Best CRM Software for Solar Business

Why we like it

Over 100,000 companies trust Pipedrive in 179 countries, with a 4.4/5 average rating with most companies. The company allows you to tailor the CRM to your business and brand and automate various repetitive processes. 

It also presents excellent value for money, as its basic plan starts at $24/month/user or $14/month/user if you opt for annual payments. It also provides a free trial. Packages can have unlimited users, contacts, and custom fields.

The most important features for Solar Businesses

Pipedrive has various features, but I can divide most of them into the following three categories:

• Sales Software: This software includes various exceptional tools. These tools help you with lead generation and management, sales automation, valuable insights, reports, email campaigns, and communication. It’s all the basic CRM features you need to connect with your customers.
• Email Software: The email section is all about marketing automation. It helps you start email campaigns, segment your communication, and get email analytics. These analytics can help you know when a client opened your email and when to contact them again.
• Integrations: While various integrations can make your daily operations easier, I’m excited about Solar Monkey. Pipedrive integrates with the Solar Monkey app, which lets solar panel installers view 2D and aerial imaging with shading analysis to help with installations.

Why we like it

Zoho ranks high on my list because it’s a highly customizable option and offers excellent value for money. However, I should start with a disclaimer that this CRM can’t as intuitively integrate with solar software as some of the other options.

Still, it remains a top choice because the free plan is fully functional and ideal for driving sales. Even the low-cost $20/month/user packages come with a full suite of features that make it easy to use.

The most important features for Solar Businesses

Since this CRM focuses on driving sales, many of its features you’ll use in the solar business are sales-related:

• Inventory: Zoho’s inventory tool is an essential feature. It ensures you can keep track of all your solar paneling equipment and see when you’re running low on something.
• Document Creator: Custom design forms, quotations, and invoices. You can create pre, and post-inspection forms, pull up quotes on-site, and send invoices within seconds.
• CRM Suite: The CRM suite is optimized for tracking customers. It also enhances sales through lead generation, management, and other features.

Why we like it

Capsule CRM provides exceptional value for money, especially for smaller businesses that don’t have a large budget. I like its free version, which permits two users and 250 contacts and boasts all the basic features of the starter plan.

The starter plan begins at $21/month/user, though it can go down to $18/month/user if you pay annually. I also love that it integrates with over 500 business applications, making it a highly versatile tool.

The most important features for Solar Businesses

As there’s a wide range of features available with this software, I talk about the ones best for the solar paneling business:

• Pipeline Management: This software boasts a comprehensive pipeline management tool. It lets you create multiple pipelines for different products and markets. You can also see all of your pipelines at a glance and summarise your sales.
• Task Management: Track your sales, installations, inspections, and meetings. This management tool ensures you can add events to your company calendar, receive reminder emails, and even automate repetitive tasks.
• Contact Management: Keep track of every client and what they purchase or want to purchase. Create profiles for your customers and easily access their data.

Why we like it

HubSpot is an exceptional CRM for a solar company looking for a tailored experience. While it’s more expensive, it has a free version, and its Marketing Hub Started package begins at $20/month/user.

However, there’s no mid-option, as further packages start at $890/month and include three users. Still, this software is tried and tested to integrate with solar applications and is ideal for large businesses.

The most important features for Solar Businesses

While there are multiple customization options businesses can use to integrate HubSpot with their solar company, the below ones are essential features in my opinion:

• Solar Integrations: HubSpot integrates with solar applications and software such as SolarPlus and Sunvoy. Combining these two tools lets you create a comprehensive suite of tools to run your solar paneling business.
• Operations Software: The operations software ensures your team is always in sync. It can easily curate customer data and keep track of internal processes, emails, and communications.
• Marketing and Sales Hubs: These hubs present excellent marketing and sales tools. You can design a comprehensive pipeline and campaign from the ground up. It automates specific tasks and drives your revenue.

Why we like it

Shape is a trusted CRM for solar businesses with a dedicated sales platform and marketing system. I love its user-friendly and fast adoption process, but I wish it also offered a free version for small businesses. 

This software is slightly more expensive than other options. Still, you can decide what features you need, such as a point-of-sale system starting at $59/month/user or a complete sales and marketing funnel CRM at $149/month/user.

The most important features for Solar Businesses

With a focus on the solar industry, this software presents vital features to help manage your business:

• Marketing Suite: This feature updates you on the latest leads, appointments, and closed deals. It boasts thousands of templates to generate emails, texts, flyers, or video marketing content.

