To compare ways of outsourcing solar admin, work out the admin cost of each job you get paid for: what the admin costs you a month, divided by the jobs it carries from signed quote to paid invoice. A full-time hire on an example A$65,000 salary costs about A$6,608 a month once super and other on-costs are added, or A$220 a job at 30 jobs a month. A trained outsourced seat costs less per job at that volume, but the cheapest option on paper is only cheaper if rejections and owner time fall too.
What solar admin actually covers
Count the work before you price it. On a typical home solar or battery job, admin is everything between the signed quote and the paid invoice that isn't on the roof:
- 1Sales adminJob entered and checked, contract sent for signing, deposit raised.
- 2ApprovalsDistributor pre-approval and connection steps, and rebate eligibility where a program applies.
- 3Customer deskInstall date confirmed, reminders sent, missing details chased.
- 4Paperwork checksPhotos, selfies, serial numbers and battery labels checked against the rules before anything is lodged.
- 5Certificate and rebate packsSTC and rebate paperwork prepared for your installer and agent to sign and submit.
- 6AccountsInvoice raised, STC trade and payments reconciled in Xero or MYOB.
Some of it can be done by anyone you train. Some of it can't be handed over at all, because the law says who signs: see what stays with your licensed people below.
The three ways to cover it
| Option | Monthly cost | What you get | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hire in-house | About A$6,608 in our example, for one full-time person | Someone in your office who learns your jobs and your customers | Leave, sick days and turnover leave gaps; recruiting and training take months |
| Pay per job | A fee per job, from STC agents and compliance services; ask for their price | The certificate or rebate pack checked, often in the agent's own app | Usually covers one slice, not approvals, customer updates or Xero |
| A trained seat | A$1,490 for 20 hours a week, A$2,790 for 40, or from A$5,900 for a small team (SolarOps) | Solar-trained specialists working your checklists in your systems | Access, privacy and a clear line on who signs what |
A general virtual assistant is a fourth option, often cheaper by the hour. The catch is that you train them in distributor portals, certificate photo rules and rebate portals yourself, and a mistake there costs a resubmission, not a few minutes.
Cost per job, worked through
| In-house: example salary | A$65,000 a year |
| Plus super at 12% and other on-costs at 10% (example) | A$14,300 a year |
| In-house cost a month | A$6,608 |
| In-house cost per job | A$220 |
| Dedicated SolarOps specialist, a month | A$2,790 |
| Seat cost per job | A$93 |
The seat wins on this arithmetic, but the arithmetic is the easy part. A seat at A$2,790 only stays cheaper if it gets jobs paid at least as fast as your own person would. Track two things for the first month whichever way you go: how many submissions come back rejected, and how many hours you still spend on paperwork yourself.
Hidden costs on both sides
- Rejections. A missing photo, a wrong serial number or a late distributor approval holds up payment. Count resubmissions per 100 jobs before and after any change.
- Your own hours. If you still check every job pack at night, that is admin cost too. Price it at what your time is worth on sales or on site.
- Cover. One in-house person on leave means paperwork stops. Ask any provider how leave and sick days are covered.
- Software seats. An extra user in your CRM, job software or Xero may cost money whichever option you choose.
- Set-up time. Whoever takes the work needs your checklists, naming rules and message templates first. Writing them is worth doing even if you never outsource.
What stays with your licensed people
Outsourcing moves preparation and checking, never the signatures. Your installer takes the onsite verification photos. Your electricians complete and sign electrical safety certificates and works requests. You, or the registered agent you assign certificates to, make each certificate claim and its declarations. Anyone who tells you they will sign or declare these for you is offering something they can't lawfully do. Our installer paperwork checklist sets out who signs each document.
Before you hand anything over
- Write down each workflow you want covered, with the checklist you use today
- Count jobs a month and rejected submissions per 100 jobs, so you can compare later
- Decide who signs what, in writing, and keep every declaration with licensed people
- Give access through a password manager, in accounts that stay in your name
- Agree how leave, sick days and urgent jobs are covered
- Sign a data agreement before anyone sees customer details
- Start with a short pilot on two or three workflows, not everything at once
If your team is overseas, plan for privacy as well. Where the Privacy Act applies to your business, Australian Privacy Principle 8 says you must take reasonable steps to make sure an overseas recipient handles personal information to the Australian standard, and you stay accountable if it doesn't. In practice that means a written data agreement, access you control, and a list of who can see customer details.
Where SolarOps fits
SolarOps is our version of the trained seat: solar-trained specialists, with automation, working inside your systems on job packs, approvals, STC paperwork, the customer desk and Xero. It starts with a 30-day pilot on two or three workflows, so you can measure rejections and hours saved before you commit. If automation alone would cover your volume, we will say so.
