Salesforce CPQ Integration | Step-By-Step Salesforce CPQ Implementation Guide

Did you know one of the major obstructions in delivering on-time quotes comes to the surface is the delay in quote creation by the sales reps? 

It’s because they need to go through a heap of spreadsheets to provide customers with the options, configurations, or prices, which takes much. 

Here arrives a need for software that can help in on-time quote delivery, and Salesforce CPQ fits this requirement perfectly. 

CPQ assists reps in creating an accurate and complete quote, utilizing a customized template, and everything within the expected time, not more than that. Also, to diminish the wait time even more, CPQ is routed automatically to the right parties for approval. 

This post will guide businesses on how to implement CPQ efficiently to let them reap the benefits of CPQ. 

Salesforce CPQ Solution Stats – Facts & Figures You Need to Know

• The CPQ software market is witnessing a boom, with the expansion from $1.65bn in 2022 to $3.8bn by the end of 2026. 
• In fact, companies using CPQ software are experiencing a 17% hike in their lead conversion rate. 
• Non-CPQ users take about 73% and even more time to produce a specific proposal or quote. 
• Using a CPQ solution, about 26% and more sales reps get their quota. 

Overview Of Salesforce CRM & How It Can Benefit From CPQ Integration & Implementation

Let’s just brush up on your perspective about Salesforce and how it can benefit CPQ integration. 

Salesforce customer relationship management (CRM) is a technology expanding worldwide, helping businesses, educational institutions, and nonprofits manage their relationship with prospective and current customers, students, and constituents. It provides organizations with the tools to keep track of their customers’ interactions, make their operations go flawless, and merge their data into a single source. 

Per the recent report by Salesforce, when their team deployed CPQ and used it accurately, it experienced the following:

• Ten times quicker quote generation,
• Two times faster movement from quote to cash,
• Around 95% diminished approval time, and 
• 30% rapid ramp for new reps. 

When used in conjunction with ERP and CRM systems, Salesforce CPQ (configure, price, quote) software holds the caliber and functionalities that lead to the expected return on investment (ROI). That’s why more and more companies are adopting CPQ to reap its benefits. 

Potential Benefits of Salesforce CPQ Integration & Implementation

1. Shortens Sales Cycle

With a well-crafted CPQ process, organizations can auto-book and auto-validate a segment of incoming quotes to orders, diminishing complete time sales cycle time. 

2. Assists in Lowering Accidental Quoting Errors.

Quotes’ manual configuration usually leads to problems that may react in revenue loss. Well, it may be challenging to develop optimal quotes when products are complex, and orders are large. 

Here, CPQ implementation ensures error-free sales quotes and proposals per the customer’s needs. 

3. Support Various Products with Complicated Pricing

With flexible consumption models, customers pay only for the features or products they use. So, your business should develop and provide products and services in a standard fashion. Here, a CPQ solution appears as a big savior, which makes it flexible to set up discounts and margins at varied levels. 

Also Read: The Ultimate Guide to a Successful Salesforce Implementation

Key Considerations for Salesforce CPQ Implementation

• Reengineer & Reevaluate Business Process
• Integrate & Align with Upstream and Downstream Processes
• Align & Access Architecture with Your Business Process
• Reskill & Train Your Workforce

Prerequisites For CPQ Integration With Salesforce

Salesforce CPQ Permission Sets

Salesforce CPQ Permissions Guidelines

• CPQ License – To modify CPQ fields and objects
• Edit Permission – To map one field with another. 
• Create & Assign Separate Permission Set – With Read and Write, quote line group, access to quote, quote template, quote line item, and quote document objects.
• QuoteLine Delete Permission – To delete quote lines in the quote line editor. 
  
  Source: Salesforce

Steps On How To Integrate Salesforce CPQ | Configuration And Setup

STEP 1 – Define Your Business Objectives

The first and essential step of Salesforce CPQ implementation is goals definition. 

You need to understand your sales process requirements and set measurable targets for your CPQ that you can evaluate in the later stages while measuring your associated ROI. 

You Can Consider the Below Kp Is Before You Start:

• Diminishing total time spent on selling
• Enhancing quote turnaround time
• Improving quote accuracy
• Increasing Average Order Value (AOV)
• Increasing renewal and win rate diminishing churn. 

STEP 2 – Target Necessary CPQ Features

Undoubtedly, CPQ offers a plethora of features that may prove to be beneficial for enhancing a company’s ROI. Considering CPQ implementation, it would not be that easy for a team to handle. To ease this, it’s mostly recommended to pick the features that are necessary to focus your company’s sales goals. 

For instance, before you implement Salesforce CPQ, target exceptional features that may meet your business needs, like standard functionalities such as price book, product catalog, order management, product bundles, etc.

