Understanding Systems and Products 

When discussing systems, the term often refers to complex assemblies or setups that encompass a range of interconnected components or processes. Unlike individual products, which tend to have a more fixed and defined architecture, systems are dynamic and can be configured in numerous ways based on user requirements. This distinction is crucial in industries like valve and fluid control solutions manufacturing, where the ability to configure custom solutions is paramount. These custom solutions can contain multiple interconnected systems of valves, and various other options that add to complexity.  

The key characteristic of a system is its open-ended nature: when modeling a system, you have a multitude of configurable products that can vary in number and configuration based on the user’s needs. This flexibility means that changing one component of the system can impact other parts, highlighting the interrelationships and dependencies within the system. 

The Need for System Configuration in Valve and Fluid Control Manufacturing 

In the valve and fluid control manufacturing industry, traditional approaches often involve engineering-to-order (ETO) processes. ETO processes are inherently time-consuming and costly because they rely heavily on the expertise and input of product experts for each unique order. This approach can stifle innovation and slow down time to market, as each solution is essentially a one-off. 

Tacton’s System Configuration aims to transition from ETO to configure-to-order (CTO). By leveraging Tacton’s configuration technology, valve manufacturers can manage a vast array of configurations, translating customer needs into technical solutions more efficiently. This shift not only reduces the reliance on product experts but also improves the overall quality, decreases lead times, and enhances the sales process.

Addressing System Configuration Challenges 

While transitioning to a CTO model offers numerous benefits, it also presents challenges, particularly with large-scale system configurations. These challenges include defining the nature of the problem, managing performance issues, and handling open-ended configurations where the result is not fully known from the outset. 

Tacton’s system configuration addresses these challenges by introducing complementary technology to their existing constraint-based configuration capabilities. This new approach allows for flexible rules and actions at the system level, making it possible to manage larger and more complex configurations without performance degradation. 

Benefits for Stakeholders 

The introduction of system configuration brings significant value to various stakeholders within a fluid control manufacturing organization: 

• Product Managers: Easier introduction and maintenance of system configurations, allowing for more streamlined product definitions and a single source of truth. 
• Modelers and CPQ Administrators: Simplified modeling of complex systems and improved tools for user interactions, enhancing the overall configuration process. 
• Sales Representatives: Enhanced tools for selling systems, enabling quick responses to customer inquiries and reducing the need for backend involvement in all quotes. 

Business Value of System Configuration 

For the organization, system configuration offers numerous benefits: 

• Increased Sales Efficiency: By moving a larger portion of the portfolio to CTO, errors are reduced, and the sales process becomes more efficient. 
• Faster Quote Creation: Quicker and more accurate quote generation, leading to faster time to value and increased revenue. 
• Reduced Customization Risk: Minimizing the need for custom solutions, reducing complexity, and focusing on standardized configurations. 

Tacton’s System Configuration in Action 

Tacton’s system configuration approach involves a two-layer model: the bottom layer consists of individual constraint-based problems (e.g., specific machines or components in a production line), while the top layer represents a network of nodes, each connected by rules and actions. This structure allows for flexible and scalable configurations. 

For example, in a valve manufacturing setup, each machine or component can be configured as a node with specific attributes and connections to other nodes. This setup enables the creation of comprehensive and dynamic solutions tailored to specific customer requirements. 

In closing

By leveraging Tacton’s system configuration technology, valve manufacturers can overcome the limitations of traditional ETO processes and embrace a more efficient and scalable CTO model. This transition not only enhances the sales process and reduces costs but also fosters innovation and faster time to market. With Tacton’s advanced configuration capabilities, valve manufacturers can confidently tackle the complexities of large-scale system configurations, ultimately driving business growth and customer satisfaction. 

In the fast-moving world of business technology, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for success. Manufacturers today need robust tools that empower them to create quotes with precision and efficiency.

Many manufacturers are turning to Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) solutions to solve their business challenges and meet a changing customer base. For over 25 years Tacton CPQ has been the trusted configuration tool for leading global manufacturers such as Siemens, Xylem, ABB and more.

That is why we’re excited to announce we’ve been named a “Leader” in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Configure, Price and Quote Applications.

This is the second year in a row that we have been named a Leader. We believe our positioning recognizes the hard work and innovation that the Tacton team has put in to help our customers.

Has Tacton ever been positioned on the Gartner Magic Quadrant?  

Tacton has been positioned in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) Applications in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 

How does a Gartner Magic Quadrant work? 

