SolarCleaningBossPro Blog — Running a Solar Cleaning Business

Choosing Solar Cleaning Business Software and What It Really Costs

Once you decide to stop running the business from a notebook, the next question is which software to use and what it will cost. There are plenty of options, from spreadsheets to generic field-service software built for plumbers and lawn crews. The right choice is the one that fits how a solar cleaning company actually works, at a price that makes sense for the size of your company today.

Start With How Your Business Works

If you are still deciding whether to leave paper at all, Getting Your Solar Cleaning Business Off Paper From Day One makes the case. This article assumes you are ready and want to choose well.

Write down a normal week before you look at any software. How do quotes go out? How do you know who is due? How do techs know the panel count and where the spigot is? How do customers pay? The software should do those things in fewer steps than you do them now. If it adds steps, it will not stick.

What Solar Cleaning Software Should Handle

Generic field-service software usually gives a job an address and a notes box. A solar cleaning job needs more. Look for:

• Panel details on the job. Panel count, mount, stories, pitch, extras and access notes that show on every visit.
• Recurring plans. Twice a year, yearly and quarterly visits that come due on their own.
• A map of what is due. So you can see where the due cleanings are before you build a route.
• Routing by truck. One truck on homes, one on commercial, each with a sensible order.
• A tech app. Jobs in route order, photos, Start / Skip / Complete, automatic customer texts.
• Quotes from your price list. Per panel, minimums, story and pitch add-ons, extras.
• Billing. Card on file, charge at completion, online payment, past-due follow-up and monthly statements for property owners with many sites.

SolarCleaningBossPro was built around that list.

What SolarCleaningBossPro Costs

There are three plans:

• Start — $59/month. For an owner-operator or a small one-truck company.
• Pro — $89/month. For a growing company with more customers and more texting.
• Crew — $199/month. For multiple trucks, office help and a full crew.

Every plan includes the office, the tech app and the customer app, and each comes with a monthly text allowance of 500, 1,000 or 2,000 segments sent and received on Start, Pro and Crew. Every plan starts with a 14-day free trial and no credit card. The pricing page compares the plans side by side.

The Costs That Are Not on the Price Tag

The monthly fee is the easy number. The harder ones:

• Setup time. How long to get customers, prices and plans in? CSV import with addresses placed on the map automatically saves most of it.
• Training time. If a new tech cannot run a day after one ride-along, the software is costing you hours.
• Missed revenue. Software that does not track recurring plans or extras lets cleanings and add-ons slip.
• Payment lag. If you still mail invoices and wait, your cash sits out longer than it needs to.

Cheap software that lets a twice-a-year customer go unbooked is the expensive option.

Questions to Ask Before You Sign Up

• Can I enter panel count, mount, stories and pitch, and will techs see it on their phone?
• Do recurring cleanings come due on their own, or do I have to set every date?
• Can I split routes by truck and auto-route from my shop?
• Do customers get on-the-way and arrived texts without anyone sending them?
• Can I charge a card on file when the job is done?
• Can a property owner with several buildings get one monthly statement?
• Can I import my customer list from a spreadsheet?
• Does it work in my country? SolarCleaningBossPro works in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the UK and bills customers in their own currency.

If you already use something else, Switching Your Solar Cleaning Business to New Software Without Losing a Customer covers the move.

Try It on a Real Week

The best test is a real week of your own work. During the free trial, import your customers, add your service list, set a few recurring plans, route a day and run it from the tech app. You will know quickly whether it fits.

Pay attention to the small moments during that week. How long did it take to build a quote for a two-story home with bird proofing? Did the tech find the spigot and the gate code without calling? Did the customer get the on-the-way text? Was the card charged when the job was marked complete? If those moments go smoothly, the software will save you time every week for years. If they feel clumsy during the trial, they will feel worse in the busy season. More guides for owners are on the solar cleaning business software page.