A customer in a town three hours from your office sends a WhatsApp message: "5 kW lagana hai, kab aoge?" Your rep has two bad options. Drive six hours for a survey that may end with "roof theek hai". Or quote from a bill photo and hope the roof, the shade and the electrical panel are what the customer says they are.
There is a third option. Ask the customer to start a video call and walk the building with the phone. Done well, a remote solar site survey screens out bad leads before anyone drives, and lets you quote the good ones with the right conditions written down. Done badly, it produces a confident price for a roof nobody has seen, and the loss shows up on install day.
This guide gives you the rule for telling the two apart: a go/no-go table for roof type, shading, structure, electrical panel and DISCOM checks, a shot list for the customer, and what to re-check on install day. Technical rules are tied to dated MNRE or DISCOM documents. Money figures in the worked example are illustrative.
Key takeaway
A remote solar site survey over WhatsApp video can support a firm quote only when every item that can change the price or kill the job is visible and measurable on camera. Grade each survey item with the Proof-Line Gate: above the line the camera proves it, on the line it only suggests it, below the line it needs a visit. Any item below the line means visit first. Earthing is never proved on video.
A video call can screen a roof but cannot certify it
A WhatsApp video call shows the size and shape of the roof, what stands on it, the state of its surface and the front of the electrical panel. It cannot show how strong the slab is, how good the earth pit is, or what the DISCOM (state power distribution company) will say about the local transformer. So the question for each survey item is not "can I see it?" It is "what would I need to see to be sure?"
We call the answer the Proof-Line Gate. Every item gets one of three grades.
-
Above
The camera, a tape in frame or a clear bill photo proves it
Example: the sanctioned load printed on the bill, or the free length of a terrace with a tape stretched along it. Price it with confidence.
-
On
Video shows signs but cannot prove it
Example: a dry ceiling suggests a sound slab, but only suggests it. Price it as an allowance or a stated condition.
-
Below
It needs an instrument, a hand on the material, or a DISCOM answer
Example: earth resistance, a corroded sheet, spare transformer capacity. No price until checked.
The quote follows the worst item, not the average. One item below the line means a visit first, however good the other twelve look. Several items on the line mean a provisional quote with each open item named. Only when nothing is below the line, and every item that could change the price or kill the job is above it, can the quote be firm.
The call cannot be the whole survey. MNRE's model agreement between consumer and vendor under PM Surya Ghar puts "site visit, survey and development of detailed project report" in the vendor's scope, including "feasibility study of roof, strength of roof and shadow free area" (MNRE PM Surya Ghar guidelines, Annexure 2, July 2025 version). It is a sample, and the actual agreement may vary. The DISCOM also inspects the system physically before the subsidy is processed. So on a subsidy job the call is a screening tool, and physical verification still happens, first by you and then by the DISCOM.
Watch out. Do not write "site survey done" in a customer agreement because of a video call. Write "video survey on [date]" and list what is still to be checked in person.
Firm, provisional or visit first: three outcomes, three messages
A firm quote fixes the price of the standard plant and lists a short set of pre-priced extras. A provisional quote gives a range and names what will make it fixed. "Visit first" means no price yet, only a message saying why. By job-killer items we mean the four things that can make a job smaller, dearer or impossible: roof condition, shading, sanctioned load against system size, and DISCOM feasibility.
| Outcome | What you tell the customer | What the Proof-Line shows | What the quote contains |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firm | "This price holds. Only the listed extras can change it, at the listed rates." | Nothing below the line. Every job-killer item above it, or backed by a document. | Fixed plant price, install-day checks, a rate card for variations. |
| Provisional | "This is a range. It becomes fixed after these named checks." | Nothing below the line, but a job-killer item on it. | A price range, each open item, who closes it and when, and what changes if a check comes back worse. |
| Visit first | "I cannot give a price I would stand behind without seeing this." | One or more items below the line. | No price, or a band marked "not a quotation", plus the visit slot. |
Why is a firm quote safe when a camera cannot prove strength or earthing? Because the paperwork allows for being wrong. In MNRE's sample agreement, if the building's condition needs extra work, the vendor prepares an estimate and may raise a separate invoice, including GST, on top of the standard plant cost. The consumer's side agrees to pay for it (Annexure 2). The amounts are left open. Close them before the order, as a rate card, so an install-day surprise is a priced variation and not an argument.
