Skip the 12-Month Build: How SameDay Scaled on Coperniq and Kept Its Edge

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.

Volume Growth vs. Engineering Capacity

As project volume climbed, two truths emerged:

1. The custom platform wasn’t complete; critical workflows still needed manual workarounds.
2. 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.

This shifted the conversation. What started as a stopgap became a strategic platform decision.

Immediate operational capability

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

State-aware operations

• Configurable routing by state and appointment type
• State-specific process variations without fragmentation
• Quality control checkpoints aligned to local requirements

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

The decision

Rather than treating Coperniq as a temporary compromise, Will and Trey chose it as the operational backbone—freeing internal engineering to focus on true differentiation instead of rebuilding plumbing. The result: shipping customer value today while building the moat where it matters.

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.

Core workflow automations

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

Measured Impact: Time, Focus, and Optionality

Operational improvements

Faster time-to-value, Critical workflows operational now, not 6 to 12 months from now. Project volume supported without spreadsheet chaos. Team onboarding simplified with standardised processes.

Engineering focus preserved, Development capacity redirected to true differentiation: customer experience, proprietary analytics, and market-facing innovation. No ongoing maintenance burden for operational plumbing. Internal engineering becomes a value creator, not a cost centre.

Reduced operational friction. Auto-generated tasks and checklists eliminate communication gaps. Consistent processes across field teams reduce rework. State-specific variations handled systematically, not ad hoc.

Real-time visibility and live analytics replace weekly spreadsheet reviews. Leadership sees bottlenecks in real time. Faster intervention on underperforming funnels or reps.

Long-term optionality

SameDay maintains full ability to:

• Build proprietary customer-facing portals on Coperniq's data
• Layer custom analytics and ML models using Coperniq's API
• Extend workflows with SameDay-specific modules
• Differentiate where it matters without rebuilding core operations

Trey Lackey
“It took years to streamline after we implemented Salesforce. We integrated FinancialForce, Rootstock, and more. Even with significant investment, we were often fighting the platform instead of using it. Coperniq’s solar‑native design meant fewer integrations, less customisation, and faster maturity.”

Current State and Build Roadmap

SameDay Solar is now positioned to:

1. Scale rapidly on reliable operational workflows
2. Iterate continuously using Coperniq's workflow processor without engineering dependencies
3. Build selectively on Coperniq's extensible foundation, creating proprietary value where it generates real competitive advantage.
4. Maintain focus on what makes SameDay different: speed, customer experience, and field execution excellence.

The company that almost spent 12 to 18 months building infrastructure is instead shipping customer value today and building its moat where it actually matters.