WhatsApp follow-up templates for solar installers, from first reply to subsidy

Most follow-ups installers send are one of two kinds: "Sir, any update?" or nothing at all. Neither moves a file. A useful message names the customer, the system, the next step and a date, and asks one question the customer can answer in a word.

Below is a template for every stage of a rooftop job, in the Hinglish most customers reply in, with what each one is for. Replace the words in square brackets.

Four rules for every message

• One message, one question. "Time theek hai?" gets a reply. Three questions in one message get none.
• Name, size and date. Every message carries the customer's name, the kW and the next date.
• Numbers in text, not voice notes. The customer forwards the numbers to family. Make them easy to forward.
• No identity or bank numbers in chat. Collect documents at the survey or through the portal. Never ask a customer to type an Aadhaar or account number into WhatsApp.

Sending these by hand from the WhatsApp Business app, they are ordinary messages. Sending them through the WhatsApp Business Platform, anything outside 24 hours of the customer's last message must be a Meta-approved template, the customer must have agreed to hear from your firm, and a message that asks for referrals counts as marketing.

1. First reply, within the hour

"Namaste [Name] ji, main [Rep], [Firm] se. Aapne rooftop solar ke baare mein poocha tha. Apne bijli bill ki ek photo bhej dijiye. Main aaj hi bata dunga kitne kW lagenge aur kitni subsidy milegi."

The same message in Gujarati:

The bill is the whole survey on one page: the consumer number the portal registers against, the DISCOM, the sanctioned load and the units. Ask for it first.

2. Confirming the site survey

"[Name] ji, kal [time] baje hamare surveyor [Surveyor] aapke ghar aayenge. Chhat tak jaane ka raasta khula rakhiye aur bill ready rakhiye. Time theek hai?"

3. Sending the quote

"[Name] ji, aapke [kW] kW system ka quote bhej raha hoon. Centre ki subsidy ₹[amount] commissioning ke baad seedha aapke bank khate mein aayegi (solar loan liya ho to pehle loan khate mein). Koi line samajh na aaye to yahin poochiye."

Get the subsidy line right, because the customer will check it. The central amounts from the MNRE guidelines, effective 13 February 2024 and verified in our rates file:

• 1 kW: ₹30,000
• 2 kW: ₹60,000
• 3 kW and above: ₹78,000

Add a state line only where our rates file marks the top-up as verified. Uttar Pradesh adds ₹15,000 per kW, up to ₹30,000. Delhi's portal lists up to ₹26,000 per kW for systems up to 3 kW (at most ₹78,000), capped at the bid-discovered cost under its DISCOM trusteeship model minus the central subsidy. Check on solar.delhi.gov.in that your job qualifies before you quote it. Rajasthan's ₹17,000 is for eligible 1.1 kW homes only. Everywhere else, quote the central subsidy alone. Check any size and state in the subsidy calculator before you send.

4. Quote follow-up: the next day and day 3

Next day: "[Name] ji, quote dekh liya? Koi line samajh nahi aayi ho to bataiye, main call kar leta hoon."

Day 3: "[Name] ji, [kW] kW ke liye is hafte [day] ko site ka slot khula hai. Rakh doon?"

The day-3 message offers a concrete next step instead of asking for a decision. After that, move to one message a week, and make each one carry something new: a revised option, an answer to their question, a date.

5. Agreement done, installation date

"[Name] ji, portal par agreement ho gaya. Installation [date] ko hoga, team leader [Name]. Us din chhat khaali rakhiye."

6. Day 45: the check-in that protects you

MNRE's notice of 24 August 2026 advises registered vendors not to hold consumer applications for more than 60 days without a valid reason, and the same notice deactivated 66 vendors for a month. That 60 is verified from the notice in our rates file. Our tools turn amber at 45 days, which is our own early warning, not an MNRE rule.

At day 45 a message to the customer does two jobs. It moves the file, and the reply is a written record of why the file is waiting.

"[Name] ji, aapki solar file ko [N] din ho gaye hain. Installation ke liye kya baaki hai: chhat ready hai, loan aa gaya? Ek line mein bata dijiye, taaki hum date fix kar saken."

If the file is waiting on the DISCOM, say so with dates:

"[Name] ji, aapki file [stage] par DISCOM ke paas hai, [date] se. Humne [date] ko follow-up kiya. Agla update [date] tak dunga."

7. Net-meter and inspection

"[Name] ji, net-meter ki request DISCOM ko chali gayi hai. Inspection ke din ghar par koi rahe, aur bill ki copy ready rakhiye."

8. Commissioned: the subsidy step

"Badhai ho [Name] ji, aapka solar chalu ho gaya! Subsidy ke liye portal par bank details connection holder ke naam se honi chahiye. Main call karke upload mein madad kar deta hoon."

The bank account must match the connection holder. Settle that on the call, not in chat.

9. Subsidy received: thanks and a referral

"[Name] ji, subsidy aa gayi, badhai! Ek madad kijiye: kisi padosi ya rishtedaar ko solar chahiye to unka naam bhej dijiye."

Ask once, at the moment the customer is happiest with you.

10. When a lead goes quiet

After three weekly messages with no reply, close the loop instead of chasing:

"[Name] ji, lagta hai abhi solar ka sahi time nahi hai. Main aapki file band kar raha hoon. Jab bhi zaroorat ho, isi number par 'solar' likh dijiye."

It ends the chase politely and gives the customer an easy way back. Then mark the lead lost with its reason, whether price, timing, roof or trust, so you know which one to fix.

What not to send

• A state top-up you have not checked. A figure from a forward becomes your promise the moment you send it.
• A date for the subsidy credit. Say which step comes next, not which day the money lands.
• Generic promotions to a customer mid-job. They bury the message about their file.

Frequently asked questions

How often should I follow up after sending a quote?

The next day, then day 3 with a concrete slot, then once a week with something new each time.

Should the templates be in Gujarati or Hindi?

In whichever language the customer writes to you. The structure stays the same: name, size, date, one question.

What if the delay is on the DISCOM's side?

Tell the customer the stage, the date it got there and the date of your last follow-up. Keep the same record for yourself; it is your valid reason if the file crosses 60 days.

How do I see which files need the day-45 message?

Paste every open application with its date into the 60-day vendor check. It lists the files past 45 and 60 days, oldest first.

Send customers the application risk checker with their application date, so they can see where their file stands. Raymitra, the CRM we are building for installers, keeps templates like these in Hindi, Gujarati and English against each lead's stage.