The first one to solve a prospect’s problem becomes the partner of choice. If you’re wrestling with pricing and product SKUs in multiple places, if quoting takes weeks of technical validation, or if you’re reworking and adjusting quotes consistently, then you’re losing potential business. 

Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) software helps manufacturers generate fast, accurate, and error-free quotes for complex, configurable productsn without consistent engineering input. It connects product data, pricing logic, and customer-facing tools to accelerate sales and simplify even the most customized orders. 

The data confirms that quoting can be an error-riddled process. According to our 2025 State of Manufacturing Report,, 79% of manufacturers experience issues with quote quality, and four in 10 are still quoting manually. As a result, many manufacturers are looking for a better way to quote—with CPQ software. 

This beginner’s guide breaks it down: what CPQ stands for, how it works for manufacturers, and why it has become a critical tool for companies looking to modernize their sales process. 

What does CPQ stand for? Configure, price, quote explained 

CPQ stands for configure, price, quote. It’s a category of software designed to help businesses generate fast, accurate quotes for configurable products without constant intervention from engineering or manual workarounds. 

• Configure: It guides sales teams (and often end customers) through selecting the right options, components, and features based on product rules, compatibility constraints, and technical feasibility. 

• Price: It calculates accurate pricing automatically based on configuration, quantities, regional pricing, bundled services, and discounting rules. 

• Quote: It generates a professional proposal that reflects the full configuration and pricing that’s ready for a customer in minutes, not days. 

Some ERP or CRM platforms offer quoting software, but they’re rarely built for the complexity that manufacturers face. Standard modules often fall short when products have thousands of potential combinations or when pricing depends on engineering validations and regional requirements. CPQ systems are purpose-built for environments where thousands of potential combinations, engineering constraints, and evolving pricing models are the norm.  

What is CPQ for manufacturing? 

Manufacturing introduces a level of complexity that general-purpose CPQ systems simply aren’t built to handle. Whether you’re producing turbines, surgical trays, or pump and valve assemblies, your products likely come with thousands of configuration possibilities, and each must be technically valid, manufacturable, and priced correctly. 

Modern CPQ software built for manufacturing guides sellers and buyers through configuration and also enforces engineering constraints, validates configurations in real time, and ensures that what gets quoted can actually be built. This includes support for complex Bills of Materials (BOMs), which are automatically generated based on product configurations to ensure seamless downstream integration with engineering, production, and ERP systems. 

CPQ systems designed for manufacturers also support: 

• Dynamic pricing models including volume discounts, bundled services, aftermarket and service pricing, regional pricing, and special terms 
• Integration with PLM, ERP, and CAD to keep product data and pricing synchronized across systems 
• 3D and augmented reality (AR) visualization allowing internal teams or end customers to see product configurations in real time 
• Partner and reseller workflows enabling dealer networks to configure and quote accurately without compromising product or pricing rules 
• Self-service capabilities empowering buyers to configure and request quotes directly through digital channels, speeding up response time and reducing sales friction 
• Sustainability tools presenting the carbon footprint of solutions to optimize for customers’ sustainability needs 
• Analytics providing deal data and customer behavior data to help you identify profitable designs and learn what deals are more likely to win

With CPQ, manufacturers can ensure that every quote is accurate, buildable, and delivered faster, whether it’s generated by an internal sales rep, a partner, or the end customer themselves. 

Who uses CPQ software across the enterprise? 

CPQ has traditionally been a back-end tool used to build and price solutions behind the scenes. But, much more than that, it’s a strategic, frontline system that connects engineering, sales, IT, and even the customer. The result: faster, more accurate quotes that align teams and build trust with customers. 

Roles that benefit:

• IT and digital transformation leaders who lead CPQ initiatives, own integrations, and ensure systems scale across global teams 
• Sales and revenue leaders who rely on CPQ to boost sales efficiency, reduce manual work, and support reps in quoting without complete reliance on technical teams 
• Sales engineers who spend less time validating quotes and more time on strategic solutions 
• Channel partners, distributors, or resellers who can quote accurately and independently with pre-set rules and configuration tools within the OEM’s CPQ  
• Engineering and product leaders who trust CPQ to enforce complex product logic and support faster innovation 
• CPQ managers and solution owners who evaluate systems and ensure adoption across teams 
• Executive leadership who use CPQ to drive digital transformation, customer-centric growth, and long-term scalability 

Common challenges solved by CPQ software 

CPQ software helps resolve the friction and inefficiencies found in traditional manufacturing sales of products with hundreds or thousands of variations: 

• Slow quote cycles: Replace multi-week quoting processes with real-time, automated tools 
• Sales-engineering bottlenecks: Reduce the need for engineering approvals on every quote 
• Quote errors and rework: Prevent invalid configurations and manual pricing mistakes 
• Pricing inconsistencies: Enforce pricing rules across global regions and sales channels and avoid over-discounting with automated margin control  
• Outdated or manual quoting: Eliminate reliance on spreadsheets, email-based quoting, and wading through multiple systems to respond to an RFQ 

Top benefits of CPQ software: Is CPQ worth it for your business? 