• Shape AI Integration: Shape’s AI ensures it’s easy to communicate with customers and leads. By applying action filters, you can send bulk text messages or emails, create events, schedule calls, find contacts, and more. It ensures you can easily navigate your profile.

• Easy Integration and Dashboard: The dashboard provides a glance at all your operations and is accessible on your desktop or the downloadable mobile app. It also helps you find the best integrations for your business, such as SolarGrav, SolarExclusive.com, and other apps.

Why we like it

I like this solar CRM software since it’s tailored specifically for solar businesses. As such, it presents various features that ensure your solar business runs more smoothly. It can also connect with other CRMs if you’ve already implemented one and don’t want to shift the entire system to Spotio.

However, this software doesn’t list its pricing and doesn’t have a free version. You can test the software using the demo request button, but that’s where it stops. It features two plans, a B2C and a B2B plan, depending on your business needs.

The most important features for Solar Businesses

Spotio is focused on ensuring your business is as effective as possible and offers various tools toward that goal:

• Sales Productivity: Increase sales productivity using tools like task automation, tracking, and route mapping. You can manage the day as effectively as possible with minimum effort and see more customers in a day.
• Territory and Customer Mapping: The mapping tools help sales reps identify possible customers in specific areas. It can calculate the probability of people being interested in your product, which means you can be proactive in your sales.
• Activity Management: This feature includes everything from reports and GPS tracking to a hybrid multi-channel communication system. You can also create AutoPlays, which are automatic reminders to follow a process and steps you set in place.

Why we like it

Freshworks is excellent software that you can customize for your solar business. However, it’s not a dedicated CRM for a solar company, as it doesn’t integrate with solar-specific apps. 

Still, it made my list because it offers exceptional scalability. There’s a free version for three users, and the paid packages start at $11/month/user.

The most important features for Solar Businesses

Freshworks might not be a tailored solution in this industry, but it offers a few features that work perfectly for it:

• CRM: Freshsales ensures that your team’s sales and tactics are driven and enhanced. There’s also a dedicated CRM for e-commerce.
• Customer Service: Generative AI provides an omnichannel customer support solution. Its chat function can also support self-service.

• IT Services: Freshservice ensures your business has intuitive and cost-effective IT management. It unifies the IT team with the business.

Why we like it

Salesforce is often the brand people think about when they hear CRM. It’s an all-in-one solution, and various solar companies have used it to develop their CRM. Salesforce isn’t just a CRM platform; it also educates you and shows you how to use its features, among many other things.

However, it can be overwhelming for someone who just wants a simple solution. Prices start at $25/user/month, depending on the package you choose from Sales, Service, Marketing, and others.

The most important features for Solar Businesses

I would be here all day if I discussed all of Salesforce’s features. So, I’ll just mention three that will help you manage your business better.

• Customer 360: This tool lets you create a comprehensive system of customer profiles. These profiles include pertinent client data and give a shared view of your clients.
• Sales: Use automation to boost your sales. It improves your team’s productivity and engagement while providing comprehensive analytics.

• Marketing: You have a data cloud for marketing and analytics to help you create a successful campaign. Personalize your marketing for better results.

Why we like it

Insightly is another CRM that tailors itself for this industry. Solar companies like Better Earth and Orbit Energy & Power use this software.

Insightly has a free version for two users, and its paid packages start at $29/month/user. However, it separates its packages into CRM, Marketing, AppConnect, and Service. The All-in-One solution’s pricing starts at $349/month and includes two users.

The most important features for Solar Businesses

Insightly boasts that its software can triple your revenue. Enhance your revenue using the following features. 

• Marketing: Automate specific tasks and attract new leads to your company’s website. You can run marketing campaigns at scale.
• CRM: Improve your client relationships and increase sales profits. The onboarding process is easy and keeps track of your clients and sales.
• Service: Implement a ticketing support system and build a reliable client relationship. Patient portal insights and analytics are also available.

Why we like it

While it’s not the best CRM for a solar business, I like it because it has fantastic email automation and marketing features. Staying in touch with clients and generating new leads has never been easier.

While there’s no free version, the packages start at $29/month. You can also decide if you want a sales-focused, marketing-focused package or a bundle.

The most important features for Solar Businesses

Check out the following features that help enhance the operations of your solar company:

• Marketing: Track your website statistics, automate tasks, and keep up with your marketing. It also helps design successful landing pages.
• Sales: Learn about your win probability and score leads with better engagement and sales automation. Track your sales and which leads are likely to convert.
• Transactional: The email API ensures you can monitor email delivery analytics and start message streams. It also provides SMTP emails.