Wording you can adapt for a provisional quote:
Provisional quote. Based on a WhatsApp video survey on [date]. Price range ₹[x] to ₹[y] for [n] kW. It becomes a fixed price after: (1) a full photo of your latest electricity bill, (2) a shade check on the roof on [date], (3) earth resistance reading on install day. Extra work found on site, such as an additional earth pit or a longer cable run, is charged at the rates on page 2, only after you approve it in writing.
Your rate card lines are the "scope" lines that a cheaper rival quote may leave out. Our guide on why solar prices vary sorts quote lines into four buckets (the Four-Bucket Line Test). For the rest of the quote, see what to include in a solar quote.
Go/no-go table, part 1: roof types
Start with the roof, because it decides whether anything else matters. Read each row left to right and stop at the column that matches what you see.
| Roof type | Above the line: firm is possible | On the line: provisional only | Below the line: visit first |
|---|---|---|---|
| RCC flat roof (terrace) | Whole terrace walked slowly. No wide cracks, damp or ponding. Ceiling below dry. Roof age known, no extra floor planned. | Roof age unknown or old. Waterproofing unclear. A stained patch on the ceiling that is dry today. | Wide cracks, exposed steel, flaking concrete, ponding, seepage on the top-floor ceiling, or a floor to be added. |
| Metal sheet shed (GI or colour-coated) | Underside visible. Purlins and trusses seen, spacing measured with a tape in frame. No rust holes. | Purlins visible but size or spacing unclear. Sheet age unknown. | Rust holes, sagging, loose sheets, no view of the underside, or very wide spans. |
| Tile roof (clay or Mangalore) | Rarely. | Tiles intact. Rafters seen from the attic and sound. | Broken tiles, damp or rotten rafters, no attic access. |
| Asbestos cement sheet | Never. | Never. | Always. How the sheet takes a fixing is judged by hand. This is our rule, not a regulation. |
| Old or mixed building | Never. | One owner, one level, plans or age shown. | Shared terrace, several levels, rooms added over the years, unclear roof ownership. |
| Commercial or industrial roof | Never. | A new shed with the builder's drawings shown on screen. | Everything else. |
Ask the customer to film the ceiling below the roof, because roof problems often show there first. Also note that an "above the line" RCC roof still carries an install-day condition. The MNRE draft Quality Control Manual (office memorandum dated 25 Feb 2023, circulated for stakeholder comments, so a draft) says the mounting structure and foundation block "has to be verified by structural engineer", and advises concrete ballast and adhesive instead of drilling RCC roofs. A camera can rule out obvious defects. It cannot do that verification.
On a metal roof, MNRE's scheme guidelines say a tin shed structure is connected to the purlin with proper riveting, with members at least 2 mm thick (Annexure 3, clause 3.12). So the purlins matter more than the sheets.
Go/no-go table, part 2: shading, structure, electrical panel and DISCOM
Two rows here, earthing and structure, can never reach the first column from video alone.
| Item | Above the line: firm is possible | On the line: provisional only | Below the line: visit first |
|---|---|---|---|
| Usable area | Free terrace measured with a tape in frame. Stair-head, tanks, AC units located. | Area from steps or "about 20 by 15 feet". | Several levels, irregular outline, or the array only just fits. |
| Shading | Nothing taller on the east, south or west. No trees. Tank and parapet heights measured. | Obstructions measured, a 21 December check done. Still provisional until a shade check at the roof. | Taller building, tree or tower to the east, south or west. A tank or stair-head south of the free area. |
| Structure | Never from video alone. The roof table must show "above", with an install-day check in the quote. | Roof graded "on the line", with the check written into the quote. | Any "below" in the roof table, or a raised structure on a wind-exposed site. |
| Electrical panel (DB) | Door opened by hand, nothing touched. Breakers labelled, a spare way, tidy wiring, earth wire visible. | DB full or old, wiring hidden. Sub-DB priced as an allowance. | Burn marks, loose wires, rewirable fuses, damp, a burning smell. Stop the call. |
| Sanctioned load and meter | Full bill photo shows load, phase and category. Load fits your DISCOM's rule. Meter visible, short run to the DB. | Load too low (enhancement may be needed). Meter in a locked room or far from the DB. | Shared meter, connection in another name, or meter on a pole. |
| Earthing | Never. Resistance needs an earth tester. | Always, as an allowance. An earth wire or pit cover is visible. | Earth wire missing or loose, or the pit buried or broken. |