STEP 3 – Pick The Expert Project Management Team

Be sure you choose the right team to take your project to your expected outcomes. Hire a certified CPQ implementation partner who may help you decide which project methodology to follow. 

a) Business Side Team

• Project Manager
• Product or Pricing Expert
• Finance Rep
• Sales Managers

b) Implementation Side Team

• IT Project Manager
• CPQ Architect
• CPQ Developer or Configurer
• QA Tester

STEP 4 – Optimize the Quote-to-Cash Process of Your Organization

Per your business requirements, you should define, optimize, and document your quote generation and the approval process.

Moreover, target designing the complete CPQ workflow before you start CPQ platform implementation. 

STEP 5 – Target Data Management

Obviously, your chief target behind Salesforce CPQ implementation is to diminish quote creation time, offering the sales team the right data set. Undeniably, currently, your data is scattered across various spreadsheets, systems, and more. 

So, what you need to do is make your data set for the exchange between your organization’s CRM, ERP, and CPQ.

Ensure moving all your product codes, names, pricing, SKU, document, structure, and everything in one spot to ease data management. 

STEP 6 – Create a Proper Change Management Plan

Sometimes, even a widely known CPQ project faces a downfall if your users are struggling to execute their jobs on it or fail to accommodate the tool because of the changed workflow. For this, your business would require a detailed change management plan. 

First, you should hire a proficient change management team to take the project to desired outcomes, which can be useful in the case of change management for a varied functional team. Ahead, build your tool and the awareness of its benefits. You can follow traditional training techniques to educate your end users about how to use your tool.

STEP 7 – Plan Your Sales Process Documentation

Well; it can take quite a long to document your sales process in CPQ implementation. So, you can do that by dividing it into two:

a) Sales Use Training Documentation

This documentation will provide you a strong grip on the whole quoting process, which may include:

• Quoting 
• Configuring Products
• Adding Products
• Approvals
• Document Signing
• Document Generation
• Close Win Opp
• Renewals
• Amendments

b) Admin User Documentation

It may embrace the steps of CPQ configuration, including

• Product Configuration
• Approval Configuration
• Pricing Configuration
• Quote Templates
• Automation
• eSignature Configuration
• Legacy Data Migration Template
• Production Migration Template

STEP 8 Post-Production Support

After CPQ migration to the production state, you need to discuss with your Salesforce CPQ salesforce implementation partner about the possible problems that can emerge in the upcoming months. The more complex your configuration is, the chances are high that minute issues can arise during this phase. Ask your team to make it simple for your end users to avoid any sort of problems. 

Boost Your Sales with Salesforce CPQ and Billing

Salesforce CPQ Set Up Guidelines For Successful CPQ Integration

Post Your Cpq Package Installation; You Need to Follow the Below Practices:

1. Approval Process

Your organization may already hold an org chart defining the right flow of steps of your approval process. Be sure you follow this chart to let everyone know about every move of your approval level and which attribute of the quote is driving the decision tree. 

2. Company Logo

Be set with a company logo you want to showcase in your quote document and append it to your Documents tab’s folder in Salesforce. Even you can use the Document ID of such logos to refer to them in your quote templates. 

3. Multi-Lingual Considerations

You can choose a multi-language instance to install Salesforce CPQ for your non-English speaking users. But you should know that components are available in English only. 

4. Discount Schedules

Based on the terms and quantity of your products, you can build volume discounts. On appending those products to your quote, Salesforce CPQ will apply a promotional discount for that quoted line. 

5. Package Settings

Salesforce CPQ package settings permit you to apply settings across your whole package. 

6. Products and Price List

Salesforce CPQ uses Salesforce price books. If you are not using it in Salesforce, the firm recommends spreadsheet creation, including your products with their prices. Post that, you can import it into Salesforce. 

7. Quote Status

To track a quote through its lifecycle, your organization may be using custom values. To align Salesforce CPQ with your quoting process, Salesforce recommends the quote’s Status field update with your company’s varied status values. 

8. Quote Templates

Salesforce CPQ quote templates offer quote documents’ layout that your sales reps deliver to customers. You can set a default quote template and customize standard quote details, like company name, logo, and terms and conditions. 

Quick Recap of Salesforce CPQ Benefits

• Removes sales hurdles.
• Improves speed and accuracy of sales quotes. 
• Increases sales reps’ efficiency.
• Helps increase revenue.

How Emizentech Helps in Salesforce CPQ Integration? 

To transform your Salesforce CPQ objectives into reality, you would need a helping hand. For that, you may hire a certified Salesforce developer. 

Emizentech will emerge as a supporting Salesforce partner for your company by assisting you with CPQ salesforce implementation to let you make faster decisions and become more informed. 

Conclusion 

Regardless of the business size, CPQ tools provide the customer’s required strength, resolve supply chain issues, and ease the quote-generating process. 

By integrating a CRM with CPQ, your organization can enhance its efficiency, free up sales reps’ time for other critical selling jobs, limit costs, attract revenue growth, and lead to satisfied customers. So, to reap the advantages of CPQ, you need to have an effective CRM system for your business. 

It’s time to hire a dedicated Salesforce CRM consulting company to boost your business revenue.