CPQ software helps sales, engineering, and operations teams eliminate bottlenecks in the quoting process, which drives better business outcomes across the board. Here are just a few of the benefits manufacturers see when they implement CPQ systems: 

• Faster quote turnaround: Quotes that once took days or weeks can now be done in minutes, allowing your team to respond to customers before the competition does. 
• Fewer errors and rework: By embedding product and pricing rules into the quoting process, CPQ helps eliminate misconfigurations, manual pricing mistakes, and unnecessary back-and-forth with engineering. 
• Reduced sales dependency on engineering: Teams spend less time chasing approvals and more time closing deals, freeing up engineering resources for higher-value work. 
• Consistent, scalable pricing: Whether you’re quoting in North America, Europe, or Asia, CPQ ensures pricing logic is enforced across markets, dealers, and sales teams. 
• Improved customer experience: Faster, more accurate quotes lead to smoother sales conversations and increased buyer confidence. 

Examples of CPQ in manufacturing 

These benefits aren’t just theoretical. Take Siemens Energy as an example. Before implementing CPQ, it took their team up to eight weeks to generate a customer quote, often requiring deep engineering involvement and manual effort. After adopting Tacton CPQ, Siemens reduced quote generation time from eight weeks to minutes. 

Siemens isn’t alone. Manufacturers like Spectrum Industries have seen an 50% increase in quoting efficiency, while companies like Bromma have improved lead times and supplier relationships with CPQ integration. Our State of Manufacturing report also finds that the top benefits among over 200 global manufacturers include improved selling precision and greater alignment between commercial and technical or production teams. 

CPQ vs. ERP and CRM tools for quoting 

You may be thinking, “We already quote through our ERP or CRM.” Though those tools may cover basic quoting needs, they weren’t designed for your complex manufacturing needs. 

• ERP is typically rigid and backend-focused. They’re great for tracking inventory and managing orders, but they aren’t built to handle real-time product configuration or customer interaction. Most ERP systems lack the flexibility to guide users through compatibility rules or enforce technical constraints during quoting. 

• CRM as a buyer engagement tool often falls short because, it stops at the surface. While they’re useful for managing relationships and pipeline data, they typically don’t have the depth to support complex pricing logic, engineering rules, or manufacturing feasibility. 

Excel or manual quoting is surprisingly common, but it’s also the most vulnerable. Quotes built on spreadsheets and email chains are prone to version control issues, delays, and costly errors. 

That’s where CPQ software makes a major difference. It enhances and works with your ERP or CRM to centralize critical data. CPQ connects your CRM’s front-end sales process with the ERP’s backend fulfillment and manufacturing systems.  

How to know if CPQ is right for your business 

Still unsure whether CPQ is the right fit for your organization? If any of the following statements sound familiar, then it might be time to consider a CPQ solution built for manufacturers: 

• If your quotes are frequently reworked due to errors, missed requirements, or miscommunications
• If you’re losing customers to competitors due to slow responsiveness
• If your sales team spends more time quoting than actually selling
• If launching a new product means long delays updating your quoting tools
• If you don’t have a way for buyers to easily explore your product on their own terms
• If you’re expanding into new regions or markets
• If each quote requires tribal knowledge or you expect that your veteran technical experts and sellers will be retiring soon
• If partners or resellers struggle to quote without your support
• If you can’t easily see which quotes are winning, losing, or stalling
• If sustainability or compliance is increasingly important in your industry

Types of CPQ software 

When choosing a CPQ solution, it’s helpful to understand the types of systems available: 

• Embedded/Platform-based CPQ: Basic functionality is often embedded in CRM or ERP systems, and CPQ is part of a larger portfolio of software products. These tend to have limited configuration or pricing flexibility. 
• Standalone, industry-specific CPQ: Built for the needs of manufacturers, these systems support complex product logic, CAD/PLM integration, and regional pricing. 
• Cloud-based CPQ vs. on-prem CPQ: Modern CPQ platforms are web-based, but companies with certain restrictions and legacy tools may use an on-premise tool.
• AI-powered CPQ: Next-gen CPQ software uses machine learning and other intelligent tools to suggest optimal configurations, pricing strategies, or quote content based on historical data and customer behavior. 

