The launch of a modular strategy and the use of a product configurator have become the recipe for success for a modern marketing strategy for multi-variant products.
When faced with a decision on your digital marketing strategy involving a configuration or CPQ solution, you should ensure that the solution chosen is adequate for the strategic dimension of the topic.
7 reasons why you should rely on encoway CPQ:
1. encoway CPQ makes the maintenance of product data and configuration rules manageable
Digital Sales requires sales-relevant product data. These include product features, promotional texts, translations, images, prices and of course the rule knowledge relating to required and buildable product variants, i.e. the configuration model. A great deal of time and effort is required to build up this data and keep it updated. And only if it is ensured that the data is useable for a variety of future scenarios is it a valuable investment – accurate and up-to-date product data are of enormous value for Marketing and Sales.
The following features make encoway CPQ the ideal “single point of truth” for sales-oriented product data and configuration rules:
- Data can be imported from various sources (PIM, ERP), provided with control logic and made available to the sales channels.
- You don’t use a PIM? Then you can enter promotional texts and images directly into encoway CPQ.
- The data and rule maintenance application is designed for users in the various departments, not for IT specialists
- The object-oriented approach avoids redundancies. Products can thus inherit, for example, the features of higher-level product groups.
2. encoway CPQ masters the whole range of configuration, from simple to highly complex models.
Configurators should ensure that correct solutions are generated that meet the requirements of the customer. Sometimes, very complex restrictions must be taken into account. And at the same time, you need to avoid creating models that are so complicated that no one can understand them or keep them up to date!
encoway CPQ provides the right solution for every modelling task – as simple as possible and as powerful as necessary. The following are possible:
- Super-BOM models
The maximum possible functions and options are listed, and linked via simple rules such as .<nie in=”” kombination=”” mit=””> verknüpft.</nie> - Open models
Unlimited components can be added, and if required can be configured again (instantiation). - System and plant configuration
Various individual models are linked via interfaces to create a practical overall solution. - SAP® LO-VC models
SAP® LO-VC models can be extracted and if required enhanced with, for example, additional purely sales-related queries.
3. encoway CPQ networks your sales channels (omnichannel marketing)
Whether you use encoway CPQ Sales to support your distributors or Direct Sales or use encoway CPQ Showroom on your website – the technical basis is the same. encoway CPQ thus allows consistent processes across various distribution channels. The following examples clearly illustrate this.
- A potential customer gathers information about the products via your website and already makes some decisions in the configurator. Sales accesses this configuration from the CRM system, completes it and sends the customer a quote.
- With the help of the configurator, a distributor generates a quote. If necessary, Internal Sales supports them with the configuration. When the distributor places an order, a corresponding order from the distributor is automatically created at the manufacturer.
No matter which channel your customer uses to contact you, they are provided with consistent advice that is tailored to their requirements.
4. encoway CPQ facilitates the worldwide marketing of your products
Selling capital goods requires know-how. With encoway CPQ, your sales force is always up to date on everything, no matter how far away from head office they are. Information about products, features and prices, innovations and product discontinuations is distributed via the publication mechanism.
The information shown is, of course, tailored to individual markets. When maintaining the product data, the product managers define the market releases to ensure the digital catalogue only contains products that can actually be offered in the market in question. The distributors are also able to add local products to the portfolio themselves. And via regional favourites, they can highlight particular configurations.
5. encoway CPQ ensures an optimal user experience
For a project dealing with the digitisation of sales to be a success, the users must accept the new tools. This applies to the field sales team, but even more to actual and potential customers who, if the configurator on the website is too complicated, will prefer to use the phone or will simply get in touch with the competition.
encoway CPQ makes configuration simple thanks to the following features:
- Guided Selling, to ensure that people find your product in queries relating to the branch, application and customer requirements
- Automatic pre-configuration via customer data (e.g. country)
- Unfinished configurations can be saved
- The option of saving configurations as personal favourites
- The clear separation between user decisions, suggestions and hard constraints
- The ability to switch back and forth between the various questions/decision steps and to be able to change your mind at any stage
- Various views of a configuration, adapted to the individual experience of the different users
- Additional information such as images and explanatory texts
- Visual configuration, see point 6
6. encoway CPQ makes visual configuration possible
Visual configuration makes products tangible! Already established for consumer goods, it is also finding its way into the capital goods sector. With a 2D or 3D visualisation integrated into the product configurator, potential and existing customers can see what they are getting right from the start.
A visualisation makes complex products easier to understand and facilitates complex configurations. With encoway CPQ, individual parts and components can be easily placed in a given space by drag and drop. The product model generated can be interactively rotated, scaled and moved. Based on parametric 3D models, you can already see during product configuration how selected options and parameters visually affect the solution. n addition, the configurator’s stored rule set and integrated CAD models and data ensure at all times that the product is technically feasible.
In this way, individual and tested products, systems and plants can be created before the eyes of your customers!
7. encoway CPQ is a standard software proven on the market
Standard software has a number of unbeatable advantages over customised software: you know exactly what you are getting at what price, and how long the project is likely to take. You benefit from our experience and the continuous further development of our products.
If you want to check whether our standard software meets your requirements then please contact us. No matter whether it’s a product presentation, a demo version, examples of references or the creation of a prototype – we will help you in whatever way you require.
Strategic Marketing, encoway GmbH
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