Same day solar
Skip the 12-Month Build: How SameDay Scaled on Coperniq and Kept Its Edge
Same day solar
Will Anderson built proprietary software that took Complete Solar through merger, IPO, and SunPower acquisition. After 4 to 6 months of daily stand-ups building for SameDay Solar
Company profile
40 employees
Plumbing & Electrical
HVAC
operating in
Texas
Michigan
20%
Decreased time effrots with the help of coperniq by streamlining the business
120K
Saved time effrots with the help of coperniq by streamlining the business
88
Projects done, time effrots with the help of coperniq by streamlining the business
Page Contents
Key Points
The Challenge
Coperniq: Operational Core + Extension Layer
Long-term extensibility
Configuration Sprint: Weeks to Production
Key Points
Founder built proprietary software that powered Complete Solar through merger, IPO, and SunPower acquisition—chose Coperniq over rebuilding for SameDay Solar
4 to 6 months of daily developer stand-ups ended when rising volume forced decision between continuing build or using proven platform
Workflows live in weeks vs. 12+ months, redirecting engineering from operational plumbing to proprietary differentiation
APIs and extensible architecture enable custom builds on top without sacrificing long-term competitive edge
The Challenge
6 Months of Daily Developer Stand-Ups
Drawing on Complete Solar experience, Will set out to build a form‑fitted, proprietary platform for SameDay. He and VP of Operations Trey Lackey led daily 7 a.m. stand‑ups, scoping core modules for sales, scheduling, dispatch, and customer experience all tailored to SameDay’s operating philosophy. Progress was real but so was the clock.
As project volume climbed, two truths emerged:
The custom platform wasn’t complete; critical workflows still needed manual workarounds.
Even post‑launch, state variations, fixes, and features would consume engineering indefinitely.
SameDay initially considered an off‑the‑shelf “bridge” until the build was done. The better question surfaced: Can we run production‑grade workflows now—without compromising our long‑term proprietary edge?
Will’s takeaway baked into the decision: custom builds deliver fit and control, but cost 12–18 months and ongoing maintenance. Proprietary advantage is best built on a solid foundation when speed matters.
Trey’s lens from prior Salesforce programs: platform fights and heavy integrations slow you down; a solar‑native base accelerates maturity.
Screening Platforms: Immediate Capability + Long-Term Extensibility
The team evaluated platforms with dual requirements. They needed something that could work today while they finished building, but they also needed to understand if it could support their long-term architecture.
Immediate needs:
Complete lead-to-install workflow coverage
Reliable appointment and dispatch automation
Real-time operational visibility
State-specific configurability
Fast implementation (weeks, not quarters)
Long-term requirements
Clean data architecture and API access
Workflow extensibility without vendor lock-in
Foundation for proprietary module layering
Engineering support for building custom capabilities on top
Ongoing platform evolution and support
Generic CRMs required extensive customisation just to handle solar-specific flows. Solar-focused tools often had rigid workflows or weak data models. NetSuite and similar ERP systems introduced significant implementation overhead and still required substantial customisation for field operations.
Coperniq: Operational Core + Extension Layer
Through rigorous evaluation of out-of-the-box partners, SameDay found that Coperniq not only had the best capabilities for what they were initially looking for in a temporary solution, but also had the foundational software architecture and engineering support to build their proprietary software edge on top of Coperniq in the long term.
Solar-specific workflows out of the box
Pre-built appointment-to-install workflows
Automated work order generation with checklists and photo requirements
Dispatch boards designed for solar field operations
Built-in permitting and inspection tracking
Unified data architecture
Single system of record across sales, operations, and service
Eliminates manual re-entry between stages
Clean data model that supports analytics and extensions
Operational analytics
Live dashboards for stage timing and bottlenecks
Rep and team performance visibility
Conversion tracking at each funnel stage
No spreadsheet exports required
Long-term extensibility
API and webhook access: Build proprietary integrations and customer-facing experiences on top of Coperniq's data layer
Workflow processor: Configure and iterate on processes continuously without waiting for vendor release cycles
Modular architecture: Layer custom capabilities atop Coperniq's operational core
Engineering support: Direct access to Coperniq's engineering team to enable custom builds and integrations.
Data ownership: Full access to SameDay's operational data for custom analytics and ML models
Configuration Sprint: Weeks to Production
The daily discipline from SameDay's build phase translated directly into a focused Coperniq configuration:
Mapping desired workflows into Coperniq templates
Defining state-specific dispatch rules and checklists
Setting up automated triggers for appointment-to-install handoffs
Configuring analytics dashboards for leadership visibility
Production workflows were live in weeks.
Appointment Work Orders: When a Request reaches "appointment set," Coperniq automatically:
Creates a dated work order
Populates required fields from the opportunity
Attaches mandatory checklists (site assessment, electrical review, etc.)
Flags photo requirements for the field team
Notifies dispatch with routing context
Result: Zero manual re-entry. Zero missed handoffs. Faster time-to-install.
Dispatch coordination:
State-specific boards for in-home vs. virtual appointments
Auto-routing based on territory, availability, and workload
Real-time status visibility for operations leadership
Operations analytics
Average duration by job stage
Bottleneck identification (permits, inspections, final walkthrough)
Rep performance: appointments set, conversion rates, install completion
Team and territory comparisons