| Overhead lines | Filmed from the street: nothing near the roof edge. | A line passes near, gap cannot be judged by eye. | Any line over, beside or close to the roof edge. |
| DISCOM feasibility | Up to 10 kW, and your DISCOM has put the feasibility exemption into practice. | Above 10 kW, or unsure how your DISCOM treats the exemption. | Known transformer or feeder overload, or a load enhancement pending. |
| Access | Staircase filmed ground to terrace, door width shown with a tape. | No tape, or an outside route needing a second look. | No staircase to the terrace, or a hoist or crane needed. |
Overhead lines. The CEA (Central Electricity Authority) Safety Regulations, 2023 (Measures relating to Safety and Electric Supply, Gazette of 12 June 2023, which replaced the 2010 regulations) fix minimum distances between an overhead line and a building, and they count any structure on it, permanent or temporary, as part of the building. For lines up to 650 V and service lines, Regulation 62 asks for 2.5 m vertically above the highest point of a roof, balcony or verandah when the line passes over it, and 1.2 m horizontally when it passes beside it. For lines above 650 V up to 33 kV, Regulation 63 asks for 3.7 m vertically, and 1.2 m horizontally up to 11 kV or 2.0 m horizontally above 11 kV. Higher voltages need more. Vertical distances are taken at maximum sag and horizontal ones at maximum swing in wind. CEA serves the Hindi Gazette text online, so we read the figures from it; confirm the distance for your own line with the DISCOM. These are legal minimums, not a safe working distance for a person, and nobody should measure near a live line.
Usable area. Terrace area is not array area. MNRE's draft manual says never to mount modules at roof edges and corners, and to keep a minimum 0.5 m gap between rows for maintenance. A tape gives you the terrace. The layout takes some back.
DISCOM feasibility. The Ministry of Power's February 2024 amendment to the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules exempted rooftop systems up to 10 kW from the technical feasibility study. For larger systems the study period fell from twenty days to fifteen, with approval deemed if it is not completed in time (PIB release, 23 Feb 2024). MNRE's guidelines add that until a DISCOM puts this into practice, the consumer uploads documents where state rules require (clause 6(h)). A camera cannot answer this, but it can collect what the DISCOM will ask for. One example is the MSEDCL procedure listed on its rooftop net metering page under the MERC 2015 net metering regulations (that page also lists MERC's 2019 rooftop regulations, so confirm what applies today). It says the feasibility study looks at voltage level, the applicant's sanctioned load, the system's rated output voltage and the distribution transformer's capacity (Annexure-1). The bill answers the first three. State rules differ and change, so check yours: see DISCOM approval, DGVCL net metering and the glossary entries for DISCOM and net metering.
32people
Maximum on a WhatsApp video call
WhatsApp blog, 13 Jun 2024
10kW
Rooftop systems exempt from the technical feasibility study
Ministry of Power rules, PIB, 23 Feb 2024
5ohms
Earth resistance "shall never be higher than"
MNRE PM Surya Ghar guidelines, Annexure 3, cl. 8.1.4
1.5factor
Minimum safety factor for the structure against the site wind zone
MNRE PM Surya Ghar guidelines, Annexure 3, cl. 3.6
Before the call: WhatsApp set-up, safety and stop rules
A good video survey needs a daylight slot, a second person to hold the tape, and ideally your engineer on the line.
- Group video call. WhatsApp says up to 32 people can be on a video call across devices (WhatsApp blog, 13 June 2024). Your rep can start the call with the customer and add the senior engineer.
- Screen sharing. WhatsApp's features page says you must be in a video call to share your screen (WhatsApp features page, checked 31 Oct 2026). Ask the customer to try it for ten seconds. If it works, they can show a bill PDF. If not, fall back to a photo.
WhatsApp says calls are end-to-end encrypted, but that covers the call, not what you save afterwards. Picture quality still depends on the customer's signal, so keep a fallback of short clips sent after the call. Say which screenshots you will keep, ask the customer not to show Aadhaar or bank details, and delete what you do not need (see the DPDP Act entry). The day before, send this on WhatsApp, with the shot list below it:
Namaste [name] ji. Kal [time] baje WhatsApp video call par aapke ghar ki jaankari lenge. Lagbhag aadha ghanta lagega. Taiyaar rakhiye: (1) latest bijli bill, poora page, (2) measuring tape aur ek saathi, (3) dhoop ka samay, subah 9 se dopahar 3 ke beech. Chhat ke kinare ke paas na jaayein. DB panel ke andar haath na daalein.
