Comparison · Solar Platform vs Manual Spreadsheets
For solar EPCs, installers and dealers
We are biased - read both sides
Side-by-side - every capability that matters for solar
An honest breakdown of what each platform does and does not do for solar companies.
Lead capture & tracking: Multi-source pipeline
- OneSolar CRM: All leads in one pipeline with source tracking, agent assignment and follow-up tasks
Leads in a sheet - no source tracking, no automatic follow-up, no accountability
Pipeline visibility: Live deal stages
- OneSolar CRM: Real-time pipeline with stage progress, deal values and close rate reporting
Static rows in a sheet - value only if someone updates it, which rarely happens
Follow-up automation: Tasks & reminders
- OneSolar CRM: Automatic follow-up tasks on every lead. Reminders before due dates
No automation - follow-up depends entirely on someone remembering
Internal approval: Workflow before sending
- OneSolar CRM: Approval chain enforced before any proposal reaches a client
No approval workflow - whoever makes the sheet sends it
Proposal versioning: Version tracking
- OneSolar CRM: All BOQ revisions tracked with change history. Client sees the latest version
Manual filename versioning - BOQ_v2_final_FINAL.xlsx. Versions get confused
E-signature: Digital contract closing
- OneSolar CRM: Client signs digitally on mobile or desktop. Deal closed instantly
Milestone tracking: Live project progress
- OneSolar CRM: Milestones with tasks, dependencies, live progress and schedule health
Rows in a project sheet - accurate only when someone updates it (rarely in real time)
Field crew updates: Mobile task management
- OneSolar CRM: Crew update tasks and check in on mobile app. Manager sees progress live
No field app - crew update the sheet when they get back to office (or do not update it at all)
Milestone billing: Auto invoice trigger
- OneSolar CRM: Invoice created automatically when milestone is marked complete
Someone has to remember to raise an invoice. Someone forgets. Revenue leaks.
Inventory tracking: Real-time stock levels
- OneSolar CRM: Multi-warehouse stock - live, per location, BOQ-linked, with low-stock alerts
Column in a sheet - last updated whenever someone remembered. Usually wrong.
Vendor POs: Full procurement cycle
- OneSolar CRM: Vendor PO, delivery tracking, payment recording, credit management in one module
PO in email, delivery noted in a sheet, payment in another sheet. Completely disconnected.
Data security: Role-based access
Google Sheets shared with the whole company. Everyone sees everything. No audit trail.
Scalability: Volume without friction
- OneSolar CRM: Volume doubles, admin stays flat. System scales with the business
Every new project = more rows = more chaos. Admin grows linearly with volume.
Reporting: Live dashboards
- OneSolar CRM: Revenue by project, close rate by source, outstanding invoices - live in the dashboard
Build your own pivot tables. Takes hours. Already out of date by the time you read it.
- OneSolar CRM: Solar-first
All leads in one pipeline with source tracking, agent assignment and follow-up tasks
Leads in a sheet - no source tracking, no automatic follow-up, no accountability
Real-time pipeline with stage progress, deal values and close rate reporting
Static rows in a sheet - value only if someone updates it, which rarely happens
Automatic follow-up tasks on every lead. Reminders before due dates
No automation - follow-up depends entirely on someone remembering
Approval chain enforced before any proposal reaches a client
No approval workflow - whoever makes the sheet sends it
All BOQ revisions tracked with change history. Client sees the latest version
Manual filename versioning - BOQ_v2_final_FINAL.xlsx. Versions get confused
Digital contract closing
Client signs digitally on mobile or desktop. Deal closed instantly
Milestones with tasks, dependencies, live progress and schedule health
Rows in a project sheet - accurate only when someone updates it (rarely in real time)
Crew update tasks and check in on mobile app. Manager sees progress live
No field app - crew update the sheet when they get back to office (or do not update it at all)
Invoice created automatically when milestone is marked complete
Someone has to remember to raise an invoice. Someone forgets. Revenue leaks.