How to get started with CPQ software 

Before diving into demos or feature comparisons, take a step back and start with your quoting process. 

• Focus on your biggest quoting challenges. Where are the delays happening? What’s causing the most friction between sales and engineering? Which quotes tend to require the most back-and-forth? Identifying these bottlenecks will help you define your goals and prioritize what matters most. 
• Include all stakeholders in the evaluation process to align on needs. Successful CPQ projects involve input from sales, engineering, IT, and operations. Each team brings a unique perspective, and collaboration is crucial to ensuring the solution fits both technical needs and business goals. 
• Zero in on your most complex or error-prone products. You don’t need to transform your entire catalog overnight. Start with one product line or region where CPQ can make an immediate impact and scale from there. 
• Choose a CPQ platform built for your complexity. Not all CPQ systems are created equal. Look for a solution that handles engineering rules, supports integration with your ERP and PLM systems, and offers guided selling for non-technical users. 

By starting with your pain points and involving the right people, you can set your CPQ initiative up for long-term success. 

Why manufacturers choose Tacton 

For manufacturers with complex, configurable products, not just any CPQ will do. Tacton CPQ is made for the specific demands of industrial and engineer-to-order environments, where quoting accuracy, speed, and product feasibility are mission-critical. 

Tacton brings decades of experience working with global leaders in medtech, industrial machinery, heavy vehicles, and more, helping them simplify complexity while improving the way they sell. Unlike generic CPQ platforms, Tacton was designed from the ground up to handle engineering rules, system integration, and highly customized pricing models, all without compromising speed or user experience. 

Tacton also transforms the buying experience, empowering customers and sales teams with guided selling tools that make even the most complex products easy to understand, configure, and quote. These benefits are why we’ve been recognized as a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for CPQ Applications, underscoring our commitment to innovation and excellence in the manufacturing space. 

Ready to see what CPQ can do for your business?  

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In manufacturing today, 43% of businesses rely on Excel for complex quoting, and 51% require engineering involvement for most quotes. One small error can trigger rework and lost revenue. It’s slow, risky, and inefficient, but it’s familiar. And that familiarity often overrides the urgency to update the tech stack with configure, price, quote (CPQ) software. However, the benefits of CPQ software extend beyond efficiency, enabling scalable, accurate, and customer-centric selling while protecting margins.

Manufacturers using CPQ, especially those using modern third-party platforms, are seeing measurable gains in quoting accuracy, speed, and buyer satisfaction. These benefits are outweighing the change fatigue associated with implementing CPQ and user adoption.

What is CPQ?

At its core, CPQ software automates and simplifies the process of configuring complex products, calculating accurate pricing, and generating fast, professional quotes. It replaces slow, manual quoting processes with a centralized, rules-driven or constraint-driven configuration engine that ensures every quote is accurate, optimized, and aligned to business goals.

Within the manufacturing industry, your customers may need to wait for days while your sales team liaises with various departments to determine what’s viable and create a quote that reflects the work involved.

Today’s customers don’t want to wait. And now they don’t have to, because one of the significant CPQ benefits is that salespeople can create and share sales quotes at the click of a button.

While this is the most basic function of CPQ software, contemporary offerings go much further to improve the customer experience. Let’s examine the pros of CPQ software and how CPQ benefits your organization.

Why use CPQ: Real-world CPQ benefits and examples

CPQ software for manufacturers delivers measurable results across the entire sales and production cycle. Companies that have invested in CPQ are seeing improvements in outcomes that directly impact competitiveness and profitability. According to our 2025 State of Manufacturing report, that looks like:

• 32% improved accuracy
• 32% better alignment between sales, engineering, and production
• 31% faster lead times
• 29% greater visibility into quoting data
• 24% enhanced customer experience
• 24% reduced quote turnaround time

How do these CPQ benefits translate into tangible business impact for manufacturers?

1. Protect profit margins

CPQ software addresses margin drains by embedding accurate configuration rules, pricing logic, and discount guardrails directly into the quoting process. Sales teams are guided to only sell what’s feasible and profitable, while pricing and approval workflows ensure quotes reflect up-to-date costs and margin targets. In addition, CPQ provides valuable information into sales data that informs teams of what sells and what isn’t worth the production effort.

Vantage Elevator Solutions and Bromma improved margin control and profitability by centralizing and optimizing their quoting processes with CPQ.

Vantage eliminated costly misquotes and rework by using constraint-based configuration to ensure every quote was accurate and manufacturable, protecting margins on every deal.

Bromma consolidated quoting through CPQ and integrated real-time analytics to track margin impact, forecast component demand, and fine-tune pricing. As a result, both companies gained greater control over pricing discipline, reduced cost-to-serve, and increased overall profitability.

