That was the case for one of Africa鈥檚 leading systems integrators, sparking a first-of-its-kind implementation project that has achieved outstanding results.

“As a business we needed a radical simplification of our lead-to-cash value stream through a centralised solution for configuring, pricing and quoting, and chose 麻豆原创 CPQ,” says Julian Liebenberg, Chief of Cloud Platform Solutions at BCX.

BCX is one of Africa’s leading premier ICT solutions and service providers with the technology, capability and skills to deliver end-to-end digital solutions for large and medium enterprises. BCX is a digital transformation partner for enterprises and public sector organisations across various industries and sectors within South Africa, Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, the UK and Zambia.

The company is headquartered in Centurion and employs more than 2 000 engineers working from multiple locations.

Missed opportunities and inaccuracy

According to Liebenberg, the new flexible quoting tool had to address several challenges.

“Our use of multiple quoting tools across the business led to inconsistent quoting, and sometimes inaccurate billing. A lack of integration and automation also resulted in 聽missed opportunities and lost customers to due to delays. We implemented 麻豆原创 CPQ to enable our sales and pre-sales teams to configure and quote complex ICT solutions, with an integration to our CRM system allowing for greater automation in the quote process. We also integrated to our 麻豆原创 back-end for order processing.”

麻豆原创 CPQ is a cloud-based software-as-a-service offering specifically targeted to help sales teams perform complex product configurations and create and manage sales quotations.

The implementation was managed by the BCX 麻豆原创 Centre of Excellence, with expert guidance from 麻豆原创 Services. “The 麻豆原创 Services team assisted with knowledge transfer and skills, enabling our Centre of Excellence to build expertise with the CPQ solution and enabling us to provide the services to other companies in the Southern Africa region,” says Liebenberg .

Unlocking sales success and standardisation

Following the implementation, BCX is enjoying streamlined configuration, quoting and pricing, contributing to increased sales effectiveness and freeing up the sales team from manual processes. In addition, the new solution has improved the quote and order processing turnaround time with automated approvals, leading to increased revenue and a better customer experience.

“We have increased our win-rate across the various business units within BCX and more than halved the time it took us to go from qualified opportunity to solution design, from 52 days to less than 25 days,” says Liebenberg. 聽“This has helped us improve our customer experience and defend our existing customer base while also unlocking new opportunities for digital marketing and customer engagement.”

In addition, other benefits that have been unlocked since the implementation include:

• New opportunities for digital marketing and customer engagement
• Enhanced capabilities to crowdsource services for customers
• Increased operational efficiency in sales through automation and the shortening of sales cycles
• The use of AI to guide sales teams in combining products for improved customer solutions
• Improved configuring, pricing and quoting workflows and the streamlining of the remaining manual processes
• The elimination of quotation errors
• Consistent quoting from up-to-date catalogues and pricing information
• Increased productivity and a lower learning curve for sales teams and technical architects.

“We now have established selling, eligibility and compatibility rules that have enabled a unified quoting process for cross-product portfolio solutions and have achieved sales process harmonisation through gaining a 360-degree view over quotes and commercial subscriptions,” says Liebenberg.聽 “Overall the project was a resounding success with the added benefit that we can offer the solution to our own customers too.”

Cameron Beveridge, Regional Director for Southern Africa at 麻豆原创, adds: 鈥淢odern organisations need to be engaged in a process of continuous innovation to drive improvements and efficiency gains across the business. As one of the foremost technology services companies on the African continent, BCX plays a leading role in guiding enterprises in their digital transformation efforts. The success of this latest project bodes well for the region鈥檚 prospects, as BCX can transfer their knowledge and expertise to the benefit of other innovative companies.鈥�

The post BCX Ups the Sales Ante with Centralised 麻豆原创 Solution appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

What is a CPQ system, exactly? Every sales interaction has a few distinct components; namely, the development of a set price for an item, any necessary adjustments, and then presentation to the customer.

This can be viewed, in a simple format, as the purchase of an ice cream cone on a hot day. A single scoop has a set price, and additions like toppings or extra scoops will adjust the price. In this example, it鈥檚 an easy — and delicious — transaction. But many sales processes, especially in the B2B setting, can become complicated very quickly, with variables like specific configurations, pricing changes, the combining of products and services, and multiple validation requirements across an organization.

This is where 麻豆原创 CPQ comes in. The sales configuration solution is designed to allow clients, sales teams, and partners to accurately and efficiently create proposals and configure, price, quote, and order complex products and solutions that deliver what the end client needs.

