Solving the sales-to-operations handoff challenge

About EMPWR

EMPWR is a leading solar EPC serving the east coast. One of the core values of EMPWR is exceptional customer experiences. This includes prioritizing operational efficiency and clear communications with a dedicated Customer Ambassador team. However, EMPWR’s transition from an internal sales model to a third-party sales dealer model brought new challenges that made it difficult for them to meet their high standards.

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Why Bodhi

Previously, when EMPWR was smaller and had an internal sales team, their sales reps could maintain direct communication with the customer ambassadors.  But when they transitioned to third-party sales partners and their project volume grew, this direct communication was lost, making the sales-to-operations hand-off much more challenging.

According to Amanda Costa, EMPWR’s Director of Communications and Development, this transition created several pain points:  

• Customer confusion: Customers weren’t always aware of the sales/EPC relationship which made it much more difficult for EMPWR’s customer ambassador and operations team to ensure a seamless customer experience.

• More sales/operations conversations: Third-party sales meant EMPWR’s customer ambassadors had to manage not just homeowners’ questions but also the sales reps’ questions, increasing their work load significantly.

“When we switched over to a third-party alliance partnership, we started to see issues in communicating with customers. For example, our customer ambassadors had more difficulty just getting in touch with customers after the sales hand-off," says Amanda.  

EMPWR needed Bodhi to bridge the gap between the sales partners and their operations team, alleviating the burden being placed on the customer ambassadors to keep both their customers and their sales partners informed.

Results with Bodhi®

With Bodhi, EMPWR is successfully solving its sales-to-operations handoff challenge. By automating key processes and enhancing visibility for all stakeholders, EMPWR’s ability to provide a great customer experience is improving. The implementation of Bodhi also enables EMPWR to attract and retain high-quality sales partners.  

1. Smoother handoff from sales-to-operations:
Bodhi’s automated workflows ensure that new customers are welcomed and informed at every stage of the process. Instead of relying on manual outreach, customer ambassadors can automatically send personalized messages to customers as they move through each stage of the solar project.  

2. Better project visibility for Sales Partners:
One of the key ways Bodhi has supported EMPWR’s third-party sales model is by allowing sales partners to view the status of customer projects. With Bodhi’s shared project tracking, sales reps can see progress of their projects without relying on CRM access or direct communication with customer ambassadors. This transparency has strengthened the relationship with sales partners and increased their confidence in EMPWR’s process.  

3. Easier customer communications & faster document signatures:
“Through Bodhi, we can text customers a lot more efficiently. We can also send documents to customers, which was a huge ordeal before. Getting signatures used to be a big issue, but it has already been significantly reduced,“ says Amanda.

4. Getting ahead of escalations:
Bodhi’s sentiment tracking tool gives EMPWR real-time insights into how customers feel during the process. This visibility allows EMPWR’s customer ambassadors to intervene when customers show early signs of dissatisfaction. It’s a proactive approach that helps prevent negative experiences from escalating.  

‍“The sentiment tool is really cool. If I see a frowny face, I’m like, ‘Why did we get that?’ And I love that I can click to see what caused it. We can turn the experience around for the customer, and you can see the impact of your actions right away,” says Amanda.

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Learn more about how Bodhi’s team can help you achieve similar success. Contact us today!