2. Increase quoting turnover and accelerate revenue generation

In fast-moving markets, quoting delays can mean lost deals. Quoting automation software streamlines the entire process, so sales teams generate accurate quotes without waiting on engineering or manual validation.

Siemens Energy’s turbine solutions are tailored to unique customer specifications, with hundreds of potential configurations. Previously, generating a customer proposal required up to eight weeks of effort and heavy involvement from engineering, with proposals stretching to 500 pages. Through their CPQ’s guided selling and a restructured product architecture, sales teams can now configure turbines and generate accurate quotes in minutes. This has unlocked greater throughput, faster response times, and reduced dependence on technical staff.

3. Improve quoting accuracy

Inaccuracies lead to a poor customer experience and, worse, lost deals. Manual processes are prone to errors in product configuration, pricing, and order details.

Your process must be perfect every time, because as many as 86% of customers will abandon a brand after just two bad experiences.

CPQ removes this risk by automating complex logic and enforcing consistent business rules.

When automating quoting, manufacturers consistently report fewer order errors, fewer production delays, and faster time to delivery. For example, before implementing CPQ, Durst, a global leader in digital printing solutions, relied on an Excel-based quoting process that often resulted in errors or inconsistent solutions, requiring lengthy approvals and renegotiations with customers. With CPQ software, Durst’s sales teams can generate thousands of error-free quotes per month, with pricing calculations that once took hours now completed in seconds.

4. Create a consistent, scalable sales process

CPQ enables manufacturers to scale without sacrificing accuracy or consistency, whether they’re expanding product offerings or selling through global dealer networks.

Configure-to-Order (CTO) manufacturing at scale

CTO allows manufacturers to deliver tailored products by assembling from modular, pre-engineered components. CPQ supports this by:

• Validating only buildable product combinations
• Automating BOMs and pricing for each configuration
• Reducing engineering involvement in every quote

This makes it possible to offer customized solutions without slowing down quoting or increasing risk, so manufacturers can scale product variety and sell without constant validation from technical experts.

Consistent quoting across dealers and resellers

CPQ standardizes how products are configured and quoted across all sales channels.

• Every dealer or partner uses the same logic, pricing, and product data.
• Quotes reflect the latest product rules and market-specific requirements.
• Customers get the same professional, reliable experience, no matter who they buy from.

For so many manufacturers who heavily rely on resellers, partner enablement is essential. Vencomatic Group, for example, faced growing complexity as it expanded its poultry farming equipment into new markets, each with its own set of regulatory requirements. Their CPQ acts as a dealer-ready configurator that automatically applies country-specific rules. Dealers now quote 40–50% faster, with consistent accuracy across markets and sales teams.

5. Improve customer satisfaction and buyer engagement

Customer satisfaction is the most critical battleground in modern-day business. That is why contemporary CPQ suites contain various tools to enhance customer satisfaction. So, it should be no surprise that companies using CPQ software see a 17% higher lead conversion rate.

CPQ software improves customer satisfaction rates through several techniques, including:

• Accurate quoting
• Self-service purchasing process
• Faster contracting process
• 3D visualizations of their orders
• Personalized service

Remember, 89% of consumers have said they will switch to a different brand if you don’t provide the service your prospects expect, making a CPQ an excellent part of your customer retention strategy.

Spectrum Industries, which designs and manufactures technology-integrated furniture solutions for education and commercial environments, digitized nearly 1,000 products and automated pricing, BOM generation, and 3D visualization using CPQ. As a result, they now deliver personalized, visually rich quotes 50% faster, creating a more engaging buyer experience that strengthens loyalty.

6. Align teams through a single source of truth

Unlike spreadsheets, modern CPQ platforms are designed for seamless integration with core enterprise systems, including ERP, CRM, and CAD. This connectivity ensures that quoting processes remain aligned with production, pricing, inventory, and customer data, creating a more connected and efficient workflow across the organization. CPQ software also creates automated Bills of Material (BOMs), including sales BOMs, production BOMs, and engineering BOMs, with vital data sent directly to the ERP and supply chain management systems for streamlined productivity.

Tetra Pak’s success is a prime example. By tightly integrating CPQ with its ERP, CRM, and PIM platforms, Tetra Pak established CPQ as a single source of truth, providing reliable data across the entire sales process. With this foundation, Tetra Pak runs a coherent, globally consistent sales operation and sees greater alignment between different functions to seamlessly sell and deliver its products.

