Sunnova Expands Cutting-Edge Global Command Center, Redefining Customer Service in the Solar Industry

Published a year ago via Business Wire

Investing in and bolstering service capabilities for its network of residential and commercial customers

Sunnova Energy International Inc. ("Sunnova") (NYSE: NOVA), a leading energy services company, today announced the expansion of its Global Command Center (GCC), a significant milestone in its commitment to delivering an unparalleled customer service experience. The GCC, which has been operating for over a year, is now more powerful and efficient thanks to a number of enhancements, including the addition of new technologies, the expansion of its team of experts, and improvements in operational efficiency.

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Sunnova's Global Command Center based in Houston, Texas. (Photo: Business Wire)

Sunnova's Global Command Center based in Houston, Texas. (Photo: Business Wire)

"Sunnova's vision as a service-first company underscores our recognition of the critical importance of building a robust service infrastructure for the long term,” said William J. (John) Berger, Chief Executive Officer at Sunnova. "We understand that system services are paramount to ensuring our customers' systems operate and the power flows as promised throughout the entirety of our 25-year relationship with them. The significant increase in the number of customers who have chosen to embrace solar energy in recent years highlights the paramount importance of not merely acquiring customers but consistently earning their trust and satisfaction. It is through our unwavering dedication to exceptional service that we achieve this goal, and it is through this commitment that we remain at the forefront of our industry.”

The advancements in the Global Command Center (GCC) include:

  • Enhanced Cost Efficiency: The GCC employs a strategic approach to optimizing technician routes, placing a priority on efficiency and task completions while minimizing travel time between assignments. This approach enables Sunnova to efficiently fulfill a higher number of work orders each day. As a result, this not only enhances productivity but also leads to reductions in associated service costs such as vehicles, fuel, and tools.
  • Effective Pod Structure: Each GCC Pod consists of six dedicated experts, including five specialists and one supervisor, supporting 27 region-specific technicians in the field. These Pods are equipped with monitors that provide visibility on technicians' schedules, work orders completed, local weather conditions, and new cases being created.
  • Expanded Regionalized Focus: Sunnova has introduced eight new regional GCC Pods this year, totaling 11 Pods now in operation. This expansion strengthens regionalized support, providing enhanced coverage in areas such as Puerto Rico, New Jersey, Pacific Islands, Northeast, South & Southeast, and the West Region.
  • Sunnova Repair Services (SRS) Expansion: For homeowners lacking a warranty for their solar systems from other providers, Sunnova has extended services from its dedicated in-house team of service technicians to provide hassle-free maintenance, monitoring, repairs, and replacement parts, helping to ensure their systems perform to maximum potential.
  • Critical Command Pod: The newest pod, Critical Command, was launched in Q3 to ensure specialized support and rapid response to critical issues such as hurricanes, wildfires, winter storms, and other weather-related and unforeseen incidents. With an ever-increasing need for immediate and targeted assistance during these challenging situations, the Critical Command Pod stands as a dedicated response team, ready to deploy resources and expertise to mitigate the impact of these events and other critical incidents for customers.
  • Enhanced Training: New training programs have been developed for the Global Command Center and rolled out across the entire team, ensuring specialists are equipped with the latest knowledge and expertise.
  • Increased Work Order Efficiency: Sunnova’s service response time has been reduced by 50% on average from Q1 through Q3 2023, owing to the state-of-the-art alert and rapid-response technology innovations that the GCC employs.
  • Customer Communication: As part of Sunnova's ongoing dedication to enhancing customer convenience, the Company will roll-out text-based communication services. This service will be introduced in select areas in the fourth quarter of 2023, with a wider rollout planned for 2024. By enabling customers to confirm their appointments in advance, this new feature will significantly elevate the overall service experience.

“Our team’s unwavering goal is to continually elevate the standard of service in our space, and the GCC represents a pivotal milestone in this journey," said Paul Mathews, Executive Vice President, Service and Supply Chain at Sunnova. "It stands as a physical representation of our dedication to service, offering real-time insights into the intricate operations of our energy systems. This commitment to service excellence, combined with the caliber of individuals within our organization and our ingrained service culture, has been the driving force behind these remarkable improvements. The advancements made in our GCC over the past year have ushered in a new era of service capabilities, leading to a substantial reduction in service turnaround times, and reinforcing our unwavering commitment to enhancing the Sunnova customer experience."

Paul continues to share, "Sunnova remains committed to the ongoing pursuit of ways to further automate our GCC review process, with the goal of reducing the necessity for manual intervention and expediting the assignment of cases to technicians. This will ultimately enable us to provide more efficient service to our customers.”

Serving an extensive customer base of over 380,000 solar and battery storage customers spread across all 55 U.S. states and territories, the expansion of the GCC is a testament to Sunnova's unwavering commitment to delivering unmatched service and leading the way in clean energy solutions.

About Sunnova

Sunnova Energy International Inc. (NYSE: NOVA) is an industry-leading energy services company focused on making clean energy more accessible, reliable, and affordable for homeowners and businesses. Through its adaptive energy platform, Sunnova provides a better energy service at a better price to deliver its mission of powering energy independence. For more information, visit http://www.sunnova.com.

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