WHEN DOES THE USE OF SOFTWARE FOR QUOTATIONS AND PRODUCT CONFIGURATION REALLY MAKE SENSE?
The solution used as a link between customers, sales and production is called CPQ (Configure Price Quote). Particularly in mechanical and plant engineering, this solution makes it possible to digitally map the business processes, substantially shorten the quotation process, and create ‘clean orders’ by means of error-free configurations.
The following four questions can help you decide whether a CPQ solution would benefit you:
1. Is your product range varied and complex?
A CPQ solution will help you describe your customer's needs in a solution that is unambiguous and free of errors, especially when it is difficult to do so. Its logical structure enables every salesperson to create an error-free quotation in the shortest possible time.
2. Does the quotation process involve time-consuming internal coordination between departments?
Does complex internal coordination between sales, construction and/or product management unnecessarily prolong the quotation preparation process? With a CPQ solution, the sales department can create error-free quotations quickly and independently, enabling them to be adapted to customer requirements in a timely and audit-proof manner. It comprehensively handles the process from initial customer inquiry to order creation and, in part, to production.
3. Is information duplicated in a variety of systems?
Do you find it time consuming to maintain redundant data in different solutions, such as CRM, ERP, PDM or CAD? Modern CPQ solutions bundle the most important data together. Stringent interface management facilitates the comprehensive and automatic comparison and generation of data.
4. Is expertise hoarded in ‘employee silos’?
Does it take new employees a long time to acquire the level of knowledge of long-standing employees? Are your sales staff able to obtain or retrieve the required knowledge at short notice? A CPQ solution ensures that the expertise of each employee and even your dealers is available at a central location. This significantly reduces the training period, allowing a new employee or dealer to become productive earlier.
If you answer ‘YES’ to only one of these questions, then it makes sense to implement a CPQ solution in your company.
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