JobNimbus, even let you specify which team members can access each reporting feature.
4. Integrations
Solar project management software should be able to integrate with other technology. With integrations, you can synchronize data from different platforms.
Integrations ensure accurate results. You can manage your business to profit with a central platform for all your different tools.
5. Document Management
While documents have their place, they can get in the way of efficiency. Keep your solar team focused on customers, not paperwork. Make it simple for field representatives to access invoices, contracts, and other essential documents.
With JobNimbus, your team can keep paperwork moving using convenient features like digital signatures. You can even take photos and make job-specific annotations.
6. Scheduling and Workflows
Is your team struggling to organize customer appointments? You may need a team-oriented scheduling solution like JobNimbus.
Once your sales rep identifies a prospect, solar project management software makes it simple to schedule the next step. No more back-and-forth while the customer waits or loses interest.
A solar project management software also helps your entire company get more done by streamlining how your sales process fits in with other workflows.
7. Prospect Tracking
Your solar project management software should make canvassing a geographic area a snap. Your field reps stay more connected to people they interact with when tracking isn’t a hassle.
Solar software helps you maximize an area’s opportunity without repeating your efforts or alienating those you’ve already spoken with. It lets you take the long view, where data today will help you make the most of a neighborhood in the future.
For example, solar project management software makes it easy to document which houses already have solar roofs.
8. Sales Force Automation (SFA)
Sales force automation helps your solar sales team track everything that touches a solar project’s workflow, from supplies to customer relationship management (CRM). A solar project management software details each step, ensuring your team does everything correctly every time.
Why waste your best sales talent on menial, repetitive tasks when you can automate those things to allow them to focus on what requires their attention and unique skills? SFA should focus on delivering better client service while making work easy for your team.
And it doesn’t mean losing contact with your customers. Consider how automating repetitive solar workflows frees up your best efforts for connecting with customers and selling solar panels for a profit.
Sales force automation is just one example of how solar project management software can keep you from getting “stuck in the weeds” of your sales process.
9. Team Tracking Tools
The easier it is for management to see what field representatives are doing, the more likely those managers are to hold team members accountable. Your solar project management software should be reliable and straightforward, so your reps will actually use it.
With a project management software, your team can function as a well-oiled machine without losing the flexibility and creativity that makes them great at what they do.
Grow Your Business with Solar Project Management Software
If you’re looking to get into the solar business or your revenue has slowed, leveraging solar project management software can give you an edge in a highly competitive market.
A solar project management CRM will improve your company’s organization, communication, and information workflows to support your team’s success.
Your solar project management software should work with you, and JobNimbus does just that. Our solutions work for solar businesses of all sizes. See how this project management software works for your solar company with a free 14-day trial!
One Response
I found this blog on the “Top 9 Solar Project Management Software Features” incredibly informative and well-written! It’s crucial for the solar industry to stay organized and efficient, and this article highlights the essential features that make solar project management software a game-changer. From project tracking to financial management, this comprehensive guide covers it all. Thank you for sharing such valuable insights, which will undoubtedly help professionals in the solar industry streamline their operations and contribute to a more sustainable future. Keep up the excellent work!