Slow down to speed up! I regularly see firms looking for Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) or Quote-to-Cash (QTC) solutions and want to share some best practices here that can make this selection process easier and better for everyone involved. Without saying too much too early the key here is to slow down in the beginning of the selection [...]
CPQ Maintenance - What it is and why it matters The Maintenance of a CPQ Solution can take up considerable time and resources and so it is important to understand what CPQ Maintenance is and what should be considered before any CPQ Solution is selected. Let us start by looking at what CPQ Maintenance includes. [...]
CPQ Outlook 2018 As in the last two years I am providing my expectations about where I think the CPQ (Configure-Price-Quote) and QTC (Quote-to-Cash) market will go in 2018. While 2017 was an interesting year with lots of interesting events like Forrester issued the Wave Report for CPQ Vendavo acquired Endeavor CPQ HGGC expanded their [...]
Successfully selecting your Front Office (CPQ/QTC) Solution By now you know the general capabilities of the Front Office and Back Office Systems from my first Blog Post . We also looked at Integration Considerations between Front Office and Back Office Systems in the second Blog Post and we segmented Solutions that improve the Quote-to-Cash Process in the [...]
IT Considerations when designing an end-to-end QTC Solution In the first Blog Post of this Series I provided an overview of the different Front Office and Back Office Process Flows and the capabilities that these Systems offer. In this Blog Post we will look at key considerations for a seamless flow of business information between [...]
Considering the interactions of CPQ, QTC and Order Management Solutions As Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) Vendors provide more capabilities that go beyond the traditional confines of CPQ it makes sense to take a closer look at the processes and capabilities covered by CPQ, Quote-to-Cash (QTC) and Order Management/Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Solutions. The objective is to start [...]
Dreamforce 2017 – CPQ Impressions Dreamforce is big and I mean really big! There are lots of people everywhere and I had to run quite a bit between the Moscone Center and the different Hotels where I had most of my meetings. The area around the Moscone Center reminded me personally of a Theme Park, [...]
Is It Easy for your Customers to do Business With You? Most people intuitively know that quick and efficient responses to customer requests increase the chances of satisfied customers who will come back for more business. The question is why is it so difficult to actually deliver quick and efficient responses to customers? Amazon can [...]
Stop fumbling with spreadsheets! Configure and quote in minutes, not days By John Mignardi, CPQ and Industry Applications Specialist, Javelin Technologies Ah, the 1980s. A time for Rubik’s cubes, Pac-Man…and spreadsheets. Personal computers started showing up on desktops and “apps” like Excel were used for creating accounting statements and bills of materials (along with everyday [...]
This Mark Twain quote is great and also applies when you are about to select a new Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) tool. Here is how it applies: If you (as a CPQ Seller or in some rare cases also the Buyer) are familiar and interested in one specific CPQ Solution then that is the solution that can [...]