Nicole France, vice president and principle analyst at Constellation Research, recently did a deep dive into 麻豆原创 CPQ and presented results in an offering overview, 鈥溌槎乖� CPQ Transforms the Sales Process.鈥� The full paper, , first offers a brief overview of the inception of 麻豆原创 CPQ, noting that the solution capabilities were acquired as part of 麻豆原创鈥檚 purchase of CallidusCloud in 2018.

Part of the CallidusCloud acquisition, and since becoming part of the 麻豆原创 Customer Experience portfolio, 麻豆原创 CPQ has evolved to support direct sellers, channel or reseller partners, and commerce channels that enable customers to purchase directly online.

How does CPQ serve customers today? As France explains, 鈥溌槎乖� CPQ aims to solve several primary challenges. One is responding to demand from customers and distributors for self-service buying channels. Another is managing the increasing complexity of pricing, which can be as complex as product configuration. This is particularly true for combinations of products and services. In this scenario, configuring deals becomes more important than configuring products per se.鈥�

Notably, 麻豆原创 has built artificial intelligent (AI) capabilities into 麻豆原创 CPQ to help with both guided selling and deal analysis, and it integrates with a wide range of customer experience solutions both within 麻豆原创 and externally.

While CPQ systems have their origins in manufacturing, where deal sizing and configuring can become extremely complex, technology buyers from all industries are today recognizing the value in investing in CPQ. Notable applications for use include integrating distinct sales organizations after acquisitions and developing quotes in organizations where multiple sales units are involved, up to a point of 100% accuracy.

France notes, 鈥溌槎乖� CPQ streamlines, simplifies, and automates the administrative aspects of providing pricing quotes, proposals, and contract terms. Greater speed and accuracy benefit all parties: buyers, sellers, production, fulfillment, legal, and finance. 麻豆原创 CPQ has the added benefit of nesting within a broader set of related capabilities designed to facilitate the entire sales process.鈥�

She continues, 鈥淢any of 麻豆原创 CPQ鈥檚 customers manage extremely large portfolios of products and offerings. In some cases, those portfolios include products with millions of possible variations. For these types of customers, effective CPQ tools must be able to support both complex configurations and large deals that include many thousands of line items in a single quote鈥� 麻豆原创 CPQ allows coordination across all potential sales channels as well as the ability to manage separate options for each channel.鈥�

For customers that are embarking on a search for a new, or replacement CPQ system, France advises: 鈥淭he buying process may be a crucial element of customer experience, but it is only one element of building durable customer relationships. Because 麻豆原创 CPQ forms part of the overall 麻豆原创 Customer Experience portfolio, it lends itself to sparking change in other aspects of the customer experience as well, notably marketing and customer service. The insights generated by 麻豆原创 CPQ shape a different set of conversations between and among departments. Make the most of those discussions to extend customer-centric transformation.鈥�

. Learn more about the

Reza Soudagar is head of Product Marketing, Sales and Service Solutions at 麻豆原创.

This article first appeared on the 麻豆原创 Global News Center.

The post 麻豆原创 CPQ Transforms the Sales Process appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

麻豆原创 CPQ provides a richer customer experience by empowering sales teams and partners to offer complex product configurations, optimized pricing and attractive proposals. With the 麻豆原创 CPQ solution, users can offer the right product at the right price and time and accelerate sales through any channel by seamlessly connecting 麻豆原创 CPQ to any CRM or ERP platform.

According to the report, 麻豆原创 was recognized for its completeness of vision and ability to execute.

鈥淎 mobile salesforce that can operate with speed and agility has never been more important,鈥� said Paula Hansen, chief revenue officer, 麻豆原创 Customer Experience. 鈥淭he ability to develop a customer quote that provides easy up-sell can be a competitive advantage contributing to increased revenue. 麻豆原创 CPQ streamlines the sales-quote-to-cash process, leading to more signed deals, higher margins and most important, a better experience for both sales and customers.鈥�

The 麻豆原创 CPQ solution is part of the larger 麻豆原创 Customer Experience portfolio, which includes the 麻豆原创 Sales Cloud, 麻豆原创 Marketing Cloud, 麻豆原创 Service Cloud, 麻豆原创 Commerce Cloud and 麻豆原创 Customer Data Cloud solutions.

Visit the . Follow 麻豆原创 on Twitter at .