Gartner Magic Quadrant research methodology provides a graphical competitive positioning of four types of technology providers in fast-growing markets: Leaders, Visionaries, Niche Players and Challengers. As companion research, Gartner Critical Capabilities notes provide deeper insight into the capability and suitability of providers’ IT products and services based on specific or customized use cases.

Why are more manufacturers considering CPQ solutions for their business?

CPQ software has emerged as a valuable tool that can address numerous challenges and help manufacturers streamline their operations, boost sales, and enhance customer satisfaction. This is a clear priority for manufacturers as a recent Tacton survey showed that 74% of the respondents noted the importance of digital transformation to achieve their business goals in the coming year. Here are some key reasons why manufacturers are adopting CPQ: 

Product Complexity Management: CPQ software helps manage this complexity by enabling sales teams and customers to easily configure products according to their specific requirements, ensuring accurate and error-free configurations. 

Speed and Efficiency: Sales representatives can quickly generate quotes and proposals, reducing the time it takes to respond to customer inquiries. This efficiency translates into faster sales cycles and improved responsiveness. 

Improved Customer Experience: CPQ solutions offer a more interactive and personalized buying experience for customers. Customers can configure products themselves, view real-time pricing, and receive instant quotes, leading to higher satisfaction levels. 

Sustainability: Sustainability has become a central focus for many manufacturers as they aim to reduce their environmental footprint and meet the growing demand for eco-friendly products. Using CPQ it’s possible to share carbon footprint with both customers and regulators.  

These are just a few of the challenges CPQ can address. To better understand the full CPQ picture read more on our product page!  

The future of CPQ  

As manufacturers strive for greater efficiency, customization, and competitiveness, CPQ systems will become indispensable tools. These platforms enable businesses to streamline their processes, from configuring complex products to generating accurate quotes and pricing in real-time.  

In an era where customization and speed-to-market are paramount, CPQ systems will be the cornerstone of manufacturing success, offering a strategic advantage by empowering manufacturers to efficiently meet the diverse needs of their customers while maintaining profitability. 

Tacton is committed to helping manufacturers excel in configuring, pricing, and quoting with precision and speed. 

What’s next? 

Download the report from here.

Schedule your personalized demo today! 

Gartner Disclaimer   

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’s 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.  

Gartner and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.   

This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. as part of a larger research document and should be evaluated in the context of the entire document. The Gartner document is available upon request  from Tacton. 

Many customers have a need to optimize the available floor space before placing an order for equipment or systems. One critical aspect of this optimization is layout planning, which involves designing the most efficient arrangement of machines, workstations, and resources within a manufacturing facility or industrial environment.   

Having a well-organized environment is crucial for achieving success, and any inaccuracies can result in significant costs for customers. That’s why more customers are making large efforts to create a perfectly optimized space.  

That’s all changing with Tacton’s Layout Planning, an exciting new approach combining Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) and Visual Configuration, manufacturers are now able to empower their sales reps to quote large scale systems faster and increase win rates by providing visuals that fit directly into customers floor layouts. Let’s take a deep dive into Tacton Layout Planning.  

What are common challenges manufacturers face when selling large scale systems? 

Manufacturers have been struggling to keep up with customer demands. This is especially true when it comes to selling products that need to fit into specific plant floor layouts. The quoting process is often full of errors, bottlenecks and incorrect data that lead to misquoting, delays and ultimately disappointed customers. 

What is Layout Planning? 

Layout Planning is a tool that simplifies customers understanding of how a machine or system will fit on their plant floor. During the quoting process sales reps can place and arrange the whole system configuration or individual machinery directly in the floor plan provided by a prospect or customer. By providing this visualization to customers it helps support their choices by providing layout plans to the corresponding configuration.  

What does the process look like without Tacton Layout Planning? 

In the not-so-distant past, manufacturers and their customers faced a series of challenges when it came to planning and configuring equipment layouts. The process went something like this: 

• Customer Needs: Customers often had concerns about how the manufacturer’s equipment would physically fit into their facility. Questions about space requirements and compatibility were common. 
• 2D Floor Plans: Sales representatives would then request 2D floor plans from customers to facilitate engineering reviews. This step aimed to ensure that the equipment could be accommodated within the available space. 
• Engineering Review: The customer-provided 2D drawings were sent to the engineering team for review. Engineers would scrutinize the plans for any potential conflicts or constraints. 
• Engineer Feedback: After the engineering review, feedback will be relayed back to the sales reps. This feedback could involve necessary adjustments or even limitations on the equipment’s placement. 
• Customer Feedback Loop: If changes were needed, the process repeated, causing significant delays. These delays presented opportunities for competitors to jump in and provide quotes faster. 

