FERT Solar's owner was the best salesperson in the company. The owner was also its help desk, its rulebook and its project tracker. ZEP360 took the last three jobs away, so the owner could go back to the first one.
- Client: FERT Solar
- Business: Solar installation and AMC in India and MENA, 3,500+ projects, 40+ active sites
- Biggest problem: Owner dependency
- Problems solved: SOP and permissions, client updates, cash flow and budgets, procurement delays, slow follow-ups
- ZEP360 modules: ZEP Sales, ZEP Projects, ZEP Inventory, ZEP Support/Ticketing
Results at a glance
- 42% faster purchase-order cycle
- 18% cost reduction
- Procurement delays cut across 40+ active sites
About FERT Solar
FERT Solar is a Kerala-based solar installation company, part of FERT World, with more than 12 years in the industry. It installs residential, housing society and commercial solar systems, and also offers solar AMC, consultancy, energy audits and MEP services. By its own count it has delivered 3,500+ projects across India and the MENA region, from a technical office in Kottiyam, Kerala and sales offices in Kochi, Nagpur, Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad.
The business is built around its owner, who closes the big deals and explains each project to the client, and who was running more than 40 active sites at once. As the company grew, the work behind those sites had to run through one system instead of one person's phone.
The challenge: one person at the center of everything
FERT Solar did not have five unrelated problems. It had one root problem, owner dependency, that showed up in five places. Each of them took a slice of the owner's day, and each needed a different ZEP360 feature to fix.
The team did not know the next step
Team members phoned the owner for permissions, small updates and data. The reason was simple: the team did not know the SOP. If you cannot see what comes next, you ask the one person who does. Every project waited on the owner's attention.
Clients called for project updates
Clients wanted to know where their project stood, and the owner was the person they trusted. Each call was fair. Together they added up to hours.
Cash flow and budgets were chased by hand
Collecting second and third instalments on time took follow-up. Confirming that a project was staying within budget took more. Nothing dramatic went wrong, but nobody had a clear view of where the money stood.
Procurement slowed down across 40+ sites
With more than 40 active sites, purchasing had to keep pace. Purchase orders took too long, and that delayed the work on site.
Slow processes lost deals
When a business waits on one person, deals wait too. Follow-ups came late, and some prospects went elsewhere.
The result: the owner had no time left for sales and growth.
How ZEP360 solved each problem
The founders and the FERT Solar team did this in two steps. First came a consulting phase, where we re-engineered how work moved between departments. Then each problem was matched to a specific ZEP360 module and feature, shown below.
The SOP now lives in ZEP360
We built a standard workflow on top of FERT Solar's existing processes, then mapped the entire SOP into ZEP360. Every team member sees the next step on their own screen. Nobody waits for permission, and the owner stops answering "what do I do now?"
Where it lives: the SOP workflow in ZEP360, built during process re-engineering.
Clients see their own project
The customer portal shows each client what is happening on their site, and SMS updates keep them informed. Clients stop phoning the owner because the answer is already in front of them.
Where it lives: ZEP Projects, with the customer portal and SMS.
Budgets and payments sit in one place
ZEP Projects holds the project data, budget and payment terms for every project. The oversight module tracks cash flow, delays, status and profitability, and sends automated reminders for upcoming client payments.
Where it lives: ZEP Projects, with the project review tools and the oversight module.
Purchasing has a clear view of stock
ZEP Inventory tracks material in and out, vendor purchases and stock status, so the team knows what is in stock and what to order again. Each project also has its own BOQ material list, which links purchasing to the work on site.
Where it lives: ZEP Inventory (material management), and BOQ material lists in ZEP Projects.
Follow-ups happen on time
ZEP Sales gives the team regular follow-up reminders. The order form collects project details from earlier steps without re-entry. Site surveys come in from the field app, campaigns track offers such as exhibitions, Diwali offers and summer sales, and prospecting handles cold calls and qualification.
Where it lives: ZEP Sales, with follow-up, order form, site survey, campaigns and prospecting.
Complaints have their own console
ZEP Support/Ticketing tracks client complaints and escalations across all projects in one place, and follows a proper SOP for resolving each ticket.
Where it lives: ZEP Support/Ticketing.
The results
Once the SOP, the portal and the purchasing view were in place, the owner's phone rang less and the numbers moved. FERT Solar reports faster purchasing, lower cost, and an owner who now has time to sell.
"We used to manage different business activities separately. With ZEP360, we can access Sales & project updates, tasks, follow-ups, expenses, and other important information from one place. It makes things more organized and helps us keep track of what's happening in the business."Sureshbabu S., Managing Partner, FERT Solar
The benefits, in the order the owner felt them:
- Fewer interruptions. The team has the next step and clients have the portal.
- Coordination between departments. Teams work from the same record, so details do not fall between them.
- A clear view of the money. Money leakage can be spotted and fixed early.
- Transparency. Management can see who is doing what, without asking.
- More time for sales. The owner spends the saved hours on sales and marketing, which brings in more orders and grows turnover.
What this means for your business
If your team treats you as the answer key, a stricter team is rarely the fix. A written process that everyone can see helps more, along with a system that shows each person their next step and each client their project status.
FERT Solar's owner still talks to the clients who matter. Everyone else already has what they need.
See how ZEP360 can take the weight off your phone. Book a demo.