7. Data-driven decision making

With embedded analytics and real-time visibility into quoting data, CPQ provides valuable insights that simply aren’t possible with manual tools. Leaders gain the ability to track:

• Quote win/loss rates by region, product, or salesperson
• Margin performance across product lines or deal types
• Discounting patterns that erode profitability
• Configuration trends that highlight what’s selling—and what isn’t worth building

IMI, a global engineering leader with a highly complex product portfolio, uses CPQ to consolidate over 200 specialty tools into a single source of truth, affording the company greater visibility and control over its quoting and sales data. This visibility into their data has helped unify global sales processes, improve portfolio selling, and expand their customer reach.

By standardizing configurations and analyzing quote data in real time, IMI has reduced unnecessary engineering hours, shortened lead times, and enabled smarter supply chain planning

8. Support for talent shortages and knowledge transfer

According to global manufacturers, 34% of sales and engineering staff are expected to retire in the next five years. Sales rep turnover is significant, with some agents leaving organizations within two years of joining. Some industry estimates state that it can take 3.2 months to fully train a new addition to the team, followed by a long period for them to get up to speed.

That drains your resources, which is why CPQ is such a powerful addition to any business. CPQ reduces training time for new sales reps by embedding guided selling, configuration logic, and pricing validation directly into the quoting process. Even reps without deep technical knowledge can begin quoting complex products quickly and accurately. This technical knowledge exists in your systems even as long-time veterans retire and take tribal knowledge with them.

This was a key benefit for Conf Industries. Previously, much of the company’s product knowledge lived in the heads of senior technical staff. Now, with the entire product portfolio and configuration logic expressed in CPQ, the business is far less vulnerable to knowledge loss.

Why the type of CPQ you implement impacts the outcomes you achieve

Not all CPQ systems are created equal, and there are unique benefits of CPQ software that homegrown CPQ tools may not offer in the long-term. Homegrown or heavily customized CPQ tools may seem sufficient and tailored at first, but they often fall short as business needs evolve.

In contrast, third-party CPQ software, especially purpose-built for complex manufacturing, offers scalability, speed, and strategic advantage that internal tools rarely match.

Manufacturers using third-party CPQ are seeing the following benefits:

• Better ability to configure complex products at scale (28% vs. 19% for homegrown)
• Stronger customer experience due to faster, more accurate quotes (28% vs. 13%)
• Fewer ongoing admin and maintenance challenges (2% vs. 26%)
• Faster lead times and shorter quote cycles, with improved alignment across teams

Implement CPQ with Tacton

The benefits of CPQ extend to every aspect of your sales process. You can improve your sales team’s operations, reduce errors throughout the process, and bolster the customer experience by letting your prospects operate independently. Our CPQ buyer engagement platform includes:

• Constraint-based configuration and dynamci pricing automation that guarantees valid, buildable product combinations
• Visual configuration and CAD automation that simplify even the most complex sales processes
• Document automation to streamline quote and proposal generation
• Deep integrations with ERP, CRM, and CAD systems to ensure seamless end-to-end workflows
• Easy administration makes your front and back office even more effective with data management tools, sales, workflows, and approvals.
• Data analytics feed your business intelligence to improve your offerings and how you serve your customers.

Ready to see what Tacton CPQ can do for you?

 

The Tacton 2025 State of Manufacturing Report reveals that while manufacturers are doubling down on operational efficiency, many still face persistent configure, price, quote (CPQ) implementation challenges that prevent them from realizing the full benefits of automated quoting software. Even as 53% of manufacturers now respond to requests for quotes within 24 hours, 79% continue to struggle with quoting quality. Despite growing pressure to improve the customer experience with speed and accuracy, many manufacturers still rely on manual quoting, static catalogs, and siloed systems that slow down sales and introduce costly errors.

As CPQ rises on the IT agenda, this guide explores the most common CPQ implementation pitfalls and outlines a proven, phased approach to help manufacturers overcome these barriers and drive long-term value.

Why CPQ implementation fails — and how to fix it

Despite growing urgency, many manufacturers continue to struggle with CPQ implementation. According to the more than 200 global manufacturers surveyed in the report, several barriers consistently derail or delay CPQ implementation success:

• Integration with ERP, CRM, and legacy systems (20%)
• Complex product configurations (20%)
• Difficulty proving ROI and securing budget approval (16%)
• Internal resistance to change (14%)
• Lack of internal CPQ expertise (10%)
• Platform maintenance concerns (9%)

CPQ implementation challenges stem from broader industry dynamics. Familiarity with existing (but inefficient) tools often leads to complacency. For example, 43% of manufacturers use spreadsheets for CPQ, and nearly half of Excel users report being “very satisfied” with their current quoting processes despite high error rates.

At the same time, product complexity is increasing. A third of manufacturers report that product selection is overwhelming due to the sheer number of options. Nearly as many cite incomplete or inconsistent product information as a barrier to guiding customers to the right solutions.