What was quoting like before and after Layout Planning?

 

How is the sales cycle expedited with Layout Planning? 

Faster Quotation Process 

Users of Layout Planning can significantly speed up the quotation process by reducing manual handovers and providing visual layout feedback to customers, leading to higher win rates. 

Visualization

One of the most significant advantages of Layout Planning is the ability to visualize equipment placement in 3D. This enhances understanding, as stakeholders can see exactly how the equipment fits within their facility. 

Layout Planning extends Tacton’s existing visual configuration capabilities, empowering CPQ users to position and orient components of the configuration visually through simple drag-and-drop actions. 

No CAD expertise or other software needed

Layout Planning allows sales representatives to create a visual layout of equipment and systems while adjusting configurations without additional CAD software or engineering involvement. 

Streamlining Communication

Layout Planning with CPQ bridges the communication gap between customers, sales representatives, and engineers. Instead of relying on 2D floor plans and back-and-forth emails, CPQ and Layout Configuration provide a way to share quotes that both the sales reps and customers can trust. 

Flexibility

If changes are required, it’s fast and easy to adjust. Customers can see the impact of alterations immediately, ensuring a more dynamic and responsive planning process. Users can adjust configurations to specific spatial needs and requirements, whether unconstrained, in pre-defined positions, or based on uploaded 2D floor plans of existing buildings and environments.

Competitive Edge

With streamlined processes, manufacturers can provide quotes faster and with greater accuracy. This minimizes the window of opportunity for competitors and enhances the manufacturer’s standing in the eyes of the customer. 

Enhanced Customer Experience

Efficient layout planning translates into a smoother customer experience. Customers appreciate the responsiveness and precision that layout planning brings to the table. 

In closing 

Today’s market is increasingly competitive, this makes optimizing efficiency paramount. Traditional methods often lead to inaccuracies, delays, and customer dissatisfaction, creating significant challenges for manufacturers. 

Tacton’s Layout Planning, is a game-changer. It empowers sales reps to quote individualized equipment or large-scale systems faster working alongside the customer. By providing customers with visuals that align perfectly with their real-world spaces, Tacton Layout Planning addresses the common challenges manufacturers face when selling complex systems. 

In a world where success is often determined by speed, accuracy, and customer satisfaction, Tacton Layout Planning is a powerful tool that is reshaping the manufacturing landscape and setting new standards for industrial efficiency. It empowers manufacturers to meet customer demands with confidence and agility, ensuring they remain competitive in a rapidly evolving market. 

Learn more in our video on Layout Planning!:

Interested in learning more? Schedule your call with us today!  

Schedule your demo!

 

The digital landscape is changing faster than ever for buyers across every industry. Many have found new and engaging ways to connect with digital native and savvy buyers who demand seamless buying experiences.  

Creating these exciting experiences hasn’t been so easy for manufacturers who are attempting to cater to a new online industrial buyer. Today’s B2B customers demand the same level of convenience, reliability, and seamless experience they encounter in their personal online shopping, but for their manufacturing products as well. This is no small task of course for manufacturers with highly configurable products.  

Let’s explore the latest insights into the industrial buying journey, the challenges faced, and how manufacturers can address these pain points to provide a transformative selling and buying experience by using Tacton CPQ. 

The Changing Landscape of Industrial Buying 

A recent study by Accenture sheds light on the industrial buying journey and the main pain points experienced by B2B buyers. The study, conducted globally with senior executives in purchasing roles, highlights the shift in expectations and the critical factors driving customer satisfaction.

Let’s dive into the results and examine the primary pain points throughout the customer journey. The top concern identified is reliability. The findings reveal a fascinating trend: most pain points are behavioral rather than product related.  

In other words, most issues stem from interactions and activities surrounding the product, rather than the product itself. This insight offers a clear direction for improving the buying journey, as many of these pain points present opportunities for quick wins and straightforward fixes. 

Reliability and convenience emerged as the top drivers, accounting for half of the pain points. As we break down the customer journey, from the initial search to after-sales service, it becomes evident that expectations shift at different stages. 

