Everyone in the world has wishlists- things they would want, like to have, or would be very happy with, in unnatural situations of fulfillment. While masses get ecstatic even when a little of their wishes get fulfilled, manufacturers aim for the skies and want to achieve such levels of their wishes.
Some of the common wishes in their wishlists include-
This is just the start. A manufacturer has to look into a lot more aspects to ensure that the product output is accurate and that the teams were collaborative enough for high efficiency. With evolving technology, there have been certain tools and platforms that have not just made production and delivery easier, but also reduced a lot of unrequired burden on the sales teams. ERP and CPQ are a couple of those tools.
Over the last few years, the integration of ERP and CPQ has picked up the pace, especially among manufacturers of complex products with a large product catalog to look after. The major reason for such an increase is that a lot of points along with the ones in the above wishlist are achieved.
Integration of ERP and CPQ has a huge impact on the entire sales process, and that is a huge deal. And because it is such a huge deal, we will explore ERP CPQ integration in detail.
ERP CPQ Integration
In the most fundamental terms, ERP CPQ integration brings the front-end and back-end teams together in a seamless amalgamation.
While the back-end involves processes like inventory management, fulfillment, production, and invoicing, the front-end involves steps like sales management, handling of quotes as well as sales pipelines.
The back-end processes get managed by ERP systems, while the front-end processes are taken care of through a CPQ platform.
When these two processes are independent of each other, one still depends on the other. This is because one side is in constant need of getting the right kind of data from the other side, and the sheer frequency of it entails the need for a lot of back-and-forth between the ERP and CPQ systems. Things are more complicated for manufacturers depending on manual processes to make this data exchange happen. The biggest issue with manual processes is that they are alarmingly more prone to errors when compared with their digital counterparts, and they lead to huge production disasters.
With ERP CPQ integration, the movement and data transfer become automated and take manual errors completely out of the picture, increasing the pace of processes and boosting the overall visibility on both sides of the sales process.
ERP Integration with CPQ- The Working
Understanding ERP integration with CPQ is better when you take a look at how the comprehensive quote-to-cash process works.
While tools like Epicor CPQ looks into the majority of tasks involved in quote-to-cash, the end of the process like order fulfillment and invoicing is managed by an ERP system.
ERP integration with CPQ gives sales reps the ability to understand every point of transaction absolutely at any time with a single combined system, rather than logging into different systems or teams to even get an update.
A Couple of Points for Caution
1- Never try to bring ERP CPQ integration into effect by trying to build the tools yourself. You may be able to make the integration happen, but every implementation has a set of accepted best practices for ensuring smoother project management and scope for scaling up in the future.
Creating a build on your own but then hiring experts to maintain that build is not advisable as the advantage costs will tend to suffer. It’s better to work with a renowned brand like Epicor CPQ right from the very first day.
2- Try to be as specific with the rules as much as you can. With ERP integration with CPQ, it’s crucial that every aspect is clearly defined, in tune with the best-mentioned practices, and is just about perfect for your overall organizational objective.
Final Words
Epicor has been the leader in sophisticated ERP solutions for a long time, and it has now acquired KBMax, a leading CPQ solutions provider for global clients. The integration of CPQ with Prophet21, a supply chain management solution from Epicor provides a further enhancement to the current CPQ infrastructure for maximum efficiency and performance