Multi-warehouse stock - live, per location, BOQ-linked, with low-stock alerts
Column in a sheet - last updated whenever someone remembered. Usually wrong.
Vendor PO, delivery tracking, payment recording, credit management in one module
PO in email, delivery noted in a sheet, payment in another sheet. Completely disconnected.
Google Sheets shared with the whole company. Everyone sees everything. No audit trail.
Volume doubles, admin stays flat. System scales with the business
Every new project = more rows = more chaos. Admin grows linearly with volume.
Revenue by project, close rate by source, outstanding invoices - live in the dashboard
Build your own pivot tables. Takes hours. Already out of date by the time you read it.
The fundamental difference
No access control - no accountability
When the entire business runs in a shared Google Sheet, there is no way to control who sees what, who changed what or who is responsible for what. A sales agent can see finance data. A field tech can accidentally overwrite a formula. There is no audit trail.
No mobile access for field teams
Your installation crews are on site with no laptop. A spreadsheet does not geo-verify attendance, does not capture site photos linked to project milestones and does not update in real time when a task is done. The sheet is always behind the actual work.
Billing depends on someone remembering
Milestone billing in a spreadsheet requires someone to check project status, determine what is billable, raise an invoice and send it. When this depends on a human remembering, invoices get raised late - or not at all. OneSolar CRM automates every step.
No multi-warehouse inventory visibility
A spreadsheet can show stock at one warehouse. Managing stock across two locations, tracking reservations per project, and flagging shortfalls for procurement - this breaks immediately in a manual system.
Reporting takes hours, not seconds
A live OneSolar CRM dashboard shows revenue by project, outstanding invoices, pipeline by agent and project schedule health in real time. Building the equivalent in a spreadsheet requires pivot tables, formulas and manual data collection - and it is out of date the moment you close the tab.
Reasons solar companies switch
What spreadsheet users tell us before switching
We have 12 spreadsheets for 12 different things and none of them talk to each other
OneSolar CRM is one platform - leads, deals, projects, inventory, vendors, invoices and field crew all connected. When a deal is won, a project is created. When a milestone is done, an invoice is raised. No re-entry, no disconnection.
We missed three milestone invoices last month - nobody realised until the client asked
Milestone-triggered invoicing in OneSolar CRM fires automatically when a milestone is marked complete. Zero manual triggers. Zero missed billing. Finance is notified instantly.
Our field crew are on site and the spreadsheet is never up to date until end of day
The OneSolar CRM mobile app lets crew update tasks, check in with GPS and upload photos in real time from the job site. The project dashboard updates instantly. No end-of-day data entry batch.
We cannot tell what stock we have at each warehouse without doing a physical count
Real-time multi-warehouse inventory in OneSolar CRM shows current stock, reserved quantities per project and available stock - live, without a physical count.
Average monthly hidden cost
time after switching to OneSolar CRM
spreadsheets, WhatsApp, Tally, email
of your spreadsheet data to OneSolar CRM
From someone who switched
Switch without disruption
Our migration team handles the data move. You focus on running your business.
- 1Export your data from Excel or Google SheetsDownload leads, deals, contacts, projects and inventory as CSV files - most spreadsheets export to CSV in one click.
- 2Share with our migration teamSend the CSV files to your OneSolar CRM onboarding specialist. We map your columns to OneSolar CRM fields.
- 3Migration runs in a few hoursYour spreadsheet data is imported, verified and live in OneSolar CRM - typically the same day.
- 4Onboarding session - go live60-minute session to configure product catalogue, pipeline stages and milestone templates. Then go live.
- Run parallel during transition if needed
Migrate from Spreadsheets
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OneSolar CRM vs OpenSolar
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Your spreadsheets are costing you more than you think
Switch to a purpose-built solar platform. Your first recovered invoice will cover months of subscription.