In today’s fast-evolving solar energy sector, businesses are increasingly turning to technology to streamline operations, manage projects, and optimize efficiency. Many companies fall into the trap of customizing general-purpose platforms like Salesforce, NetSuite, and Medium to fit the unique needs of the solar industry. But here’s the truth: customizing these platforms is often a waste of time, money, and resources.
Instead of bending these tools to serve your solar business, it’s time to consider a better alternative—solar-specific cloud platforms. In this blog, we’ll dive into why customizing generic platforms can be inefficient and how purpose-built solutions can save you time, money, and effort on resource training and operational management.
The Customization Trap
Platforms like Salesforce, NetSuite, and Medium are powerful tools, no doubt. They offer flexibility and robust features for a wide range of industries, including retail, finance, and services. However, when it comes to the solar industry, these platforms were not designed to meet the specific challenges and needs unique to solar companies. Customizing them comes with several pitfalls:
1. Time-Consuming Customization
Customizing platforms to fit solar-specific workflows such as project management, site assessments, permit handling, energy production tracking, and compliance is a long, complex process. It often requires a deep understanding of the platform’s architecture, endless tweaks, and long development cycles, dragging on for months or even years.
You’re not just configuring a few buttons—you’re essentially reshaping the platform to fit your business, which is time better spent growing your company.
2. High Costs and Overhead
The initial costs of purchasing licenses for these platforms can be steep, but the true financial burden comes with customization. Hiring developers or third-party consultants to tailor Salesforce or NetSuite to your needs can skyrocket your costs. Add to this the maintenance costs for ongoing support and updates, and you’re looking at a hefty expense.
Meanwhile, solar-specific platforms already come with the features you need, reducing the need for costly modifications.
3. Resource Training is Complex
Once you’ve customized these platforms, you still need to train your team to use them effectively. This can be incredibly time-consuming as employees have to familiarize themselves not only with the core platform but also with your customized workflows. Given the complexity of platforms like Salesforce and NetSuite, onboarding new employees becomes a daunting task, requiring extensive training programs that slow down productivity.
In contrast, solar-specific platforms are built with industry workflows in mind, meaning your team can hit the ground running with minimal training.
4. Not Industry-Specific Enough
No matter how much customization you do, general-purpose platforms will never truly understand the complexities and nuances of the solar industry. Processes like handling incentives, tariffs, compliance, and energy production analyticsare often clunky or non-existent in these platforms. As a result, you end up with a patched-together solution that still leaves gaps, leading to inefficiencies in your operation.
The Smarter Alternative: Solar-Specific Cloud Platforms
The solution to these challenges is clear: use platforms that are purpose-built for the solar industry. These specialized platforms are designed to address the unique needs of solar companies from day one. Here’s why you should consider them:
1. Pre-Built Solar Features
Solar-specific platforms already come equipped with essential features like project management, financial modeling for energy production, compliance tracking, and permit management. No need to customize a one-size-fits-all platform—you’re starting with a tool tailored to your exact needs.
2. Reduced Training Time
Since these platforms are built for solar industry professionals, they follow familiar workflows. This reduces the training time for your team significantly. Solar-specific software often includes user-friendly interfaces, industry-specific language, and intuitive dashboards designed with solar professionals in mind. Your team can onboard quickly and start making an impact without extensive learning curves.
3. Cost-Effective
Because there’s no need for extensive customization, the overall cost of implementing solar-specific platforms is much lower than trying to tailor Salesforce or NetSuite. You pay for the features you need, without the overhead of hiring external developers or consultants.
4. Scalability
Solar-specific platforms are built to grow with your business. Whether you’re managing residential installations, commercial projects, or utility-scale solar farms, these platforms are designed to handle the complexities of solar energy projects at every level.
5. Improved Operational Efficiency
With industry-specific solutions, your day-to-day operations become smoother and more efficient. No more workarounds or inefficient processes—solar-specific platforms are designed to handle everything from design to permitting to project execution in one seamless flow.
Solar-Specific Platforms You Should Consider
Here are some purpose-built solar platforms that can save you time, money, and effort:
- Aurora Solar: A leading design and sales platform for solar installers, offering accurate production estimates, shading analysis, and detailed proposal generation.
- Zestaura: A SaaS platform specifically designed to streamline solar project management and energy modeling, with features for project planning, monitoring, and scaling operations.
- PVSyst: A comprehensive software for the study, sizing, and data analysis of solar PV systems, ideal for large-scale solar energy projects.
- Arka360: A cloud-based platform offering end-to-end project management and design solutions for solar installers, simplifying the entire workflow from site survey to final project delivery.
Conclusion: Time to Rethink Your Approach
The solar industry moves fast, and wasting time, money, and resources on customizing general-purpose platforms is a losing game. Instead, investing in solar-specific cloud platforms will give you a head start, improve your operational efficiency, and save you the headaches of endless customizations and training programs.
Ready to streamline your solar operations and optimize your business for success? It’s time to ditch the customization trap and embrace platforms that are built for the future of solar.
By switching to industry-specific software, you’re not just saving time and money—you’re investing in the long-term growth of your solar business.