Solar Company Automation: Lead Nurture, Permit Updates, and Post-Install Review Requests

Solar has a long sales cycle — 30 to 90 days from first inquiry to signed contract. Most solar companies can't afford to have a salesperson hand-holding every lead through that window. The companies that consistently scale past 50 installs a month have automated lead nurture running in the background, keeping prospects warm without anyone manually following up. Salespeople close. The automation does the chasing.

1. Lead Nurture Sequence

A solar inquiry from a web form, referral, or door-to-door canvass is real interest — but most of those leads won't convert without consistent follow-through. An automated nurture sequence keeps your company in front of them through the entire consideration window, delivering the right message at the right point in the decision.

The sequence adjusts based on lead source. Door-to-door leads receive more educational content. Web form leads get faster-paced CTAs. Referrals get social proof from the referring customer. Each message is personalized and pulls from your CRM data.

2. Permit and Inspection Status Updates

The permitting phase is the longest, most opaque part of the solar process for customers. They've signed, they're excited, and then weeks go by with no word while permits get processed. Automated status updates cut through that silence.

Each update triggers from a status change in your job management system — JobNimbus, Enerflo, or a custom PM tool. No manual email drafting, no admin time spent on status calls. Clients feel informed at every step.

3. Post-Install Referral Campaign

Happy solar customers are among the most motivated referrers in any home improvement category. Neighbors ask about the panels. Family members notice the bill savings. Friends want to know who did the install. Most of this word-of-mouth happens whether or not you have a referral program — a structured system just captures it instead of leaving it to chance.

Referral links are unique per customer, tracked in your CRM, and connected to incentive fulfillment. The sequence only activates for customers who pass the 30-day check-in with a positive response — protecting against activating referral campaigns with customers who have open service issues.

4. Post-Install Review Request

Solar is one of the largest purchases a homeowner makes. Google reviews are how they vet you before a call. A consistent review program compounds month over month — every new review makes your company more visible and more credible to the next prospect researching in your market.

The 14-day delay gives customers time to receive their first utility bill showing the impact of the system — producing more specific, compelling reviews. Messages are mobile-optimized with a direct deep link to the Google review form.

Tools and Platforms

These automations connect your existing CRM, job management, and proposal tools to messaging and workflow platforms. We don't replace your stack — we wire it together so things fire automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Deep Dive: Solar Automation

For a complete breakdown of every automation we build for solar installers — including design proposal workflows, financing application follow-up, and utility interconnection updates — visit the full industry page.