Don’t Invest in that Expensive CPQ Solution Just Yet

Posted on July 28, 2021

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If your company sells products or services that are highly configurable, and your processes are not “cookie cutter,” then Excel is probably being used somewhere in your quote generation procedure. You are likely struggling with the ensuing chaos—version control challenges, proprietary information exposure, lack of an audit trail, and so forth. It is critical to find a solution that allows you to make the updates you need without the drawbacks that Excel usually presents.

Many organizations try to move on from Excel and end up investing time and resources in an expensive CPQ solution that does not provide the flexibility they need. However, rather than looking for a new solution, the goal should be to mitigate the problems that Excel creates, and achieving high levels of security and data protection.

What Are the Alternatives?

You might be considering investing in a CPQ solution, but you are finding it lacks the agility you require and would need a massive effort to configure it to your specific business processes. Perhaps you have looked at having your IT department develop an in-house solution from scratch, but are finding it immensely expensive, and it wouldn’t be live for many months (or years).

When Excel is integral to your business processes, removing inefficiencies and error-prone steps along with strengthening data and IP security are top priorities – but how can you ensure this happens?

What About Keeping Excel but Eliminating the Pitfalls?

If you already have one or more Excel spreadsheets that work, then this option is likely to be the fastest and most predictable to implement. If, in addition, the solution requires no programming, then it frees up your IT resources and puts the ownership into the hands of those who understand the requirements the best—those who are involved with creating and using the spreadsheets, not a group of once-removed programmers (made even worse if they are outsourced). Requirements are implicit and don’t require the level of detail needed to guide a group unfamiliar with the needs and issues.

In the world of business sales, efficiency is everything. Time is precious, and there’s never enough of it. It’s vital to have proper workplace procedures and software that are not only easy to use but which also respect the user’s time. Also, you need to control access to sensitive and proprietary data in your spreadsheets. EASA accomplishes this by leveraging your existing Excel spreadsheets.

The EASA solution creates a web app that “talks” to your spreadsheets while keeping information in them secure. Your spreadsheet files reside only on a server and communicate with EASA for changes and access requests, helping your organization maintain version control and streamlining the update process. Taking this route allows you to keep Excel and eliminate pitfalls, enabling your company to quickly and efficiently implement a system that achieves your goals. Contact a representative of EASA Software today at (800) 711-5346.