Organizational readiness is another stumbling block. While 67% of manufacturers rate digital transformation as a high or highest priority, the report indicates that 42% are still in the early stages, hindered by costs, resource constraints, and resistance to change. Sales transformation lags behind other areas: only 10% of manufacturers say go-to-market teams have significant influence on transformation initiatives. This lack of cross-functional alignment leaves CPQ efforts disconnected from broader strategic priorities.

Finally, many CPQ projects falter due to unrealistic expectations. Manufacturers often underestimate the data preparation required to enable scalable CPQ or attempt to tackle too broad a scope in the first phase.

To overcome these CPQ implementation mistakes and challenges, IT leaders must approach CPQ as a cross-functional business transformation. Here’s how we do it.

A four-phase CPQ implementation framework for successful deployment

At Tacton, we’ve helped leading manufacturers implement CPQ across complex product lines, geographies, and sales channels. Based on this experience and informed by the latest market trends, we recommend a four-phase framework to guide the journey.

Phase 1: Align strategy, stakeholders, and scope

Too often, CPQ projects fail before they truly begin because the organization lacks a clear, shared vision for success. In this first phase, focus on building strategic alignment, defining the project scope, and engaging stakeholders early. This is where you lay the foundation to overcome common hurdles, such as uncertainty about which CPQ fits your needs, lack of internal expertise, stakeholder resistance, and integration complexity.

• Start by identifying the problems CPQ must solve, whether it’s reducing quoting errors, shortening lead times, improving configuration accuracy, or enabling self-service. Prioritize the outcomes that matter most the business.
• Hold stakeholder workshops to align goals across sales, engineering, IT, marketing, or operations and to define how your end users will use its features. Bring together functions that often have different views on what CPQ should accomplish. For instance, sales might prioritize speed and ease of use, while engineering may focus on accuracy and manufacturability.
• Define a minimum viable product (MVP) that targets one product line, geography, or sales channel to validate the tool, refine your approach, and generate early success.
• Avoid trying to integrate everything out of the gate by starting with just the systems (CRM, ERP) required for MVP success. For most manufacturers, this typically includes CRM for managing quoting processes and ERP for driving order creation and fulfillment.
• Define KPIs upfront, such as quote accuracy, cycle time, error rates, time to production, or customer satisfaction rates, to demonstrate ROI and guide future phases and justify broader rollout.

Phase 2: Enablement and initial success

With your strategic foundation in place, Phase 2 moves into execution. The goal of this phase is threefold: prepare foundational data, rules, and documentation; enable key users and internal teams; and build a CPQ-ready system based on real product logic.

An initial hurdle to overcome is product configuration complexity. Many manufacturers sell highly engineered, customizable products, but the rules governing how those products are configured often live in scattered spreadsheets, disconnected systems, and even in the heads of veteran employees. This fragmented state leads to bad or siloed product data.

• Document tribal knowledge—some of which may live in veterans’ heads, and centralize product and business logic, rules, and configuration data. A great way to do this is to start again in increments. Selecting one product for instance, and gathering all the data tables, UI fields, and configuration logic will show how the process should work optimally.
• Clean and structure the data before configuring the tool. It’s tempting to build out CPQ flows right away, but doing so without a solid data foundation leads to endless rework.
• Design guided selling flows and product logic that simplify complex quoting processes for your users. The goal is to make configuration as intuitive as possible, especially for sales teams that may lack deep engineering knowledge. Involving cross-functional teams (sales, engineering, and operations) in testing these flows ensures that the system is practical and aligns with real-world needs.
• Set up a controlled test environment using real scenarios to validate configuration logic and usability before rolling out to a broader audience. Gather user feedback and refine the configuration before scaling to a larger audience.

Phase 3: Drive adoption and test at scale

Even with a well-configured CPQ system, success ultimately hinges on user adoption and proper change management. At this stage, manufacturers often encounter internal resistance to new tools; some underestimate the rollout effort. Phase 3 focuses on a thoughtful, phased rollout designed to build momentum.

• Test the solution with real users, ideally in a limited rollout. Many manufacturers pilot CPQ with a single product line, sales region, or customer segment, allowing the team to validate the system and the broader sales process while managing risk.
• Target training to each function. For example, sales teams may focus on guided selling and pricing workflows, while engineering users might engage more deeply with product logic and exception handling. The goal is to equip every user with the knowledge and confidence to use the system effectively.
• During the pilot, gather feedback through multiple channels: user testing, surveys, support logs, and direct input from sales and engineering teams. User interface testing is especially important; if the interface is unintuitive, users will revert to old manual processes.

