Questions to ask about customer service.

QA: 
Question: 
Do you have a formal system to manage and track pre-installation and after-sale requirements?
Relevance: 
It is important that your retailer can properly track and manage your installation process from start to finish. A good system will ensure every stage of the process is managed in a professional and timely manner.
Answer: 
Solargain has developed our own in-house Customer Relationship Management system, which we use to track all aspects of customer engagement, from initial enquiry to installation and after-sale service.
Question: 
Do you have dedicated service teams?
Relevance: 
Product warranties on solar products are a long-term commitment for retailers (usually a minimum of 5 years). How does the retailer deal with any after-sales issues? It’s not a good sign if referees or online forums suggest they ‘don’t want to know you’ after the system has been installed.
Answer: 
Solargain is one of the few solar energy companies with in-house electricians on hand to provide after-sales service, advice and care. With many former solar energy companies now out of business, we are also well equipped to repair and maintain panels and inverters not originally sold by Solargain.
Question: 
Are you a service agent for any of the brands you sell? If so, who are you a service agent for?
Relevance: 
One way of determining commitment to after-sales service is to see if the solar company is a service agent for any third party’s panel and inverter products. This means they have invested in setting up the right structure to support after-sales service and maintenance.
Answer: 

Solargain has established direct warranty relationships with a number of inverter and panel manufacturers. We are also a preferred service agent for a number of these suppliers due to our experience and expertise.

Our service technicians and team are comprehensively trained in fault-finding, internal inverter repairs and solar power design. In addition to our onsite capability, our branches are also equipped to conduct a number of internal inverter repairs in-house and we also maintain a stock of repaired and/or replacement items.

Question: 
Do you contract out all your installations or do you have a mix of internal and external teams?
Relevance: 
This is an indication of the commitment to after-sales service. Do they take on these matters as an internal responsibility or merely contract the work out?
Answer: 

Solargain has a mix of both internal (employed) and external (contractor) installation teams, the vast majority of which have been with Solargain for a number of years. Irrespective of whether Solargain contracts out the installation, all system design, approvals, engineering and project management are the responsibility of the Solargain project team. We also supply our installation teams with key components like switches, connectors, and isolators to ensure the right quality for these smaller value but important components.

All our installation team members (whether internal or external) will be:

  • Clean Energy Council accredited;
  • Licensed electricians & electrical contractors (with working at heights competencies);
  • Inducted into both our accredited Quality Management & Health & Safety management systems;
  • Overseen by a senior, experienced Installation Manager;
  • Subject to spot checks by our National Manager of Health, Safety & Quality;
  • Given a work pack which includes all of the customer details, site notes, system design drawings, panel layouts, safe work method statement (SWMS), and project timeline.
Question: 
Who do I contact for after-sales service once the system is installed? Are you based in the same state as me or are you only available over the phone?
Relevance: 
Many customers are left high and dry after installation. Admin and after- sales service staff are often located interstate. This means if an issue arises, you may be stuck dealing with it over the phone and not via the local office that originally sold you the system.
Answer: 
With branches across most states and a dedicated service and warranty team, you can rest assured Solargain will be available when you need us.