IBM Sterling CPQ transforms and automates configuration, pricing and quoting of complex products and services.
N/A
Oracle CPQ
Score 4.5 out of 10
N/A
Oracle CPQ is a cloud-based application that helps sellers configure the right mix of products or services and create accurate, professional quotes to quickly meet their customers’ pricing needs.
$240
per month per user
SAP CPQ
Score 7.7 out of 10
N/A
SAP CPQ (replacing the former CallidusCloud CPQ solution) has
been built to be independent of any CRM.
The vendor says that this makes their solution more flexible. The vendor also says their solution provides
businesses the flexibility to customize and enhance the solution without
the constraints of CRM code. Pricing and product catalog changes can also be
made by the users without having to rely on a CRM administrator.
Were it not for the fact that IBM CPQ lacks mobile and tablet applications, I would have recommended it 100%. However, I still have that 99% recommendation rate since this solution has saved us a lot by allowing us to close more sales within a short period by creating a channel where we collaborate with customers by offering coupons, sending price lists and orders.
I think CPQ had worked so well for our company because of the widespread nature of our associates and tracking orders that were being placed in multiple time zones. My team specifically needed a way of analyzing these orders to track our progress in real time and sort out any supply orders before they became an issue. If you are in a centralized location with a smaller team then this may not yield much use to you.
I would recommend SAP CPQ because it is powerful and works really well for handling complex pricing quotes and approvals. It save time and keep everything in one systems.
Unfortunately, IBM CPQ does not have on-premises applications to use while not connected to the internet. This is no more a challenge since we have a robust WIFI connection in our organization premises.
Significant setup time, cost, and maintenance. We have to use an implementation partner
Does not always play well with other software, even Oracle software. While this is improved and being further improved, that it was a third party acquisition means things sometimes require a little extra care
Additional setup documentation and first walkthroughs would be helpful, especially if it was all in one place
So far it is all good with BigMachines, looking for new features since Oracle acquisition has created a lot of expectations. We have outlined our limitations (out of box functionality) in our periodic customer successor advice meetings for a while, hope we get a resolution soon. Also, the BigMachines user license fee has increased a lot in the last three years.
it has been the best and easiest order system to use by far. i have really enjoyed and like the simplicity, limited problems and support and customization
The software UI can be as complex or as simple as you need it to be (depending on the business). It does require training others on quote configuration and the order in which to build out order positions prior to configuring a quote. Once users are trained;however, it is fairly straight-forward. The UI is still more static than other new wizard/drag-and-drop models, but it get's the job done
It depends upon the day however there are so many failure points with online services, including our internet service, that this is probably closer to 9 with the latest version
Some specific support personal was good and fixed some problems fast using proper solutions. But when one of them went to sleep when we had critical issues and they do unreported commits to our production environment which caused issues and they were hiding it?? you can not give more than a two (maybe even that is too much). They also failed to add a feature for us which also bring the grade down.
They have pretty good training. Our business analysts have been able to go to entry and advanced level training. They have a train the trainer model. Our business analyst attended training, then trained the rest of our staff.
It was a much more technical implementation than we thought. It involved much more code.
Future releases have made and will make administering the tool easier.
EDL consulting had one good developer, but when he was moved off, they were horrible to work with.
The BMI sales team does a “BOA” or a “Business Operation Assessment” which is extremely valuable, not only for them to scope an implementation and get more reach within the organization, but it is also a documentation of business process that most organizations don’t have. It highlights inefficiencies and allows for correction during implementation.
Having a dedicated team (in-house) for implementation is key
There are tons of Configure, Price and Quote software, but I have not used a lot of them. However, unlike IBM CPQ, HubSpot Sales Hub isn’t operated in compliance with any ISO standards and secured in a data center making it easy to leak customer sensitive data such as payment details.
Oracle engagement is ahead. They are active in the development of the tool and provide great support after implementation. They also listen to their customers and offer opportunities to feedback and provide input through activities like the customer advisory board forum.
It connect much better with our existing SAP system like ERP and S/4HANA. keeping everything in sync automatically. Approval processes and automation are faster. reducing email and manual work.
Increased Sales Rep efficiency. Being able to create multiple quotes ACCURATELY and quickly was a game changer.
Large implementation time. It's a little difficult to fit BMI into a SCRUM style build, with multiple working models and prototypes of all 3 simultaneously.
A larger fee for licensing and implementation cost. ROI wouldn't be realized in the first year.