The 9 to 3 window is our suggestion, close to the 8 am to 3 pm shadow window in MNRE's draft manual. To make the slot stick, use the Slot-Lock Ladder.
Stop-the-call rules. End the roof part and arrange a visit by a qualified person if any of these appear:
- The customer climbs a parapet, leans over an edge, or walks on a wet or sloped roof.
- Anyone reaches into the panel, removes a cover or touches a wire.
- The panel is hot, buzzing, scorched or smells of burning.
- An overhead line is close to the roof edge, the roof flexes underfoot, or a child is near an unguarded edge.
Fast tip. Say at the start: "If anything looks unsafe, I will stop the call. That is my job, not a rejection." It stops people performing for the camera.
The shot list the customer follows
The order runs from the street to the meter to the roof. Plan about thirty minutes the first time.
| # | Customer films | Hold for | What you read from it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electricity bill, full page, both sides | 5 sec each | Consumer number, sanctioned load, phase, category. |
| 2 | Meter, close then wide | 10 sec | Meter type, position, distance to the DB (count steps). |
| 3 | Main DB, door opened by hand, and its earth wire | 10 sec | Breakers, spare ways, wiring, earth wire. Hands stay outside. |
| 4 | Service wire and overhead lines, from the street | 15 sec | Any line near the roof edge. If yes, a visit. |
| 5 | Building front and sides, from the street | 15 sec | Floors, taller neighbours, trees. |
| 6 | Staircase to the terrace door, tape across the width | 20 sec | Access and material lift route. |
| 7 | Top-floor ceiling, every room | 20 sec | Cracks, damp, seepage. |
| 8 | From the stair-head, one slow 360-degree turn, compass app in frame at the start | 30 sec | Layout, obstructions, south. The MNRE draft manual allows a mobile compass app. |
| 9 | Roof surface close up, and each edge from well inside | 20 sec | Cracks, waterproofing, ponding, parapet. |
| 10 | Tanks, stair-head, AC units, with the tape against the tallest part | 20 sec | Heights for the shading check. |
| 11 | Free area: tape along the length, then the width, one person at each end | 30 sec | Usable area. |
| 12 | East, south and west horizons from where the array would sit | 20 sec | Trees, buildings or towers that will shade. |
| 13 | Cable route: roof door to inverter spot to DB, walked slowly | 30 sec | Route length and wall type. |
| 14 | Only if needed: underside of a metal roof, or the attic of a tile roof | 30 sec | Purlin or rafter spacing, rust. |
When the call ends, write the grade for each item before you do anything else. A sample entry: "Video survey 31 Oct. Roof RCC above. Shading on (tank south, heights measured). DB above. Earth on. DISCOM on (above 10 kW). Outcome: provisional." Log it as an activity on the lead. For reps in distant towns, the Trail Check in our field team guide counts that note as one of the trails you review.
Shading is the item video fools you on
The shadow you see on the call is shorter than the shadow that matters. A video shot at noon in summer shows almost no shadow. The shadow that decides your generation falls in winter mornings and evenings, when the sun is low.
MNRE's draft manual says to take the sun's position between 8:00 am and 3:00 pm on 21 December for the longest shadow (draft Quality Control Manual, clause 7.1). Shadow length is the object's height divided by the tangent of the sun's height above the horizon. The table shows that sum for a 1 m object at 21.2 degrees north (about Surat). Illustrative: standard solar geometry, in local solar time, which differs from clock time.
| Date and time (solar time) | Sun height | Shadow of a 1 m tank edge or parapet |
|---|---|---|
| 21 June, 12:00 | 87.8 degrees | 0.04 m |
| 21 June, 8:00 am | 34.9 degrees | 1.4 m |
| 21 December, 12:00 | 45.4 degrees | 1.0 m |
| 21 December, 3:00 pm | 27.5 degrees | 1.9 m |
| 21 December, 8:00 am | 16.5 degrees | 3.4 m |
A 1 m tank looks harmless on a June video, then throws a shadow over 3 m long on a December morning. A 2 m tank throws nearly 7 m.
For PM Surya Ghar jobs, MNRE's guidelines require a shadow analysis report for each site, made with an instrument such as a Solar Pathfinder or with professional shadow analysis software, and say lower performance caused by shadow can attract a penalty (Annexure 3, clause 11.3). The draft manual warns that software results depend on the input data, so confirm the real height, breadth and distance of each object. The remote routine has three steps. The customer measures each tall object and its distance from the free area, with a tape on camera. You run those numbers for 21 December in your shadow tool, or by the sum above. The result stays provisional until someone checks at the roof, using measurements they took themselves.
