Ask a CPQ Expert: What are some additional implementation pitfalls to consider?
ASK A CPQ EXPERT
We’ve been talking a lot about CPQ. In May, we posted about common implementation pitfalls. Here are a couple more we’d like to add.
Not allowing enough time for Quote Templates
Quote Templates in CPQ might become a serious hang-up in your implementation if you don’t allow for the considerable amount of time and effort required to set them up in a way that satisfies the needs of all of your different departments. While the technical work of setting up the templates is straightforward in itself, it can be very labor-intensive. The formatting alone will require a lot of attention, as the CPQ document generator is very time-consuming and inconsistent. Be prepared to field lots of feedback from many functional areas of your business, not all of which are necessarily going to be in alignment. If your templates need to be translated into multiple languages, be sure to add even more time to your implementation timeline.
Not building in safety valves
We all know that, no matter how precise and careful the configuration of your org, there are going to be times when things could go wrong. In our experience, it’s best to prepare for those times by building in overrides for your admins. For instance, consider utilizing the Special Price field on Quotes when your price rules aren’t giving your reps the end result they need and an urgent fix is necessary. Also, make sure that you have a mechanism for manually creating an Order when it comes time to hand off the sale for your fulfillment and accounting departments. You don’t want to leave them (and the customer!) hanging just because the system’s automated process hit a roadblock.
Steve started his Salesforce journey in 2015 and has been a Cloud Giant since 2018. When he’s not Salesforcing, you can probably find Steve singing in choir, gaming with friends, or watching basketball (go Duke!).
Steve is a Salesforce Certified Administrator, Sales Cloud Consultant, Platform App Builder, Community Cloud Consultant and Nonprofit Cloud Consultant.