Treating the rollout like a product launch can build internal excitement. Share early success stories, communicate benefits clearly, and provide visible leadership support. Engaging pilot users as internal advocates can help drive broader buy-in across the organization.

Phase 4: Continuous optimization

Successful CPQ implementation is not a one-and-done event; manufacturers must invest in continuous optimization to ensure long-term impact.

At this stage, several new CPQ implementation challenges often emerge, including ongoing administration and maintenance concerns, the need to prove long-term ROI, and lack of internal ownership for post-launch success. Many companies underestimate how much attention CPQ will require after go-live. Without a clear plan for continuous optimization, progress will stall.

• Establish release management and ongoing user training as standard processes. CPQ systems should evolve along with your products, pricing strategies, and customer needs. Establish a governance framework that defines how you will update product logic, rules, and integrations.
• Track and report on your defined KPIs. Demonstrating clear improvements in quoting accuracy, cycle time, or error rates will sustain leadership support and secure future investment.
• Look for opportunities to expand usage to new teams, product lines, or sales channels. Many manufacturers start with a focused MVP and gradually roll out CPQ to a broader audience as internal expertise grows. Add advanced capabilities, such as visualization and CAD automation, in future phases once the core system is performing well.
• Build internal capability to manage and optimize CPQ over time. The more self-sufficient your teams become, the less dependent you’ll be on external resources. Train internal administrators and “power users” to handle day-to-day maintenance, support, and minor enhancements, which will foster a culture of continuous learning and keep the solution aligned with your evolving business needs.

CPQ implementation best practices and pitfalls to avoid

Even with the right phased approach, CPQ implementation can run into common pitfalls. Many of these challenges stem from the same patterns we’ve seen across hundreds of manufacturing projects.

• Consider third-party platforms that speed up time to value and reduce the need for continued maintenance resources. Homegrown tools can cost millions to implement without easy long-term scalability or innovation, and they create risk when internal CPQ expertise leaves the company. Software services provide the ongoing support and expertise to continue deriving value from your investment.
• Don’t customize too much, too soon. It’s tempting to take on complex integrations or advanced features from day one, but this often leads to project delays and user frustration.
• Don’t lose focus on customer-centricity. CPQ enables you to get more out of your internal processes with faster quoting, better accuracy, and better alignment between sales and production. This is great, but sometimes companies lose track of how it can help customers. A well-designed CPQ project helps enable your company to use not only CPQ, but build a tool that empowers customers to get the information they need as easily as possible.
• Avoid scope creep. This is very common in CPQ projects as you learn about and define processes that quite often were never documented before. Define project objectives early and refer to them as much as possible when deciding on changes to the project. Have a defined change control process with a steering group that has backing from senior management.
• Invest the time upfront to clean and structure product data. If product and pricing data is inconsistent or incomplete, even the best-configured CPQ system will struggle to deliver value.
• Involve all affected departments from the very beginning and keep them engaged throughout the project. Too often, companies implement CPQ in a silo, leading to poor adoption and disconnected processes.

Why Tacton’s CPQ approach delivers

While many CPQ solutions can help streamline quoting, not all approaches are designed to handle the unique challenges of manufacturing, especially when products are highly configurable and processes span complex systems. That’s where our CPQ implementation methodology stands apart.

• We take a consultative approach. From discovery through deployment, we work closely with customers to align scope, goals, and stakeholder priorities to help you build the best business case and maximize ROI.
• We prioritize enablement. Our methodology is designed to build internal expertise so manufacturers can own their tool.
• We’re built for manufacturing realities. Our solution handles complex product configuration, including engineered products, BOMs, regional pricing, and multi-system environments with ease.
• We support every step of the journey. With a proven customer success framework, we help manufacturers achieve impact from MVP through continuous optimization and expansion.

Start with the right foundation from proven CPQ implementation best practices.

Where is your organization in the CPQ journey? Whether you’re evaluating your first CPQ solution or looking to transition from an existing system, Tacton can help you take the next step.

Conf Industries, an Italian manufacturer of customizable hospital logistics equipment, saw a clear opportunity. Sales were strong, and demand for customized products was growing, but quoting was hindering speed-to-market. Each custom request triggered engineering reviews, manual BOM creation, and back-and-forth with sales. A simple caster swap could delay an order by days. 

They needed to move faster not just in production, but in how their organization handled sales, configuration, and customer engagement. 

Across the medtech industry, quoting is becoming a critical pivot point. Whether you’re launching a surgical platform or expanding into outpatient channels, speed-to-market depends on how quickly, and how accurately, you can configure, price, and quote highly customized solutions. 