Customer Expectations Per Step 

1. Search and Comparison: Customers expect a convenient experience, often favoring self-service options. This preference for convenience continues through the product comparison and selection phases. 
2. Purchase and Delivery: The emphasis shifts to reliability. Customers expect the configured product to be delivered as specified, without issues and quoting mistakes. Instances where configured products cannot be built lead to significant frustration. 
3. After-Sales: Reliability remains crucial, ensuring that the product performs as promised. Responsiveness is also important, and leveraging the latest technology can facilitate rapid responses to customer inquiries. 

Addressing Pain Points with Digital Transformation 

For industrial manufacturers, addressing these pain points is not just a nice-to-have but a necessity to stay competitive. Here’s how manufacturers can tackle these challenges head-on: 

Ensure Reliable Configuration

Manufacturers must ensure that configured products are producible and meet customer expectations without deviation. This involves robust integration with ERP, CRM and PLM systems to guarantee that what is configured can be built. 

Simplify and Enhance the Buying Experience Across Channels

Streamlining processes and offerings can significantly enhance the customer experience.  Tacton CPQ provides one source of truth for reliable and consistent configurations across all sales channels, ensuring that updates and innovations are reflected simultaneously. 

This also means that the updates to the products are also available to all sales channels at the same time, making the latest innovations and price lists up-to-date and making set-up and maintenance easier.  

Leverage Self-Service and Digital Tools

Providing self-service capabilities such as visualization, immediate pricing, and sales BOM (Bill of Materials) empowers buyers to make informed decisions quickly. Documents like quotes, CAD drawings, and layout plans need to be readily available to facilitate internal decision-making within buying teams. 

The Power of Omnichannel Sales and CPQ 

By embracing omnichannel sales, manufacturers can provide a seamless and consistent experience across all touchpoints. This involves embedding CPQ solutions in a platform-agnostic manner, allowing for flexible and brandable UIs without requiring extensive front-end development skills. The goal is to provide reliable configuration, accurate pricing, and immediate responsiveness, meeting the expectations of modern B2B buyers. 

Learn more in our latest webinar

Driving Business Value with Omnichannel Sales and CPQ

The business value of these capabilities is immense: 

• Enhanced Deal Attraction and Conversion Rates: Engaging prospects early in the buying journey and providing a seamless experience increases the likelihood of converting leads into customers. 
• Diversified Sales Portfolio: By offering a comprehensive and user-friendly online configurator, manufacturers can cater to a broader audience across channels. 
• Solution Selling: By focusing on understanding the specific challenges and needs of each customer, sales teams can offer tailored solutions that address those needs comprehensively. This approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also positions the company as a trusted advisor, leading to stronger relationships and increased sales. 
• Selling on Business Values: Buyers can purchase based on their needs such as lowest purchasing price, lowest total cost of ownership, highest uptime, highest performance. 
• Faster Time to Market: Streamlined processes and reliable configurations reduce lead times, enabling manufacturers to bring products to market more quickly. 
• Improved Customer Satisfaction: Meeting the expectations of today’s B2B buyers leads to increased satisfaction and loyalty. 

In closing: 

The industrial buying journey is evolving, and manufacturers must adapt to meet the changing expectations of digitally native buyers. By addressing pain points related to reliability and convenience and leveraging modern digital tools, manufacturers can provide a transformative buying experience that drives sales growth. At Tacton, we’re committed to helping manufacturers reimagine their digital sales transformation and achieve success in the digital age. 

Ready to transform your sales process and meet the demands of modern B2B buyers? Discover how Tacton’s CPQ solutions can help you achieve your goals by scheduling your demo today or watching the full webinar, “Top factors impacting Industrial Buying and Tactics to boost B2B growth with Omnichannel Sales” today! 

What Challenges can CPQ Solve?

Precision, efficiency and profitability are all signs of a healthy manufacturing organization, but achieving these goals is a challenge for many businesses. Manufacturing executives face an array of challenges in their quest to hit these goals.

From an unpredictable supply chain, a changing buyer demographic and sustainability initiatives, the manufacturing sector demands adaptability and innovation. However, amidst these demands, several pain points consistently emerge for manufacturing executives, hindering their ability to thrive in an increasingly competitive market.

Understanding the Pain Points:

1. Process Efficiency:

Product complexity and customer demands have made the process of configuring, pricing and quoting products for manufacturers a huge challenge. These inefficiencies are caused by time-consuming, manual processes that are used to create quotes for customers.

Finding ways to cut down on the time required to create quotes will be a major success factor for new solutions. Streamlining these processes is crucial for enhancing efficiency and reducing manual and time-intensive administrative tasks.

