The 7 hidden challenges of solar customer service

Remember when SunPower went out of business? A month before the shutdown, they sent an email to all mySunPower monitoring users saying the system would no longer be supported. The email ended with a simple instruction: “Call your solar installer with questions."

The problem? They didn’t give their installer partners a heads-up.  One large SunPower dealer told us he got over 1,000 phone calls that week. His support team was swamped. His customers were confused. And he was furious.

That single moment rippled across the industry. Suddenly, every solar company had to reassure customers that they weren’t the next to fold. It was a wake-up call: the post-installation experience matters more than we think.

Because even if you nail the install and deliver a beautiful solar system, your reputation—and your future revenue—depend on what happens after PTO.

In this article, we explore the seven hidden challenges of solar customer service that often catch even the most well-intentioned businesses off guard. Then, we’ll share how you prevent these pitfalls so you can maintain a stellar customer experience long after PTO..

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1. Your customer base never stops growing

Growth is great. Until it isn’t. As your sales team closes more deals, your cumulative customer base and hence service pipeline starts to balloon.  In the early years of a solar company, you might be able to seamlessly handle 50 new clients, but how about 500 or 5000?  What starts as a handful of customer inquiries grows into hundreds or thousands of post-installation service requests over time.  And the sad fact?  These customer issues often grow faster than your existing support structure can handle.

Why it’s challenging:

• Every new installation is another potential support ticket down the line.
• Managing warranties and maintenance accumulate over time.
• Tracking and managing individual issues becomes a headache

For solar companies that thrive on referrals and repeat business, the inability to keep up can hamper growth and damage reputation. A strong customer support system with the right blend of people, processes, and technology is essential for sustaining momentum.

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RELATED: 7 ways solar companies are using AI to improve their sales and operations

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2. Your support team is already stretched thin

Most solar businesses run lean. That’s just the reality. You’re trying to maximize margins while juggling everything from permitting to inspections. But that often means customer service gets deprioritized—or worse, dumped on the ops team. 

The result? A overstretched staff on the front lines, dealing with mounting queries from hundreds or thousands of customers. In fact, a recent survey by EnergySage showed that 55% of solar companies with fewer than 50 employees handle over 100 service tickets a week—straining already limited resources.

Why it’s challenging:

• Customer service can feel like an afterthought once sales and installations pick up.
• Fewer staff means everyone is juggling multiple roles
• When one person is sick or on vacation, support capacity plummets.

In today’s competitive market, a lack of accessible, responsive support can be the difference between a 5-star review and a negative social media rant. Balancing team size with demand requires innovative tools and processes—preferably ones that reduce manual effort.

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3. Customers still think you’re responsible for everything

Panels not reporting? They call you. Financing confusion? You. EV charger questions? You.

Even if the issue lies with a third-party manufacturer or financier, your customer sees you as the point of contact.  And worse, they probably don’t care if you’re actually not the one really responsible for the issue. They just want help. A 2022 industry poll found that nearly 30% of support inquiries actually belong under manufacturer or financier responsibility—yet installers frequently spend time fielding these requests anyway.

Why it’s challenging:

• Customers don’t understand (and often don’t want to learn) the industry’s nuances.
• Managing warranty claims from different manufacturers can be complicated.
• Managing expectations is an ongoing balancing act between what you can fix and what’s outside your scope.
  
  

As the face of the installation, you risk being blamed for problems outside of your control. The solution? Proactive communication that sets realistic expectations, paired with an easy guide for them to know the appropriate next step or the right service provider.

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RELATED: The solar customer journey, from the customer’s perspective

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4. There’s no immediate incentive to support them post-PTO

In most cases, once the system is installed and PTO is granted, the deal is done—and so is the revenue. Support doesn’t always have a line item in the budget, and there’s no immediate financial reward for continued post-installation customer support. Only 12% of solar businesses have a dedicated post-sale support budget according to a 2022 survey of EPCs, leaving many companies scrambling when problems do arise.

Why it’s challenging:

• Customer support costs time and money, without direct new revenue.
• Leadership always prioritizes new sales over investing in existing customer care.
• Over time, neglected support can tarnish your reputation and erode trust.
  
  

Strong post-installation support not only retains happy customers (who might add storage or EV charging in the future), but also generates referrals that fuel growth. Finding a way to integrate a profitable service department into the overall business model can pay dividends.

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5. Solar+ means more questions, not fewer

Your customers aren’t just installing panels anymore. They’re adopting an entire home energy system: solar, batteries, inverters, apps, and financing plans. It’s a lot. Even for the savvy ones. 

Even if you’ve provided thorough onboarding, questions are bound to pop up. A 2023 National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report found that 40% of new solar owners are unclear about how to interpret real-time monitoring data, leading to frequent service inquiries.

Why it’s challenging:

• Customers need help understanding their bills, tax incentives, or monitoring data.
• If you partner with different hardware manufacturers, standardizing answers is difficult.
• Answering the same questions repeatedly can bring down staff morale.
  
  

Customers aren’t just buying a product; they’re buying peace of mind. Offering intuitive resources—like a robust knowledge base, video tutorials, or automated FAQs—can simplify the learning curve for new solar owners and reduce the burden on your team.

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RELATED: Your 2025 guide to selling Whole Home Electrification

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6. Training new employees is a challenge

Hiring is tough. Training is even tougher.

Solar tech moves fast, and customer service reps need to understand the products, the process, and the expectations. But when your experienced team members are busy, onboarding gets rushed. The result? New hires struggle, customers get inconsistent answers, and trust erodes. According to The Solar Foundation, the average training period for new solar service reps is around three months, with a first-year turnover rate nearing 22%—often due to limited resources and a steep learning curve.

Why it’s challenging:

• The staff that know the most don’t have the bandwidth to train new hires
• Solar tech evolves rapidly, so outdated training materials become irrelevant quickly.
• When the support team lacks confidence, customers sense it—and trust can wane.
  
  

A well-documented process, ongoing training, and a central repository of solar-specific resources for the staff and for customers are crucial. If customers can answer their simple questions themselves, your support team can focus on the more complex issues—boosting the overall customer experience.

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7. Customer support roles have high turnover

Customer support isn’t always glamorous. It’s hard, often thankless work. For solar businesses, this is especially tricky because a revolving door of customer support staff can significantly undermine consistency and quality of service. Some solar companies report annual churn rates in support roles as high as 30%, meaning valuable expertise walks out the door on a regular basis.

Why it’s challenging:

• Constant re-hiring strains HR and training resources.
• Relationships built with customers disappear when staff members leave.
• Replacing an employee can cost from half to double their annual salary.

Combatting this challenge means creating a supportive environment where front-line staff not only have opportunities to learn & advanced but also the right tools to support their efforts. This not only stabilizes your customer support but ultimately strengthens your brand in a competitive marketplace.

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Turning support into a competitive advantage

If you’ve seen even a few of these challenges play out in your company, you’re not alone. For solar business owners and staff, tackling these seven challenges head-on is critical if you want to build—and maintain—a customer-first organization. The good news? None of these issues are unsolvable. With the right mix of processes, tools, and team culture, you can turn customer support into a powerful growth driver.

If you’re looking for proven, customer-tested tools that help your team overcome these challenges, consider Bodhi. From automating routine updates to our new AI Assistant, Bodhi’s solutions are designed to deliver real-world results for you and your support team. Ready to see how we can help your solar business? Reach out to us for a demo and let’s make sure you never leave your customers in the dark.