If you can, ask for two clips of the free area, near 9 am and near 3 pm, to see real shadows. The shading factor entry explains how the loss is expressed.
Where remote surveys go wrong
Customers show the good side. Nobody films the damp corner on purpose, so shots 7 and 9 ask for the ceiling and every edge. The camera flatters the space. A wide lens makes a terrace look bigger, so insist on the tape. The quote leaves on the call. If a rep names a price while the customer is on camera, no engineer has graded the items. Say "I will send a written quote after my engineer reviews this." "I saw no problem" becomes "there is no problem". If the camera could not prove it, the item is on the line, whatever it looked like.
Our view: the main value of a video survey is to say no early, and kindly. Dropping red leads before anyone drives is worth more than most quotes you will win. Even on a building your crew knows, keep the install-day checks.
When the grades send a lead to a visit, the solar site survey checklist lists what to capture. A satellite view gives the roof outline to compare with the customer's tape (see satellite roof measurement for solar), but not parapet heights or ceiling damp.
A worked example: three leads, three outcomes, and what it saves
Illustrative. Assume a Surat EPC with ten leads from towns about 90 km away, and a visit that costs ₹2,500 in fuel, vehicle wear and half a day of a surveyor. Use your own numbers.
| Lead | Findings on video (illustrative) | Proof-Line result | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| A: 3 kW home, new RCC building | Terrace walked, ceiling dry, tape on length and width, no tall objects, tidy DB with a spare way, bill shows enough load, earth wire visible. | All above, except earthing on the line. | Firm, with an earth allowance and install-day checks. |
| B: 6 kW home, older RCC building | Tank on the south, two-floor neighbour to the west, heights measured. DB full. Roof age unknown. | Shading on, DB on, roof on. | Provisional: shade check at the roof, sub-DB allowance, structure check. |
| C: 40 kW workshop, GI sheet roof | Rust at sheet joints. No view of the underside. Spans unclear. | Roof below the line. | Visit first. No price yet. |
Now the money. Without video, ten visits cost ₹25,000. With video first, assume this split (our assumption, not a benchmark): three leads visit first, four provisional, three firm. Two visit-first customers still proceed, and two provisional customers accept the range and book a visit. That is four visits before any order: ₹10,000.
₹ math. ₹25,000 minus ₹10,000 saves ₹15,000 per ten leads. One firm quote that meets ₹20,000 of unplanned work on install day, with no variation clause, erases eight visits of saving (₹20,000 divided by ₹2,500). Never send a firm quote without the rate card.
A starting rate card follows. Every amount is an illustrative placeholder. Use your own costs.
| Variation | Rate (illustrative) | Applies when |
|---|---|---|
| Extra earth pit | ₹3,000 each | Resistance is above the 5 ohm limit, or more pits are needed. |
| Extra AC cable | ₹450 per metre beyond the included run | The inverter-to-DB route is longer than quoted. |
| New sub-DB with MCB | ₹6,000 | No spare way in the existing DB. |
| Material hoist | ₹8,000 | No staircase route for panels and structure. |
| Structure change | Quoted after the engineer's check | The check asks for more ballast or a different fixing. |
What to re-verify on install day
Every "on the line" item from the call is an install-day task, and so is every "above the line" item the quote depends on. Do these before the crew fixes anything.
| Item | Re-check on install day | If it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Roof condition | Walk the roof for cracks and damp. Have the structure and foundation block verified by a structural engineer (MNRE draft manual). | Stop. Revise structure or ballast. If the roof is unfit, follow the condition in your quote. |
| Usable area and layout | Re-measure. Keep off edges and corners and leave a 0.5 m walkway between rows (MNRE draft manual). | Reduce kW or change the layout. |
| Shading | Shade check at the array position, with an instrument or software, using heights you measured yourself (MNRE guidelines, cl. 11.3). | Move rows, change strings, or reduce kW. |
| Earthing | Measure with an earth tester: never higher than 5 ohms (cl. 8.1.4). For 10 kW and above the guidelines require three separate pits for DC, AC and lightning arrestor (cl. 8.1.5). The draft manual says three pits for every grid-connected rooftop system, so confirm with your DISCOM. | Add pits at the rate card. |
| Electrical panel | Your electrician opens it: space, ratings, condition. | Sub-DB at the rate card. |
| Meter and cable route | Measure the run. Confirm the meter position. | Cable at the per-metre rate. |
| Overhead lines | Look from the roof with your electrician. Stop if a line is close. | Redesign, or ask the DISCOM. |
| Structure against wind | Check the design for the site wind zone, safety factor at least 1.5 (cl. 3.6). On RCC, ballast without penetrating the roof. | Redesign and quote the change. |
Under PM Surya Ghar the consumer uploads system details and geo-tagged photographs to the national portal after installation, and the DISCOM then inspects physically and completes a checklist before the subsidy is processed (clauses 6(j) and 6(k)). Plan the photographs for handover day. For the wider steps, see the solar installation process.
