As a manufacturer of configurable products, SAP ERP is usually a fixed standard for your order processing. The strengths of SAP Variant Configuration (SAP LO-VC) lie in the optimization of logistics processes. But to offer your products and services in line with the market, you need a sales view of the portfolio. The combination of SAP and CPQ makes it possible to use the rule knowledge of your SAP variant configuration for sales purposes – whether in the web store, in a dealer portal or in a CRM system.
SAP and CPQ – your benefits at a glance:
- Data from SAP is used directly in the CPQ system
- No redundant data storage and maintenance
- Automated order creation in SAP ERP
Customers who benefit from our solution:
Networking sales and manufacturing
Customer requirements are becoming increasingly individualized. Likewise, customers’ expectations of the information and purchasing process in the B2B sector are rising. In addition, short delivery times are more important than ever when it comes to winning the contract. To meet these requirements, manufacturers need end-to-end solutions. It is therefore important that sales and manufacturing are closely networked – ideally from inquiry to delivery and after-sales.
Consistent digital processes
By combining SAP with the powerful encoway CPQ system, your sales and manufacturing processes mesh seamlessly. The end-to-end digital processes maximize your efficiency in all areas. On the one hand, encoway CPQ facilitates the marketing and selling of complex products and services. On the other hand, SAP LO-VC ensures rapid, logistical processing.
SAP-compliant configuration for sales, partners and customers
Configurators with target group-specific texts and media data offer a good user experience and are readily used by sales, partners and customers. In encoway CPQ, you can add meaningful visualizations, Guided Selling or a system configuration to the models of your SAP variant function. For example, you can use existing product information from the PIM system or simply maintain the sales-related data directly in the encoway CPQ data maintenance environment.
Easy integration of SAP LO-VC models
With the integration of SAP LO-VC product data and rules in encoway CPQ, you benefit from a consistent database and less maintenance effort. encoway’s ERP integration automatically routes KMATs so you can use them detached from SAP ERP.
Modern interface technology
SAP and CPQ: What you should know
Why should you use SAP together with encoway CPQ?
SAP ERP is designed to handle your logistics processes well. But does it also master the language of marketing and sales?
The configurable materials in SAP Variant Configuration map the manufacturing view of the portfolio. For use in sales and marketing, these data often do not carry. Without technical understanding, a pure SAP configurator is hardly manageable. If you want to use a configurator for sales purposes, it is important that it speaks the language of your customers. A best-of-breed CPQ system functions like a translator between the SAP system and the customer.
Use SAP-compliant product configurators for every sales channel
With the connection of encoway CPQ to your SAP system, you can use product data and rule knowledge from SAP for sales purposes on a wide variety of channels. You can create target group-specific configurators – for example as a web configurator for your end customers, in a dealer portal or integrated into a CRM for your sales department.
When does it make sense to combine SAP ERP with encoway CPQ?
There are many software solutions on the market that map and support your sales processes. However, when it comes to complex and variant-rich portfolios, e.g. for capital goods or configurable systems, pure sales solutions quickly reach their limits.
Confidently master high complexity – even without SAP knowledge
With SAP Variant Configuration, you can master the high complexity of these portfolios, but it weakens when it comes to sales configuration. Without prior knowledge of SAP, it is difficult for your sales team or even the customer himself to put together a suitable solution.
What are the advantages of the integration between SAP and encoway CPQ?
Much of the data stored in SAP is also required for product configuration, costing and quotation creation in the CPQ system, as well as for subsequent order creation. By integrating the SAP LO-VC product data and rules into encoway CPQ, you benefit from a consistent database and less maintenance effort.
Avoid errors
You also avoid errors that occur when, for example, product data is outdated or orders are transferred incorrectly. By transferring the rule knowledge from SAP to the CPQ system, you ensure that the solutions offered are buildable.
Streamline and accelerate processes
The combination of SAP and encoway CPQ also streamlines your processes. This allows you to create quotations faster and in compliance with SAP, and to create orders automatically. This ensures fast and precise processing of your orders. Your customers benefit from fast and accurate quotes. And your sales department has more time to concentrate on its essential tasks, e.g. customer care.
How do SAP and encoway CPQ work together?
The integration of SAP in encoway CPQ ensures that the products and solutions configured in the CPQ system correspond to the business rules and information from the ERP system. In the process, the materials and customer data maintained in the SAP system are imported directly into the encoway CPQ solution.
Data is synchronized automatically
Automatic data synchronization means your sales team has the most up-to-date product and pricing data at their fingertips at all times throughout the sales process. The ERP integration of encoway CPQ also automatically routes KMATs. This allows you to use them separately from SAP ERP and enrich them with images and sales texts.
Which SAP data can you use in encoway CPQ?
- Customer data: For the quotation creation in encoway CPQ you can use the existing customer data from SAP. These are automatically imported from the SAP system and thus do not have to be entered twice. This saves time, avoids errors and ensures that quotations always contain the most up-to-date information from SAP.
- Material master data: Material master data can be imported automatically from SAP into encoway CPQ. This allows you to use them for sales configuration. For new product configurations created in encoway CPQ, a material can be created automatically in SAP.
- KMATS: encoway CPQ’s ERP integration automatically routes KMATs (configurable material). You can then use these separately from SAP ERP. The properties of a configurable material are represented by characteristics that are assigned values during subsequent configuration. If necessary, you can also supplement the data with images and corresponding texts. This also allows you to configure SAP-compliant in a CRM system or in your web presence.
- Order data: Generated orders can be imported from the CPQ software into SAP including all details, e.g. complete parts lists of the configuration. This ensures that all order details are stored in both systems.
Useful information wit SAP Variant configuration
Guide | Why data maintenance is so important for CPQ
What role does the performance and usability of data and rule maintenance play in the selection of a CPQ system?
eBook | encoway CPQ & SAP: 5 examples of applications in practice
Get to know a selection of application examples from our customers in the eBook and find out what challenges the variant manufacturers faced.
Guide | Sales configuration with SAP ERP – what you should take into account
Read in the guide what aspects you should bear in mind to ensure the success of your sales configurator and a smooth interaction with SAP ERP.
An end to the bottleneck SAP LO-VC Modelling
How to counter the shortage of IT specialists and shift your data maintenance to the specialist department.
Get the most out of your SAP LO-VC models!
Learn how to use your existing models in sales.