The Challenges  

The customer faced challenges using Salesforce Sales Cloud to manage their complex product and pricing structure, despite using standard objects like Product and Pricebook. 

Incorrect Product Bundling: The customer had business regulations for selling packaged products like SMS, Voice, and WhatsApp, with a one-time setup fee for new customers. But manual configuration by sales reps caused errors and omissions in setting up each product based on origin and destination country. 

Inconsistencies in Pricing: Product pricing depended on regulations like volume, customer rating, region, and multi-currency, with custom logic sometimes needed for automatic discounts on product groups. New sales reps found this complex, causing delays in quotes and revenue loss from errors. 

Constraints around Quote: Sales reps had to send a new quote for minor adjustments, causing delays due to the step-by-step approval hierarchy and email notifications. This led to duplication, confusion, and delays that affected the company’s business. 

The Solution 

To address the customer’s product and pricing problems, we implemented Salesforce CPQ+. Additionally, to alleviate the company’s business pain points, we undertook the following steps: 

Product Structure: We used CPQ+ to configure 200+ products, including rules for Sales reps to choose the right line item. For example, if a region didn’t allow WhatsApp, the rule prevented adding those products. We also added Intelligent Filtering and auto-suggest features, allowing reps to generate quotes quickly and accurately. 

Consumption-based Dynamic Pricing: We used CPQ+ to create a criteria-based price rule that automatically adjusted discounts based on customer consumption, removing the need for separate approvals and reducing reminders and follow-ups. This also showed the impact of discounts in quotes, reducing manual effort and the risk of errors in contract formation 

Different Price Books and Pricings for bundles: As part of the implementation, we created automatic Price Rules based on product bundles and combinations. We made separate price books for regions and currencies to ensure consistent pricing across markets. 

Advanced Approval Process and Notifications: We added a custom Advance Approval feature that skips intermediate approval steps if a higher-level approver approves the quote, shortening the cycle. The feature can follow different paths based on requirements like one-time vs. recurring discounts. We integrated Salesforce with Slack for direct approval notifications in chat. 

Order fulfillment through split order: with CPQ+ implementation, we divided orders among departments based on the organization’s structure, reducing coordination needs. Departments can work independently on their items with tracking and control features included for complete fulfilment.

The Benefits

Reduced quote turnaround time: The automation introduced through CPQ+ resulted in a reduction of approximately 40% of the cycle time required for configuring a quote.

More accurate quotes: The increased automation and reduced manual entries have resulted in quotes that are more reliable, accurate, and consistent.

Less Rejection of Quote: CPQ+ bundles products, applies accurate pricing and discounts, reducing quote rejection and revisions, saving time and allowing direct incorporation into contracts.

Guided Selling: CPQ+ system’s advanced features, like auto-suggesting cross-selling, boost Sales reps’ competitiveness and potential revenue generation.

Solution Components

About us 

NEC Software Solutions India (NECSWS) is a Salesforce Consulting Partner, with comprehensive expertise in implementing Salesforce products, customizing them, and integrating them with other applications and products. We offer a range of services that cater to our clients’ Salesforce Cloud requirements, making us a one-stop-shop for all Salesforce-related needs.