The CRM replacement built for US clean energy installers
Most CRMs were built to close deals. US solar and clean tech installers do not have a deal problem. They have an operations problem. Permits, interconnection, AHJ inspections, materials, install scheduling, PTO, ITC documentation, change orders, handover. Payaca runs the whole project on one record, from cold lead to commissioned, paid and signed off.
No credit card needed. ISO 27001 certified. Migration support included on Core and Growth plans.
Why generic CRMs do not survive a US install
A CRM built to manage a sales pipeline holds the first 5% of an installer's workflow. The other 95%, the part that is operational, is where US installer margin and compliance actually live. Here is what generic CRMs cannot model.
Deals end at "Closed Won". US installs do not.
The signed proposal is the start. Plan submission, plan check, building permit, electrical inspection, interconnection application, install, final inspection, Permission to Operate (PTO), Investment Tax Credit (ITC) documentation, monitoring, service. None of that fits a deal pipeline.
Learn more →AHJ fragmentation breaks generic workflows.
Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) processes vary by city, county and utility. A pipeline that works in San Diego does not work in Phoenix. Generic CRMs ask you to model each AHJ as a custom workflow and maintain it forever. Payaca treats AHJ status as a stage on the project.
Learn more →Multi-technology is one customer, not three deals.
Solar plus storage plus EV is one quote, one installation, one homeowner relationship. Generic CRMs force this into separate deals, separate records, lost continuity.
Learn more →Crews will not log into a sales tool.
A US installer on a rooftop wants today's schedule, the latest design, the parts list, a commissioning checklist with photos, and a homeowner signature. When the CRM mobile app is built for AEs, the field team disengages and the office reconciles by email.
Learn more →How Payaca compares to Salesforce, HubSpot, Pipedrive and an in-house build
Five tools. Ten operational dimensions US installers told us they need. The matrix below is opinionated and direct. Deeper one-on-one comparisons live in the linked pages.
PayacaShowHide
- Project as the primitive
- Yes. One record from lead to PTO and beyond.
- Compliance as a workflow gate
- Yes. Stage transitions blocked until conditions are met.
- Permits, AHJ, PTO and ITC tracking
- Native fields and stage gates.
- Multi-technology proposals
- Solar, battery, EV, heat pump on one quote.
- Materials and bill of materials (BOM) tied to engineer certifications
- Native.
- Install scheduling
- Built in, tied to crew certifications and material lead times.
- Commissioning and handover
- Native checklists, photos, signatures, certificates.
- Customer portal
- Built in. Homeowners track from proposal to PTO.
- Payments (ACH, card, financing handoffs)
- Native. Deposits, milestones, balances.
- Accounting flow (QuickBooks, Xero)
- Native two-way sync.
SalesforceShowHide
- Project as the primitive
- No. Deal closes; project lives elsewhere.
- Compliance as a workflow gate
- Build it yourself with custom objects.
- Permits, AHJ, PTO and ITC tracking
- Not native; bolt-on or manual.
- Multi-technology proposals
- Custom objects per technology.
- Materials and bill of materials (BOM) tied to engineer certifications
- Custom.
- Install scheduling
- Salesforce Field Service add-on; separate licence.
- Commissioning and handover
- Custom.
- Customer portal
- Experience Cloud add-on.
- Payments (ACH, card, financing handoffs)
- Integration partner.
- Accounting flow (QuickBooks, Xero)
- Integration partner.
HubSpotShowHide
- Project as the primitive
- No. Deal closes; project lives elsewhere.
- Compliance as a workflow gate
- Build it yourself with workflows.
- Permits, AHJ, PTO and ITC tracking
- Not native; bolt-on or manual.
- Multi-technology proposals
- Custom properties per technology.
- Materials and bill of materials (BOM) tied to engineer certifications
- Not supported.
- Install scheduling
- Not supported.
- Commissioning and handover
- Not supported.
- Customer portal
- Service Hub add-on.
- Payments (ACH, card, financing handoffs)
- Integration partner.
- Accounting flow (QuickBooks, Xero)
- Integration partner.
PipedriveShowHide
- Project as the primitive
- No. Deal-only model.
- Compliance as a workflow gate
- Not supported.
- Permits, AHJ, PTO and ITC tracking
- Not native.
- Multi-technology proposals
- Limited.
- Materials and bill of materials (BOM) tied to engineer certifications
- Not supported.
- Install scheduling
- Not supported.
- Commissioning and handover
- Not supported.
- Customer portal
- Not supported.
- Payments (ACH, card, financing handoffs)
- Integration partner.
