Hundreds of past installs, a handful of service visits
Your proposals mention servicing. Some customers even ask about it at handover. But nobody contacts them a year later. The installs from three years ago sit in the CRM as closed deals. The only after-care you do is when someone rings with a problem.
Meanwhile those customers are getting leaflets from other companies offering panel cleaning and system checks.
Why after-care is left to chance
- Closed jobs drop out of everyone's daily view.
- Service intervals are not recorded per system.
- Nobody owns after-care, because sales and installs are busier.
- Engineers visiting do not have the system's details to hand.
- Consent to contact past customers was not recorded clearly.
What that costs
Steady, schedulable work that would fill quieter weeks. Customer relationships that fade, so referrals and battery upgrades go elsewhere. Faults found late, because nobody looked. And a promise in your proposals that you do not fully keep.
Service work from your own install history
- Past installations are brought in from your CRM and job files with the equipment, install date and customer details.
- Service intervals are set per system type from your own after-care offer.
- Customers who agreed to be contacted get a reminder when a visit is due, with a link to book a slot.
- Bookings go into the engineer's schedule, grouped by area to reduce driving.
- The engineer's phone shows the system's details, previous visits and a checklist for that equipment.
- Visit notes, photos and any recommended work are saved to the system record, and the customer gets a summary.
- Recommended work, such as a replacement part, creates a quote or a warranty check.
What a service visit includes, and how often it is offered, is your decision.
Service calendar by system
| System | Installed | Last visit | Next due | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panels and battery | Three years ago | Last year | This month | Reminder sent |
| Panels only | Two years ago | Never | Overdue | Customer opted out |
| Panels and battery | Last year | None yet | Next month | Booked |
After-care as a regular line of work
Past customers hear from you at sensible intervals. Service visits fill quieter weeks and are grouped by area. Engineers arrive knowing the system. Customers stay in touch, which is where upgrades and referrals come from.
Making the engineer's visit worthwhile
A service visit only builds trust if the customer can see what was done. The engineer's phone shows the system's details and your checklist, and at the end the customer receives a short summary with photos: what was checked, what was found and anything recommended. That summary is what turns a visit into something a customer is happy to book again.
It also builds a history for each system. When a fault does happen, the engineer can see what was noted at the last visit, what firmware or settings were in place and whether anything was already recommended.
Grouping visits by area is the other practical point. A day of service visits in one town is worth doing. Visits scattered across the county rarely are, which is why booking slots are offered by area.
Are past customers forgotten?
- You offer servicing but do not remind customers.
- Closed jobs are never looked at again.
- Engineers visit without the system's details.
- Other companies are servicing your installs.