2. Cost Reduction and Margin Improvement:

Every manufacturing operation is actively pursuing strategies to reduce operational costs and enhance profit margins. This involves empowering sales teams to focus on selling value rather than solely emphasizing functions and features. Additionally, companies aim to minimize expenditures related to maintaining existing systems and mitigate quoting errors to prevent revenue loss.

3. Sales and Customer Experience Transformation:

A strong momentum in manufacturing exists towards digital transformation initiatives, encompassing the modernization of sales processes, the adoption of cloud-based solutions to enhance scalability and cost-effectiveness, and the integration of new features aimed at bolstering business support capabilities. But with so many options and different paths executives can take it’s difficult to find a solution that can handle all the challenges faced by a modern manufacturing operation.

Companies strive to enhance the purchasing journey and sales strategies by refining e-commerce interfaces and user experiences (UX). Manufacturers need to adopt strategies that make it easy to sell their products, while also creating an exciting buying experience for their customers.

Additionally, they seek to empower dealers and sales representatives with shared and holistic solutions enabling them to generate precise dimensional drawings and quotes swiftly.

5. Sales and Technical Brain Drain

Many manufacturers also face staffing issues, retirements and key member departures can lead to brain drain for the organization. In 2023 alone, manufacturers on average saw turnover rates at a staggering 28.6%. Adopting new solutions and automation can enhance operational efficiency, improve product quality, and streamline processes by reducing the reliance on a few critical resources companies use to quote their products.

6. Sales Execution and Customer Experience Analytics:

Companies are seeking to streamline their operations by consolidating various systems and configurations, aiming to achieve a unified perspective of the sales lifecycle. This consolidation not only enhances accountability but also minimizes the time required for generating quotes.

7. Competitiveness and Market Adaptability:

In the face of escalating competition, companies must remain agile and adaptable. Finding a solution that decreases costs, boosts sales efficiency, and enables quick adaptation to market changes, ensuring competitiveness in the long run will be critical to success. Find out

 How Tacton Addresses These Trends:

CPQ solutions like Tacton offer a comprehensive suite of features tailored to address the unique pain points of manufacturing executives:

Replicating Your Best Sales Reps and Solution Consultants

With Tacton’s advanced configuration it’s easier than ever to guide customers and sales reps through the sales process. This ensures that even less experienced sales reps can make accurate and optimal product configurations that meet customer needs, like what an expert would do.

Tacton also dynamically generates prices and quotes based on the selected configurations, this ensures that pricing is always accurate and competitive, a task that many times requires deep product and market knowledge.

Simplifying Product Configuration:

CPQ enables manufacturers to streamline product configuration by providing intuitive tools for managing complex product catalogs. By centralizing product data and automating configuration processes, CPQ minimizes errors and ensures consistency across quotes. Find out how our customer IMI uses Tacton to manage their global portfolio of products with Tacton.

Automating Quoting Processes:

With CPQ, manufacturers can automate the generation of quotes, reducing the time and effort required to produce accurate proposals. By integrating with CRM systems and ERP software, CPQ streamlines workflows and facilitates collaboration between sales and engineering teams.

Dynamic Pricing Optimization:

CPQ offers advanced pricing capabilities, allowing manufacturers to implement dynamic pricing strategies based on real-time market data and customer insights. By leveraging pricing analytics CPQ helps manufacturers maximize profitability while remaining competitive.

Accelerating Sales Cycles:

By streamlining quoting processes and providing sales reps with access to self-service tools and guided selling workflows, CPQ accelerates sales cycles and improves win rates. Our customer Siemens reduced quoting time from 8 days to minutes.

Guided Selling and Visualization: 

With features like Guided Selling and 3D Visualization, Tacton enables manufacturers to enhance the sales experience and drive customer engagement through interactive product presentations. 

Confidence for the Newest Sales Rep

With the help of CPQ it’s easier than ever to bring your newest sales reps up to speed on the product portfolio. By creating an error-proof and accurate process with CPQ, even new sales reps can build confidence in selling to your prospects.

Customer-Centric Approach:

Tacton’s customer-centric approach ensures end-to-end support, from lead generation to order fulfillment, fostering long-term relationships and customer satisfaction.

Optimize Products Based on Sustainability Requirements:

With Tacton’s Environmental Footprint Configuration it’s easier than ever to integrate with Life-Cycle Assessment tools to empowers your sales rep or end customer to reduce the footprint through product selections to meet their needs and legislative requirements.