- Accounting flow (QuickBooks, Xero)
- Integration partner.
In-house buildShowHide
- Project as the primitive
- Maybe. Engineering-dependent.
- Compliance as a workflow gate
- Possible, but you maintain it forever.
- Permits, AHJ, PTO and ITC tracking
- Custom build, custom maintenance.
- Multi-technology proposals
- Whatever you built.
- Materials and bill of materials (BOM) tied to engineer certifications
- Custom build.
- Install scheduling
- Custom build.
- Commissioning and handover
- Custom build.
- Customer portal
- Custom build.
- Payments (ACH, card, financing handoffs)
- Custom build.
- Accounting flow (QuickBooks, Xero)
- Custom build.
What Payaca actually does that a CRM cannot
Three capabilities show up in every CRM-replacement conversation. Shipped product as of May 2026, not roadmap.
The unit of work is a project, not a deal.
A single Payaca project carries lead capture, site survey, design integration with OpenSolar and Aurora, multi-option proposals (solar, solar plus storage, solar plus EV) with embedded production estimates and financing options, accepted contracts, deposit invoices, materials BOM, plan submission, AHJ tracking, scheduled install with crew certifications validated, commissioning, homeowner handover, PTO, and ITC documentation. Office, finance and field share one record.
Compliance is a stage gate, not a side-system.
Payaca pipeline guards (used in production at OVO Solar and Heating across 12+ franchises in the UK and now rolling into US installer onboardings) refuse to let a project advance until the conditions you set are met. US examples: deposit paid before procurement, plan check approved before install scheduled, electrical inspection signed before PTO submission, ITC documentation pack complete before homeowner sign-off.
Operational efficiency is the unlock, not "more pipeline visibility".
US installers on Payaca run a 30 to 50 install per month operation with one ops manager and a small admin team because the system removes reconciliation work between sales, finance and field. Generic CRMs add reporting on top of pipeline; Payaca removes the parallel systems that pipeline-only CRMs leave behind.
What installers tell us about the switch
Anonymised patterns from CRM-assessment calls (Q1/Q2 2026). Real names available with consent.
“We were paying for HubSpot, an estimating tool, a scheduling tool and a project tracker. The CRM was the most expensive thing in the stack and it told us the least about the install.”
“Salesforce works if you have an admin who can spend two days a week on it. We do not. We need a system that already knows what an AHJ is.”
“Pipedrive was great when we were 5 people doing solar leads. The minute we started doing heat pumps with utility rebates and contractor permits, it stopped being the right tool.”
CRM replacement FAQ
What does "CRM replacement" actually mean for a US clean energy installer?
A platform that runs the operational side of the business as the primary record, not as a downstream extension of a sales pipeline. That includes lead, quote, contract, deposit, materials, plan submission, AHJ tracking, install schedule, commissioning, PTO, ITC documentation and service. Payaca is built for that scope; generic CRMs (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive) are built around the deal.
Will my HubSpot or Salesforce data come across?
Yes. Customer records, deal history, contacts, notes and pipeline stages migrate during onboarding. We map your existing fields to Payaca and import structured data. Most Growth-tier migrations complete inside 2 to 4 weeks.
How does Payaca handle US permits and inspections?
Permits, plan checks, electrical inspections, final inspections and PTO live as pipeline stages. Custom fields capture permit numbers, AHJ contacts and inspection dates. Stage transitions can be blocked until the right document or approval exists. AHJ-specific workflows are configurable per region.
Does Payaca cover ITC documentation?
Yes. Investment Tax Credit (ITC) documentation lives on the project, not in a separate folder. Required artefacts (system specs, commissioning evidence, interconnection approval, homeowner sign-off) are attached to the project record. The homeowner portal can deliver the documentation pack on completion.
How does it compare to ServiceTitan or JobNimbus?
ServiceTitan is excellent for HVAC and plumbing but does not natively understand solar, heat pump or EV charger workflows. JobNimbus is roofing-first; solar is bolted on. See Payaca vs ServiceTitan, Payaca vs JobNimbus and the dedicated solar installer CRM hub for deeper comparisons.
Is Payaca a good fit for a 10-person installer or a 50-person business?
Both. Core fits growing installers replacing spreadsheets or a generic CRM. Growth fits scaling installers with multiple sales reps, an ops manager and crews. Scale supports franchise and enterprise networks. The platform grows with the business.
See Payaca on your actual workflow
30-minute demo, tailored to your install volume, design tools and ops stack. Not a generic walkthrough.