Employee Spotlight Series: Jack Younan, Onboarding Manager

Our Sales and Support team is an essential piece to the overall direction of Energy Toolbase, supporting our users and guiding them to efficiently model and deploy their solar and energy storage projects. The team prides itself on exceptional customer service and creating relationships with our users as they understand the platform and how to use it.

Jack Younan is an Onboarding Manager here at Energy Toolbase and works out of our sales office in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Jack has been with the company for two and a half years and shares his insights into his experience working within the Sales team, tips for developers modeling projects, his favorite features in ETB Developer, and much more.

Q: What is your role at Energy Toolbase, specifically within the Sales team?

A: My Role is Onboarding Manager. This role is to guide a new user’s journey through Energy Toolbase’s end-to-end platform. I provide training and an introduction to our other sales team members who will help along the way. My main goal is to help users become comfortable with using the platform and modeling projects on their own, in turn, to get them to close deals faster.  

Q: Tell us about your job responsibilities as an Onboarding Manager. 

A: The Onboarding Team is critical when it comes to users having success within theETB Developer platform. When a new user signs up, the team creates a customized plan that is unique to each user and their goals to streamline their processes and bring them the most value. The Energy Toolbase software suite is designed to help you model, control, and monitor your projects all in one place, and the Onboarding team assists with demoing and guidance on each product and how they work together to maximize revenue. The Onboarding team also connects the users with the right people within the organization who can assist them with their projects, including the Utility Rates Team and our Regional Sales Team.  

Q: What is one thing about the Energy Toolbase Onboarding team, and the Sales team in general, that sets you apart from other organizations? 

A: There is no denying there are a lot of great software companies out there, but our customer service sets our Onboarding and Sales Team apart. You will never find another team that invests so much of themselves in their clients and works tirelessly to ensure a higher chance of success on these projects.  

Q: What is one thing you would recommend for new developers who are modeling projects? 

A: I would recommend scheduling time with your onboarding manager or whoever is your main point of contact at Energy Toolbase. We have a lot of great articles and videos for training for our products within ourHelp Center as well. There is no question, though, that you will get the most value with a personal meeting where we can customize a tailored fit approach for your account to provide the most for your modeling needs. 

Q: If you could give renewable developers or ETB users three best practices when modeling their solar and energy storage projects, what would they be? 

A: First, before the modeling process begins, it is best to understand the project's primary goal, what the client wants, and what is practical. We can easily max everything out, but does that provide what is best for the client? Second, gather as much data as possible. ETB Developer runs a more accurate proposal with complete, relevant data for a client. Third, run different scenarios. Every project is unique, and there is never a one-size-fits-all approach for these projects. In ETB Developer, you can easily model multiple designs for different PV and ESS system sizes and project dynamics.    

Q: What is your favorite feature in ETB Developer? 

A: My favorite feature is the Rate Switch. Sometimes, I think this is a forgotten piece of a project. Many people are on an incorrect rate schedule or are on the cusp of being able to move to a more cost-effective schedule. In ETB Developer, you can easily compare two rate schedules and identify if one will provide even more significant savings for a project. We have a lot of great information in our Global database to see the applicability of these rate schedules, and our Rates Team is always happy to discuss these rate schedules in more depth.     

Q: How have you seen energy storage expand in the last few years? 

A: Energy storage is undoubtedly gaining more traction across the United States and worldwide. As energy costs continue to rise and more utilities adopt additional charges such as demand, energy storage systems (ESS) can provide more savings to clients and help projects pencil. I’ve also seen more technologies being developed for energy storage. This is exciting to see the growth and long-term sustainability of ESS.    

Q: What is something about the solar and/or energy storage industry that excites you? 

A: The exponential growth! This industry continues to grow and provides so much to businesses and individuals worldwide. It is exciting to see the effect when these projects are implemented. There is a lot of innovation in this industry. It can be hard to keep up with at times, but there is always something to learn.