Empowering a Family-Owned Solar Business: GB Solar’s Success Story with OpenSolar CashFlow

Explore how GB Solar simplified payment management, improved team efficiency, and enhanced customer experience by adopting OpenSolar’s integrated payment solution.

Before CashFlow: Struggling with Payment Management and High Fees

Before CashFlow, GB Solar faced a few key challenges that were slowing them down. Managing Director, Gareth, recalls the constant back-and-forth about payment statuses: 

“We’d frequently hear things like, ‘Can you check the bank?’ or ‘Can you make sure it’s gone through on Stripe?’ It was a bit of a drain.” 

Without an easy way to check payments, the team had to rely on Gareth or his business partner to confirm if payments were processed, wasting time and creating inefficiencies.

On top of that, customer payment issues were a regular headache. Clients were often confused about how to complete payments, which added unnecessary workload for the team. 

And finally, there were the high fees. 

“In the last three years, we’ve paid over £22k in Stripe card fees. That’s a lot of money going out the door without much to show for it” Gareth shares. These fees were eating into GB Solar’s bottom line, leaving less money for reinvestment or growth.

The CashFlow Solution: Simplifying Payments and Cutting Costs

When GB Solar started using CashFlow, it all clicked. The integration was seamless and quick. 

“The integration of CashFlow was seamless for us and brought the digital banking era into the same great software we use every day with barely a hiccup in time.”

CashFlow’s real-time payment tracking has made managing payments a breeze and removed key person dependencies. Gareth explains, 

“CashFlow has given other members of staff the ability to visualise what’s happened with the payment process, which means not having to pester me or my business partner.” 

The ability to offer both card and BACS options has eliminated a lot of customer confusion, cutting down on troubleshooting and allowing the team to focus on more important tasks.

“The BACS integration is a significant additional benefit and has saved us lots of unnecessary communication with customers querying bank details, addresses, references… and ultimately telling us they didn’t know how to do it, or it wouldn’t work,” Gareth explains. 

Lower transaction fees have significantly reduced costs, helping GB Solar keep more of its revenue and reinvest it back into the business. 

“The lower fees are naturally a huge benefit too and it’s great to be able to retain as much of our actual income from each job as possible,” Gareth says. 

Results: Time Saved, Money Saved, and Less Stress

CashFlow has quickly become an indispensable tool for GB Solar.

The team now spends less time chasing payment updates or managing customer’s payment queries and more time focusing on other tasks. “Honestly, little things like that can be a bit of a drain, and by taking out these small bumps, it’s a huge help,” Gareth says.

The financial impact has been just as significant. With significantly lower credit card fees than their previous provider, Stripe, GB Solar is keeping more of its earnings, allowing the business to reinvest and grow more efficiently.

“I’d absolutely recommend CashFlow. It’s easy to integrate, the user experience is great, and the fees are lower for payment transactions. I can’t imagine going back to a world where we’re not using OpenSolar and Cashflow!” Gareth concluded.

About GB Solar: A Family-Owned Business on a Mission

GB Solar is a family-owned business with over 40 years of combined experience in the renewable energy industry. Based in North Nottinghamshire, UK, the company is passionate about providing sustainable solar energy solutions and helping both homes and businesses save money on their energy bills. With a strong focus on customer satisfaction, GB Solar prides itself on offering professional, reliable, and efficient service, backed by five-star Google reviews from happy customers. Whether it’s solar panel installation or battery storage, GB Solar is committed to making a positive impact on the environment while delivering long-term value for its clients.