Lengthy project timelines, dealing with mistakes in plan design and keeping customers satisfied are all problems that can make it difficult to scale. Unfortunately, the process used by most solar companies will lead to all of the above.
Case Study: Delivering a better customer experience with EagleView
Case Study from | EagleView Technologies
Background
JP Gerken, who founded Zenernet in 2017, is no stranger to the unique obstacles in solar installation. Lengthy project timelines, dealing with mistakes in plan design and keeping customers satisfied are all problems that can make it difficult to scale. Unfortunately, the process used by most solar companies will lead to all of the above. Planned new market growth this year.
JP knew there was a better way, and set out to lead by example. Already operating in more than a dozen states, Zenernet plans to expand aggressively in the new year, even with the impact of COVID-19 limiting site visits. EagleView has been a key part of this success by enabling remote work through accurate property data.
Challenge
According to JP, some of the main issues in residential solar are measurement inaccuracies and the amount of time it can take to get a permit-ready plan to the homeowners for approval.
“The antiquated process we’ve had in solar has been to create an appointment, send someone to the home, get them up on the roof, give them a little notepad to scribble,” JP explains. “Then you can imagine the amount of back and forth that goes on and the things that go wrong. Then you have the permit in hand, you go to build the system. And the roof doesn't look anything like the plan you built.”
On top of these concerns, the complexity of site visits is almost impossible to scale. Operating across a wide range of states makes it impractical to arrange availability for installers to come to the property to take the measurements.
Solution
Instead of taking days or even weeks to get the measurements, Zenernet orders an EagleView Inform™ Essentials+ report for every job the day the contract is signed, receiving measurements within four hours. As soon as the report is delivered, their designers have access to the home’s accurate roof measurements, obstructions, pitch and azimuth – everything they need to create a plan.
“We gain time, which is really important in solar,” JP says. “We gain a better customer experience and less complexity around the design & engineering component.”
In addition, the elimination of human error from measuring by hand allows more consistent results in design and installation.
“Now, when we get a plan set and we build it using the EagleView data, the day of installation goes a lot smoother,” JP says. “There’s fewer changes that need to occur.
Result
Before using EagleView, Zenernet saw an average time of 30 days between sale and a final permit-ready plan. Since they incorporated Inform Essentials+ reports, it’s dropped to 72 hours.
“It’s reducing our cancellation rate because the turn times are faster,” JP says. “We’re achieving a better pull-through anda better customer experience.”
Moving to virtual processes has transformed business for Zenernet, and JP doesn’t anticipate ever going back.
He concludes, “That's completely changed our world and how we’re able to scale and grow and deliver a better experience for our homeowners.”
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of AltEnergyMag
Comments (0)
This post does not have any comments. Be the first to leave a comment below.
Featured Product
