Harnessing the power of the sun isn’t just for beach babes. According to Global Market Insights, Australia’s solar installation for residential and commercial sectors could exceed 5 million units by 2030. The demand for more clean energy continues to grow and with that demand comes the need to design and implement solar systems more efficiently and effectively.
Nearmap, a leading high-res aerial imagery company, has partnered with OpenSolar to create a powerful insights-based tool for solar companies across Australia and New Zealand.
This all-in-one solution, Nearmap on OpenSolar, is an end-to-end sales toolkit that takes the pain out of the solar sales cycle.
Andrew Birch, co-founder of OpenSolar, said that the partnership with Nearmap was an easy decision to make.
“We thought, wow, if we could design systems with really beautiful high-resolution aerial images, where you can look around properly from all angles – north, south, east, west – and use these designs to sell a customer a total system, we were extremely excited about the possibility.”
The mission of OpenSolar to grow clean energy was a natural fit for Nearmap, whose mission is to change the way people see the world to transform how they work. Nearmap on OpenSolar was a perfect solution to both.
Prospecting is a large part of the solar industry and this new tool helps boost those efforts by showcasing how a solar installation will look on a customer’s home.
A big benefit is that the design is completely mobile and interactive, allowing a salesman to customise a system while presenting in front of a customer, so they can decide the best solution for their home and energy needs.
Another way this sales and design toolkit helps boost prospects is that it is a total CRM package; it can track the customer touch points from beginning to end and all in between.
And once a system is designed, a sales rep can quickly showcase in graphical style the benefits and environmental impact of choosing solar to power their home.
“Customers are busy and solar isn’t something they typically wake up and demand that they need,” said Mr Birch. “So you need to compel them and show them that this is a really beautiful solution and they can be leaders within their own community.
You get to pull in the emotional piece for the customers and the imagery can really do that, help draw them in. Higher quality presentations equals more conversions.”
With roughly 20 per cent market penetration for solar in Australia, it’s clear that the future is bright to increase the opportunity for more clean energy.
Nearmap on OpenSolar is the right tool at the right time to continue to drive this effort forward. Access to historical imagery provides truth on the ground to help solar companies design stunning proposals and then track their customer experience, all in one single spot.
“It’s the best place to start for a compelling conversation,” said Mr Birch. “Great software and beautiful imagery – all to help sell lower cost energy to consumers and help save the planet.”