Why Now is the Time to Invest in CPQ:

Amidst technological advancements, market dynamics, and strategic imperatives, the urgency to adopt CPQ solutions has never been greater. With Tacton’s proven track record, industry expertise, and sector-specific solutions, manufacturers can overcome their pain points and embark on a journey towards operational excellence and sustainable growth.

Ready to learn more about how CPQ is changing manufacturing? Get in contact with us!

Let’s chat

Complex manufacturing has fundamentally changed in the past decade. Businesses in the industrial, power generation, elevator and other manufacturing sectors have had to change how they operate. Global competition, supply chain interruptions, and labor shortages are just a few of the challenges businesses have faced.

These challenges have left manufacturers no choice but to digitally transform or disappear. Our latest survey found that 64% of manufacturers are either in the early stages, or well into their digital transformation efforts.

Many of these companies are spearheading their digital transformation efforts with CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) systems because these tools dramatically enhance the efficiency and accuracy of their sales processes, leading to increased customer satisfaction and higher revenue. While customer satisfaction and higher revenue are always on the top of mind for manufacturers, another key feature of CPQ is the wealth of data it provides. This data encompasses configuration selections, sales BOMs, pricing levels, won-lost data and more.

Let’s explore seven use cases that demonstrate how manufacturers can leverage CPQ Analytics to gain valuable insights and drive business decisions. These use cases highlight the unique nature of CPQ data, which is not typically found in other enterprise systems.

What are some common CPQ Analytics Use Cases?

1. Sales Pipeline Analysis

The first use case focuses on sales pipeline analysis. Opportunities can be visualized at various stages of the sales process, from design solution all the way through to order.

With CPQ analytics, it is possible to identify where opportunities are getting stuck, particularly in the final negotiation stage. By examining both the number and the size of opportunities in different stages, efforts can be prioritized to unblock high-value deals. Additionally, the API allows filtering this data by year, providing a temporal perspective on the sales pipeline.

2. Price Positioning Analysis

Next up is price positioning analysis. This analysis helps understand the margin and size of different opportunities.

For instance, patterns in high-margin deals can be seen—whether those deals tend to be won or lost. This analysis can be segmented by application, industry, and year, offering a granular view of pricing strategies. These insights help refine the approach to pricing and ensure competitiveness in the market.

 

3. Parts Reduction Analysis

The third use case is parts reduction analysis. Here, the choices made by customers during the configuration process are analyzed, focusing on various components and materials.

By examining these choices, parts that are rarely selected can be identified. This insight allows for streamlining product offerings, reducing inventory costs, and focusing on popular options that drive sales. Additionally, visualizing these choices in a 3D environment provides a clearer understanding of customer preferences.

4. Product Market Fit Analysis

Product market fit analysis is the fourth use case. This analysis compares customer requirements with the solutions provided, highlighting any over-dimensioned products.

Using a slider tool, solutions that exceed customer requirements by a significant margin can be filtered out. With Tacton, This helps determine if new variants need to be developed that better match customer needs, ensuring products are neither overbuilt nor under-equipped. Refinement and aggregation of the data is handled by the manufacturers preferred Business Intelligence tool such as Qlik, Microsoft BI or Tableau.

5. Service Upsell Analysis

The fifth use case is service upsell analysis. This analysis examines additional services chosen by customers, such as express installation, and their relevance across different industry segments.

By identifying which segments—like medical or public transport—opt for these services, marketing strategies and upsell efforts can be tailored more effectively. Understanding these choices during the configuration process helps align service offerings with customer needs.

6. Customer Value Driver Analysis

Finally, customer value driver analysis focuses on high-importance questions within the configuration process, which are crucial to customer satisfaction.

Analyzing whether customers are actively choosing these options or simply accepting default suggestions reveals how relevant these value drivers are across various industries. This insight helps refine the configurator and improve customer engagement.

7. Quoting Analytics

The additional section is quoting analytics. This use case involves analyzing the quoting process to identify trends and inefficiencies.

By leveraging CPQ analytics, data on quote generation times, approval rates, and conversion rates can be gathered and examined. This analysis can reveal bottlenecks in the quoting process, highlight the most and least effective sales tactics, and provide insights into quote acceptance patterns. Understanding these factors helps streamline the quoting process, ensuring faster turnaround times and higher quote acceptance rates.

In closing

Uncovering and utilizing the wealth of data that comes from CPQ analytics can be a true game changer for manufacturers. With this data it can be easier than ever to understand products, customer needs and more while creating actionable insights to make it easier for your teams to sell their products.

Check out more info about CPQ analytics here!