What does a CPQ specialist do?

What does a CPQ specialist do?

A Salesforce Certified CPQ Specialist is someone who is familiar with implementing CPQ solutions and has been certified through Salesforce as an expert in Salesforce integration and Configure-Price-Quote implementation. The certification process involves passing an exam that tests one's knowledge and experience in configuring, implementing and troubleshooting CPQ solutions on the Salesforce CPQ platform.

Individuals who successfully achieve this certification possess the knowledge and skills necessary to streamline their organization's quoting and ordering process, increasing efficiency and sales.

The Certified Salesforce CPQ Specialist certificate is designed for individuals who want to validate their skills and knowledge in setting up, quoting and pricing products and services on the Salesforce CPQ platform.

CPQ specialists play an important role in enterprise companies. They are responsible for gathering requirements, communicating business requirements to appropriate team members and helping design business solutions. Furthermore, they are also responsible for integrating designs to execute projects. CPQ specialists must have a good understanding of business processes to be effective in their role.

They work with the company to collect and create user stories. User stories give development teams the necessary context for CPQ projects. They focus on the user and work to solve real situations the customer may face. This can help the CPQ specialist think critically and creatively. This provides context to enable them to understand the end goal of the project. User stories also help ensure that all stakeholders are on the same page and that everyone understands what needs to be accomplished.

In addition to their duties listed above, CPQ specialists are often responsible for training users in the use of CPQ software. They may also be involved in designing user manuals and providing support to users.

What CPQ specialists do

Solutions builder

The CPQ specialist's job is to understand the company's business processes and objectives, then design and implement CPQ solutions that support and automate those processes, saving time and preventing errors. When given the customer's sales process, they will configure and implement targeted selling to recommend similar and relevant products or services. With the sometimes unclear and ever-changing sales processes at larger companies, having individuals focused on bullet-proofing the CPQ solution is a must. This minimizes mistakes from salespeople who may not have known enough about current products or compatibility issues.

Pricing methods

In each sales scenario, the CPQ specialist will determine the appropriate pricing method. Identifying the right pricing method can be critical to the success of the business and the proper operation of the CPQ solution.

Salesforce Industries CPQ offers pricing methods such as price lists, rule-based pricing, loyalty pricing and attribute-based pricing, which is useful for reducing catalog complexity.

With the methods offered, the user can adjust or override a price without changing the base price, change the price of a product automatically in a time frame, or add steps to the pricing process to enable such things as a step for tax calculation. The customer can even pay with loyalty points if the specialist sets it up that way.

Problem-solving masters

CPQ specialists are responsible for troubleshooting and resolving various product rules, pricing issues and data flow problems. They use their strong knowledge of how CPQ systems work to quickly identify and resolve any issues. In addition, they will work closely with other members of the CPQ team to ensure all products are configured correctly and pricing is correct.

Adjustment experts

CPQ specialists are experts in using the software to configure bundles of products, services and features. They create product rules that specify how the products, services and features can be configured. They also set up the software to price and accurately quote the configurations using up-to-date data.

When an organization's systems require an integration such as SAP or Azure in their CPQ solution, CPQ specialists can design it. If the needs are more complex or specialized and cannot be achieved with point-and-click, some CPQ experts can write APEX code to create a solution based on specific requirements.

CPQ specialists use their knowledge of the software to tailor configurations to meet their clients' specific needs. They often use pricing strategies to ensure that their quotes are competitive.

CPQ specialists play an important role in helping companies sell complex products and services that are complementary or at least compatible. They can even set up subscription services for customers.

Contracting process

The specialists are versed in the entire procurement process. From requirements research and determination to dispute resolution and contracting, they can create automated solutions to save time and improve accuracy and repeatability.

Overview

A Salesforce certified CPQ specialist is a skilled and knowledgeable individual responsible for understanding customer needs and configuring the product to meet those needs. They work with sales representatives and customers to configure products, determine pricing strategies and prepare quotes.

Colin Hammer

Colin Hamer is a Software Engineer at CaseNine. He is responsible for various Salesforce projects at clients.