Cameleon CPQ - a review
Pros
- Salesforce.com integration via a plugin that lets end users access Cameleon CPQ systems.
- Quoting made easier with complex business rules.
- Good support from the Cameleon team with fixes and enhancements.
Cons
- Integration with other onsite systems such as Oracle databases require the expertise of knowledgeable developers. Manual upload of flat files are always an option , but not necessarily the cleanest.
- Better Cameleon CPQ Designer UI would go a long way. Currently UI is a stark contrast to the intuitive UI of SalesForce.com or similar SaaS based tools. Not too much to ask for , considering the fact that we work in the era of Facebook and Twitter.
- Real time data availability is a long way to go for Cameleon CPQ. Updates to data pushed over as batches to Cameleon are reflected at Salesforce.com only after a 'versioning' process is launched. Current recommended frequency for this process is once a day (an upgrade to make it twice a day is in the works).
Return on Investment
- A salesforce.com -esque approach to CRM has a whole gamut of advantages. Cameleon CPQ complements this approach.
- Expect down times , feature problems or general disagreement about Cameleon's capabilities initially. This is true for adopting any new tool or technology. Hold on and it will tide over.
- As a person who has used Cameleon purely as a developer standpoint , I do not have anything more to add-on.
