Why This Matters
Creating customers and proposals quickly is essential for keeping your sales pipeline moving. With SubcontractorHub's streamlined workflow, you can add a new customer and generate a proposal in just a few clicks — using your saved preferences to auto-fill key details like installers, finance partners, and equipment.
What You'll Need
Access to SubcontractorHub platform with proposal creation permissions.
"Enable Solar/Roofing New Proposal Flow" turned on in your Proposal Settings.
At least one saved Preference Stack (optional but recommended for faster proposals).
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1
Select "Customers" in the main menu. Then click the "+ New Customer" button.
Step 2
Provide the required details: first name, last name, phone, email, and address. Click "Next".
☀️ For Solar Customers: Utility Rate & Consumption Data
When creating a customer for a solar proposal, you'll see an additional section to enter Utility Rate and Consumption information. This data is essential for accurately calculating the customer's potential savings.
What to enter:
Utility Rate: The customer's current electricity rate ($/kWh) from their utility bill — typically found in the rate schedule or billing summary section.
Monthly Consumption: The customer's average monthly energy usage in kilowatt-hours (kWh) — look at the past 12 months of bills to get an accurate average.
Annual Usage: Total yearly consumption (kWh/year) — this helps size the solar system correctly.
When to use this: Only required for solar proposals. The system uses this data to calculate payback periods, return on investment, and generate accurate savings projections in your proposal.
Pro tip: Have the customer's most recent utility bill ready before starting. This makes data entry faster and more accurate.
Step 3
Select the preferred job type from the list. Click "Continue".
Step 4
Click the dropdown to select which preference stack you want to use for creating the proposal. This auto-fills your saved choices for installer, finance partner, and more. Click "Next".
Step 5
Since you already selected your preferred installer while creating a stack, the installer will be selected by default. You can also toggle on "Test Data" to create a proposal with test data instead of original data. Click "Next".
Step 6
The finance partner will also be pre-selected according to your stack preferences. Click "Next".
Step 7
Select your preferred equipment from the list. Click "Next".
Step 8
Choose the property type, mounting type, and provide other required details. Click "Finish" to create the proposal.
Note: When you create a proposal using the new flow, the commission percentages for adders, panels, and batteries are added automatically. If the proposal uses Loan financing, you can also adjust these commission percentages within the proposal.
To edit the commission, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Click "Customers" from the main menu and select the preferred proposal from the list.
Step 2: Go to the "Financing" tab and click "Adjust Pricing".
Step 3: Edit the commissions and click "Done" to save the changes.
Pro Tips
💡 Pro tip: Set up your Preference Stacks before creating proposals. This pre-fills your installer, finance partner, and design tool — saving time on every proposal.
📱 Works on mobile: Access this feature from your phone or tablet when you're in the field.
⚡ Test before going live: Use the "Test Data" toggle in Step 5 to create practice proposals without affecting real customer records.
Troubleshooting
Problem | Solution |
I don't see the "+ New Customer" button | Make sure you have the correct role permissions. Contact your Admin if needed. |
No preference stacks appear in Step 4 | You need to create at least one stack first. See How to Create a New Proposal Using Preference? for stack setup instructions. |
Changes aren't saving | Try refreshing your browser and make sure you clicked Finish before navigating away. |
Something looks different from the screenshots | SubcontractorHub updates regularly. The feature works the same way — the layout may just look slightly different. |
Last updated: 2026-09-30 · Source: How to Create a New Proposal Using Preference?