Lead to PTO, nothing goes quiet.
Solar has the longest road from first call to final payment of any home trade: survey, proposal, signature, permit, install, inspection, permission to operate. Redline keeps every homeowner on one pipeline and tells you which ones have stalled.
The solar sale, start to PTO
Capture the lead
By chat ("add the Thompsons, 18 Oak Ln, $240 a month electric bill, south-facing roof"), from your Pro Page quote form, or a photo and note in Quick-Sort.
Survey notes and photos on the job
Roof planes, the main panel, the meter, the attic. Attach the photos to the job so they stay with it, and send up to 6 in a chat message when you want Redline to read them.
Proposal out
Build a quote by chat for each system option, with a deposit percentage, then move the job to Quoted. Your design and production numbers come from your own tools.
Follow up at every stall
Days-in-stage on each card, a "Stale 7d+" filter, and date reminders in your morning push. Ask "who's been in Quoted over two weeks?" for the list.
Milestone invoices
Deposit at signing, a payment at install, the balance at PTO. Each is an invoice with a card pay link, on Solo and up.
Monday pipeline check
In Quoted over 14 days: Thompson ($32k), Reyes ($27k).
In Progress, nothing logged in 10+ days: Nakamura (waiting on permit per your last note), Doyle (install done, waiting on PTO).
Install invoice open: Bishop, $14,500, day 7.
Reminder set for Wednesday. The Thompson email is drafted for you to read over and send from your Gmail.
Contacts, pipeline and reminders are on Free. Milestone invoices need Solo.
Solar milestones on Redline's pipeline
Redline's stages are fixed, so solar's longer road fits inside them with notes and reminders.
| Redline stage | Solar milestone | What to keep on the job |
|---|---|---|
| Lead | First call, bill review, survey booked | Monthly bill, roof orientation, shade notes |
| Quoted | Proposal out | System options, deposit percentage |
| Accepted | Contract signed, deposit billed | Financing notes, HOA approval if needed |
| In Progress | Permit, install, inspection, interconnection | A note and a reminder at each step |
| Paid | PTO received, final invoice ready | Final milestone billed by chat, for the balance |
| Lost | Went another way | Why, so the count is honest |
Where solar deals stall
Solar loses deals in two places. Before signing, homeowners sit on a proposal for weeks while they compare and talk to their spouse. After signing, the job disappears into permits and utility paperwork, and the homeowner starts calling to ask what's happening.
Both are follow-up problems. Redline doesn't know when the utility will answer, but it knows when you last touched each job, and it can put the next call in your morning push. A short email you approved, sent from your own Gmail, keeps the homeowner from calling you.
Straight answers for solar installers
Redline does
- Keep every lead and job on one pipeline
- Hold survey photos and notes on the job
- Flag stalled deals by days in stage
- Remind you to chase permits and PTO
- Bill milestone payments by card (Solo and up)
Redline doesn't
- Design arrays or run shade and production reports
- Track utility interconnection applications
- Let you add custom pipeline stages
- Offer or manage customer financing
- Import your existing lead list
Questions contractors ask
Can my sales rep and installer share it?
Yes, on Team ($129 a month, 3 seats) and up. The rep works leads and quotes. The installer can use the tech app, which never shows prices.
What if a financing company pays me directly?
Redline's pay links take card payments only, so payments that come from a lender happen outside Redline. Log it as a payment on the customer's file. That's a record for you, not a payment Redline processed.
How do I keep track of the PTO date?
Set a date reminder for when you expect it, and log the real date on the job when it comes in. Redline doesn't track the utility's application, but days in stage show on the card, so a job sitting in In Progress turns amber and then red.
More for solar installers
Keep reading
- Solar softwareFollow up on long sales cycles, quote per watt and bill each milestone.
- Roofing CRMStorm leads logged from the field, every roof tracked from Lead to Paid.
- Job pipelineEvery job from Lead to Paid, with cards that turn amber and red as they sit.
- Contacts and CRMOne file per customer with calls, jobs, emails, invoices, notes and photos.
Run your business by chat.
Redline is free to start. Tell it about the job and it handles the quote, the schedule, the invoice and the follow-up.