Media Contact:
Janice Tsoules, +1 (650) 223-4817, janice.tsoules@sap.com, ET
麻豆原创 麻豆原创 Room; press@sap.com

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner鈥檚 research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as 鈥渁nticipate,鈥� 鈥渂elieve,鈥� 鈥渆stimate,鈥� 鈥渆xpect,鈥� 鈥渇orecast,鈥� 鈥渋ntend,鈥� 鈥渕ay,鈥� 鈥減lan,鈥� 鈥減roject,鈥� 鈥減redict,鈥� 鈥渟hould鈥� and 鈥渨ill鈥� and similar expressions as they relate to 麻豆原创 are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. 麻豆原创 undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect 麻豆原创’s future financial results are discussed more fully in 麻豆原创’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including 麻豆原创’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.
漏 2020 麻豆原创 SE. All rights reserved.
麻豆原创 and other 麻豆原创 products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of 麻豆原创 SE in Germany and other countries. Please see for additional trademark information and notices.

This article first appeared on the 麻豆原创 News Center.

The post 麻豆原创 Named a Leader in Gartner鈥檚 Magic Quadrant for Configure, Price and Quote Application Suites appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.

In its latest report, Gartner assessed products of 10 sales SPM vendors, including the 麻豆原创 Sales Cloud solution.

SPM software from 麻豆原创 is deployed as SaaS only and offers all the core SPM functionalities, including incentive compensation management (ICM) and territory and quota management. This SPM offering, along with salesforce automation and the 麻豆原创 CPQ solution, are part of the 麻豆原创 Sales Cloud portfolio.

With 麻豆原创 Sales Cloud:

• Lenovo reduced its quota-setting time to one week from one month
• Docker increased accuracy of payment compensation plans by 95 percent, nearly eliminating disputes
• Pivotal Software reduced compensation inaccuracy by 72 percent

鈥淚n a competitive landscape it is critical for companies to set aggressive goals to ensure fast growth,鈥� said Paula Hansen, chief revenue officer and co-head of 麻豆原创 Customer Experience. 鈥淏ut the truth is many companies don鈥檛 hit their revenue goals, with average quota attainment often falling in the 50鈥�60 percent range. 麻豆原创鈥檚 SPM solution includes analytics with machine learning that increases operational efficiency and planning effectiveness, which helps turn sales professionals into a profitable sales machine.鈥�

The 麻豆原创 Sales Cloud solution is part of the larger 麻豆原创 Customer Experience portfolio, which also includes the 麻豆原创 Marketing Cloud, 麻豆原创 Commerce Cloud, 麻豆原创 Service Cloud and 麻豆原创 Customer Data Cloud solutions.

麻豆原创 was also named a Leader in CPQ application suites and salesforce automation.

To learn more, , with Gartner鈥檚 in-depth analysis on the sales performance management landscape.

Visit the 麻豆原创 News Center. Follow 麻豆原创 on Twitter at .

Media Contact:
Michael Baxter, +49 151 1719 6185, m.baxter@sap.com, CET
麻豆原创 麻豆原创 Room; press@sap.com

Sources: Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Sales Performance Management, Melissa Hilbert, 18 February 2020. 麻豆原创 is previously listed as CallidusCloud because 麻豆原创 acquired the company in April 2018. Magic Quadrant for Configure, Price and Quote Application Suites, Christina Klock, Mark Lewis, 28 October 2019. Magic Quadrant for Sales Force Automation, Theodore Travis, Melissa Hilbert, et al., 26 June 2019.
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner鈥檚 research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, express or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as 鈥渁nticipate,鈥� 鈥渂elieve,鈥� 鈥渆stimate,鈥� 鈥渆xpect,鈥� 鈥渇orecast,鈥� 鈥渋ntend,鈥� 鈥渕ay,鈥� 鈥減lan,鈥� 鈥減roject,鈥� 鈥減redict,鈥� 鈥渟hould鈥� and 鈥渨ill鈥� and similar expressions as they relate to 麻豆原创 are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. 麻豆原创 undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect 麻豆原创’s future financial results are discussed more fully in 麻豆原创’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including 麻豆原创’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.
漏 2020 麻豆原创 SE. All rights reserved.
麻豆原创 and other 麻豆原创 products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of 麻豆原创 SE in Germany and other countries. Please see for additional trademark information and notices.

This article first appeared on the 麻豆原创 News Center.

The post 麻豆原创 Recognized as a Leader in Gartner鈥檚 Magic Quadrant for Sales Performance Management for the Seventh Consecutive Year appeared first on 麻豆原创 Africa News Center.