CRM for Installers: What to Look For Before You Buy
A CRM for installers has to do more than store names. Heat pump and solar firms track surveys, designs, certificates and renewals as well as leads. This guide lists what to record, which rules shape the records, and what to ask a supplier before you commit.
Why installers need a different CRM
A general sales tool follows a simple path from lead to deal. An installation business follows a longer one. An enquiry becomes a survey, then a design, a quote, an installation, a certificate and an invoice. Years later it may become a renewal.
Each step creates paperwork and photos. When these live in separate tools, someone retypes them, and mistakes follow.
CRM for installers: the records that matter
Whatever system you choose, check that it keeps these in one place against each customer.
The enquiry, where it came from and the consent the customer gave.
Survey notes, measurements and photos.
The design and the checks made on it.
Quotes, accepted versions and invoices.
Appointments, engineers and job status.
Certificates, warranties and renewal dates.
If any of these sits in a spreadsheet or a personal inbox, the business depends on one person's memory.
Heat pump installer software
Heat pump work adds design and paperwork steps that a general tool ignores. Look for room-by-room heat loss records, flagged design problems and customer documents ready for handover.
Ask whether the software follows the published standards your certification body expects, rather than only offering free-text notes. A form that prompts for each required item is safer than a blank page.
Solar installer software
Solar projects need roof details, panel and inverter choices and an estimate of yearly output. Good software keeps these with the customer record, so the sales call, survey and design all show the same figures.
Ask how the yield estimate is produced and whether the roof layout can be saved as part of the job. Treat any estimate as a guide, not a promise to the customer.
Grant paperwork and audit trails
Government grants add a record-keeping duty. Under the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, Ofgem tells installers to hold the installation certificate and supporting documents, because installations can be audited after the application, including after payment. See Ofgem's guidance for installers on the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
Installers also apply for the voucher on the owner's behalf, so the CRM should hold the property details and evidence you need. Scheme rules change, so always check the current guidance rather than relying on a supplier's summary.
Lead consent records
Marketing to new people carries legal limits. The Information Commissioner's Office explains that you generally need specific consent before sending marketing emails or texts to individuals, and that sole traders are treated as individuals. Read its guide to electronic mail marketing.
A good CRM stores when and how each person consented, and shows it clearly. A simple colour badge on each lead is quick to read. It also stops a rushed team from emailing someone who never agreed.
The cost of a weak system rarely shows on an invoice. It shows as a lead nobody called back, a survey photo nobody could find and a renewal that lapsed unnoticed.
Try a simple test. Pick one finished job and see how long it takes to find the survey, the design, the certificate and the invoice. If the answer is more than a few minutes, or involves asking a colleague, the records are scattered.
Count the same for a week of new enquiries: how many were answered the same day, and how many were chased by someone who remembered. A CRM should make both answers easy to read.
What it costs you to do without
Questions to ask a supplier
Who built this, and have they worked in installation?
Is my data in my own database, or shared with other customers?
Can I export all my records if I leave?
Which parts work today, and which are still planned?
How are backups made and tested?
What does it cost, and what is extra?
Insist on a straight answer to the fourth question. Roadmaps are fine, but you should pay only for what exists.
How the LAMTANS CRM and ERP fits
Our CRM and ERP was built by a working installer, inside our own engine. Each installer gets a private database. Core features are available now: leads with a consent badge, projects and surveys, heat pump and solar design, invoices, renewals and staff time.
Some parts are in beta, including a private ERP with your own logo and the Installer Platform lead marketplace. Satellite roof data for solar is in pilot. See the full list on the CRM product page or see how we help installers.
Start small and keep the data clean
Many installers delay a new system because moving data feels hard. You do not need to move everything at once. Start with new enquiries and live jobs, then add older customers as renewals come due.
Agree names for job stages and stick to them. Clean data in the first month saves hours of tidying later. If you also need a website that captures enquiries properly, see our web development services.
Sources
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme: installers, Ofgem
- Electronic mail marketing, Information Commissioner's Office
Designed & developed by LAMTANS Technologies LLC, USA — part of the LAMTANS Group
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Frequently asked questions
Do small installers need a CRM?
Once you run more than a handful of jobs a month, yes. Memory and spreadsheets stop working quickly.
Can a CRM design a heat pump system?
Some include design tools. Check the design standard it follows, and have a qualified person approve every design.
Is my customer data safe in a CRM?
It depends on the supplier. Ask where data is stored, who can see it and how backups are tested.
Can I move my data from spreadsheets?
Usually yes. Import current jobs first and older records later.
What does a CRM cost?
Prices vary widely by supplier and features. We quote individually, so ask us for a price.