Some of Australia’s leading solar industry services companies have joined forces to offer rooftop PV retailers and installers a comprehensive toolkit of software, service, and support for navigating the fast-growing sector and fortifying their businesses.
The new alliance will bolster the services offered by OpenSolar, a free online tool launched by Adam Pryor and Andrew Birch in Australia in May 2019 that – as Nigel Morris put it here – is designed to help solar companies to make better solar.
As Morris explained in detail, OpenSolar offers such services as intelligent roof mapping, fast and simple adjustments, comparison tools, product pickers, pricing and cost input options and full branding and quote templates for residential and commercial, just to name a few.
It also includes a CRM function to help you manage your customers, with one-click calling and filtering and useful tools in the field, like image uploads, and configurable work-flow, and action-setting from any device. And it has a pretty comprehensive online support center with training and videos.
The new partnership, however, brings Solar Outlet into the mix, which – led by Nick Lake – gives solar businesses access to a broad range of products, from a growing list of suppliers, via an easy to use online ordering platform.
OpenSolar and Solar Outlet said in a joint statement on Tuesday that a new partnership between the two companies aimed to give solar retailers “a huge efficiency gain,” by guiding them through the processes of design, to sale, to order.
“Together, we are solving one of the biggest remaining challenges facing solar professionals today, the myriad of packages and paperwork and the lack of a single system to manage your customers and your business,” said OpenSolar’s Birch.
Also on board is Warwick Johnston’s leading market intelligence and professional services company, SunWiz, which will provide premium value-added services to the mix, including consulting, customised sales proposals, premium training and support, and market intelligence.
SunWiz’s Johnston said that combining the forces of a world-leading solar platform and highly experienced solar service provider, the companies would help drive growth of Australian solar businesses and deliver a thriving solar industry.
Johnston will also join OpenSolar’s advisory panel, joining Nick Lake and Nigel Morris, the business development manager of Solar Analytics and a regular contributor to One Step Off The Grid, including as co-presenter of the Inside Solar Podcast.
Installers and retailers can create an OpenSolar account for free at www.opensolar.com.
Sophie is editor of One Step Off The Grid and editor of its sister site, Renew Economy. Sophie has been writing about clean energy for more than a decade.
