—
Not all businesses are committed to ethics and their employees’ professional growth. Throughout his time in the solar industry, Randy French, CEO of Independent Solar, has come to see the value in both.
“We are immensely proud of the high level of compliance and disclosure and transparency,” French says of Independent Solar. “Our narrative is in a sea of confusion; our customers are well informed.”
What is the sea of confusion French speaks of? One facet is the lack of transparency surrounding the buying and selling of solar power systems.
In many cases, solar companies focus solely on scoring sales, not setting the customer up with the right system, and getting the wrong system means the customer doesn’t see the energy savings they’ve been promised. The frustration and disappointment that follow such an experience can come back to bite solar providers.
Not all companies are like this, of course, but French notes that this kind of sales process is more common than one might think. “There are a handful of great companies out there,” he says, “but they’re not the norm.”
In many cases, that lack of transparency arises because solar salespeople don’t have the expertise needed to determine the best system size for a particular home. With Independent Solar, French has found a way around that.
Like many solar companies, Independent Solar hires talented salespeople and solar professionals. Unlike many companies, it works to bridge that gap.
French explains how his company’s experts coordinate to streamline the customer experience: “It’s all done in the cloud. We ask our sales guys to do a preliminary design and then tag us. We have a whole team of people in-house. We look at the proposal and give them design approval.”
“So when our rep leaves, the homeowner is left with an email. They can open it up and literally look at the design. They know what the solar is going to look like. It has all of their usage, what they used in the past, what their projected usage is in the future, and how much they’re paying for it.”
You can’t deliver a positive customer experience or build a successful company without strong employees. Independent Solar has been in the business for more than two decades. Much of the reason is because the company’s leaders focus on recruiting talented people from the top down.
“We have a strategic development team in-house,” says French. “That strategic development team already has a magnificent history of growing some other companies.”
As Independent Solar expands, its development team has placed a premium on hiring talented people — skilled sales professionals, knowledgeable solar designers, and efficient installers.
Independent Solar is currently in the midst of explosive growth. And like most solar entrepreneurs, French knows that the future of solar depends on innovation.
As the company evolves, employees at every level have the opportunity to expand their knowledge and skills and advance their careers if they choose. It’s refreshing to see a company heading to the stratosphere take its people with it.
—
This content is brought to you by Noen Noah
Photos provided by the author.