Scaling Clean: Hervé Billiet, CEO of Sunvoy
For years, residential solar companies have focused on the goal of winning the next installation.
But according to my latest Scaling Clean guest, Hervé Billiet, CEO of Sunvoy, many installers are overlooking one of the most valuable assets they've already built: the trust of their existing customers.
Hervé founded Sunvoy after running his own solar installation company and experiencing the industry's customer service challenges firsthand. Today, Sunvoy provides white-labeled customer engagement software that helps solar installers stay connected with homeowners throughout the entire life of their systems.
Here are three takeaways from our conversation.
Solar installers already have something incredibly valuable: trust.
Installing a solar system is a major purchase. Customers trust an installer enough to invest tens of thousands of dollars in their home.
According to Hervé, too many companies treat that relationship as finished once the installation is complete.
Instead, he argues installers should view every customer as the beginning of a long-term relationship. As more homeowners add batteries, EV chargers, maintenance services, or future upgrades, installers who maintain that trust will have a significant advantage.
"Solar installers are sitting on a gold mine of customer relationships."
Customer experience is becoming a competitive advantage.
Consumers can track a pizza delivery in real time. Many homeowners, however, have little visibility into where their solar project stands during installation or what happens afterward.
Sunvoy was designed to solve that communication gap through customer portals, production tracking, maintenance requests, and long-term engagement.
The goal is to build confidence that lasts throughout the 20-plus-year life of a solar system. Homeowners often forget who installed their system over time. Companies that stay connected remain top of mind when customers need batteries, EV chargers, maintenance, or additional services.
AI becomes successful when it's connected to business data.
Hervé starts by asking what valuable data already exists inside the business. Then, he invests heavily in AI. Once you have reliable data, AI becomes much more useful for employees and customers alike.
"You can only really use AI if you have data."
Why This Conversation Matters
As incentives change and the industry matures, residential solar installers will increasingly compete on customer experience, long-term relationships, and operational excellence instead of just acquiring the next customer.
Growth doesn't always require finding new customers. The biggest opportunities may come with serving existing customers better.
Below are a few of Hervé's reflections:
- Customer trust is one of the most valuable assets a solar installer can build.
- AI delivers the most value when businesses first organize and connect the data they already have.
- Great customer communication can become a competitive advantage in an increasingly mature solar market.
Catch the full episode of Scaling Clean to hear Hervé's insights on building software for solar installers, the evolution of residential solar, customer retention, and the future of AI in clean energy.
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