On earthing, the CEA 2023 regulations (Regulation 43, for systems above 50 V and up to 650 V) require the earthing system to be tested before the lines or apparatus are energised, and they set no single ohm limit in the text we read. The 5 ohm limit comes from the MNRE guidelines (cl. 8.1.4), whose Annexure 3 still refers to the 2010 CEA regulations. Use the MNRE figure for the quote and keep the test record.
The rule for the day: an install-day failure is a variation, not an argument. With the rate card on the quote, the conversation is "this needs ₹3,000 more, here is the line". Without it, it is a dispute.
How QuickEstimate fits
Quickest Solar CRM runs on Android, iOS and the web, so a rep can start the estimate on the phone while the customer is still on the call. The video and screenshots stay in your WhatsApp chat or phone gallery, so keep one folder per lead. The app adds the quote and the follow-up.
- Quotation System: make the estimate on the mobile app, then put the provisional or firm conditions in your terms.
- Proposal Generator: a proposal template with your logo, items, product photos and terms and conditions, with the PM Surya Ghar subsidy applied and the PDF shared on WhatsApp.
- Pipeline Management: set your own lead stages, such as "Video survey done", "Provisional sent" and "Visit first", add labels, and set follow-up reminders for each open item.
Log the Proof-Line grades as an activity on the lead right after the call. The free plan gives 1 user and 10 proposals a month with no card, enough to try this on your next distant lead. Download the app or see the plans.
What to do this week
- Build your sheet. Copy the two go/no-go tables, strike the rows that do not apply in your area, and add your own rate card.
- Run it on three distant leads. Put the engineer on the call. After each visit or install, note what the camera got wrong.
- Fix your terms. Add the provisional wording and the rate card to your quotation template.
- Review after ten jobs. Move any item that surprised you down one column.
Frequently asked questions
Can I do a solar site survey over a WhatsApp video call?
Yes, as a screening step. The call can show the roof surface, obstructions, the panel front and the bill. It cannot prove roof strength, earth resistance or DISCOM feasibility. Grade each item with the Proof-Line Gate, then send a firm quote, a provisional quote or a visit request.
Is a remote survey enough for a PM Surya Ghar installation?
No. MNRE's model agreement lists a site visit, survey and feasibility study of the roof, its strength and the shadow-free area in the vendor's scope, and the DISCOM inspects physically before the subsidy is processed. Treat the call as screening. See common PM Surya Ghar application mistakes.
When must I visit in person instead?
When any item is below the line: wide roof cracks or seepage, a corroded or asbestos cement sheet roof, a shared or multi-level terrace, a tall object on the south side, a damaged panel, an overhead line near the roof edge, or a shared meter.
How many people can join a WhatsApp video call?
WhatsApp says up to 32 people can be on a video call across devices (its blog, 13 June 2024), and its features page, checked 31 Oct 2026, repeats the 32-person limit for groups. Start with the customer and add your engineer. Check the limit in the app before planning a larger call.
Can I give a firm quote after a video survey?
Yes, if nothing is below the line and every job-killer item is above it or backed by a document. It still needs install-day checks and a variation rate card.
How do I check shading on a video call?
Have the customer measure each tall object and its distance from the free area with a tape on camera. Work out the shadow for 21 December, from about 8 am to 3 pm, as MNRE's draft manual does. Keep the quote provisional until someone checks at the roof with an instrument or software.
Can satellite images replace the video call?
No, they complement it. A satellite view gives the outline before the call. It cannot show parapet heights, ceiling damp, the panel board or the meter. See satellite roof measurement for solar.
Want to put this into practice?
Quickest Solar CRM gives you everything in this article, proposal automation, lead capture, WhatsApp follow-up, built for Indian solar EPCs.
Start free