The new medtech market reality: Medtech sales models are feeling the squeeze, and quoting is a flashpoint 

According to KPMG’s insights on medical device sales, revenue growth in medtech is being challenged by shifting buyer dynamics, persistent supply chain issues, and a slew of industry factors. 

Sales leaders are navigating: 

• A shift toward economic buyers, with finance and procurement exerting more influence than clinical stakeholders. 
• M&A-driven consolidation, requiring sales teams to position integrated ecosystems rather than single products. 
• Rising expectations for digital customer experiences, including hybrid interactions and on-demand configuration support. 
• Continued supply chain volatility, making it critical to align quotes with what can actually be delivered. 

These pressures expose a weakness in many medtech companies and outdated quoting processes that create friction between initial customer interest and final delivery. When quotes take days to generate and weeks to fulfill, even efficient manufacturing can’t deliver the speed that today’s market demands. 

Streamlining technical validation in the configuration process 

In regulated medical environments, product configuration requires precision. Every component combination must meet regulatory standards and manufacturing constraints. This requirement traditionally places technical departments at the center of the quoting process, creating a bottleneck. 

“It has to pass through the technical office,” explains Flavio Ventura, CEO of Conf Industries, describing their pre-automation approach. This technical validation step added days to their sales cycle, dramatically slowing their time to market. 

Efficiency-driven manufacturers are digitizing their product knowledge into rules-based or constraint-based configuration engines. These configure, price, quote (CPQ) systems ensure that every quote meets all engineering, regulatory, and manufacturing requirements automatically. 

Conf Industries embedded their product and engineering rules directly into their CPQ system, with the ability to configure valid solutions easily on their website without relying on a technical expert. This approach eliminated almost all communication errors between teams and customers. “We practically reduced the error in communication, basically, by 95%,” notes Ventura. By creating validated configurations from the start, they removed a major source of delay in the customer journey. 

Redirecting engineering talent to innovation 

The medtech industry faces growing pressure to innovate faster while managing increasingly complex product portfolios. Yet engineering talent often gets consumed by routine quote validation rather than new product development. 

This misallocation creates a compound problem: it slows current sales while delaying the development of future products. When engineers spend their time checking configurations instead of designing new solutions, innovation stalls. 

By automating the configuration validation process, Conf Industries made a significant change in how they deploy their technical talent. “This actually created a save of time around 80 percent,” Ventura explains. “We can connect directly the sales team to the production team without disturbing [engineering].” 

The company now dedicates five of their six previously sales-focused engineers to research and development initiatives. This reallocation accelerates their ability to bring new products to market while simultaneously improving quote speed, creating a dual benefit for overall speed-to-market. 

Connecting sales promises with production reality 

Recent supply chain disruptions have highlighted a disconnect in many medtech organizations: sales teams making delivery promises without full visibility into production capacity. This misalignment often leads to either overly conservative delivery estimates or promises that can’t be fulfilled. 

Leading manufacturers are connecting quoting systems directly to production data. This integration helps maintain that quotes reflect current capacity and realistic timeframes. 

Conf Industries saw dramatic improvements in delivery times after modernizing their CPQ process to align solutions with manufacturability and send an accurate bill of materials (BOM) directly to production from sales. “We cut delivery dates on the standard production, definitely,” Ventura explains. “On the standard production, we cut the delivery date about 50 percent, I believe. We are now able to give to customer, for certain products, like 15 days delivery. In the past, it used to be at least 40, 45 days.” 

By creating a direct connection between sales and production, they eliminated additional friction that was extending their delivery windows. For medtech companies struggling to meet today’s supply challenges, this ability to confidently commit to faster delivery creates a meaningful market advantage. 

Empowering eistribution channels with self-service configuration 

The medtech sales model typically spans multiple channels, including direct sales teams, independent distributors, and procurement partners. This complexity creates knowledge gaps that slow down the sales process. 

When distributors can’t configure products without factory support, the sales cycle extends by days or weeks. For customers expecting rapid responsiveness, poor experiences turn potentially loyal businesses away. 

Conf Industries addressed this challenge by giving their distributors direct access to their Tacton CPQ platform. “So try to imagine [giving] this power to the distributor directly… They’re not gonna call you anymore asking you technical things.” observes Ventura. “You go on the CPQ tools and you can add it by yourself, and you know the price that you get. And then if you wanna sell it to your end user, you get the end user price to you.” 

The company accelerated sales across their network while creating a consistent experience across all channels. By democratizing configuration capabilities throughout their sales ecosystem, Conf Industries enabled every partner, as well as customers through their web configurator, to operate with the same speed and accuracy as their internal teams. 

Turning configuration data into market intelligence 

Digital quoting systems provide valuable visibility into customer preferences and market trends. By analyzing which configurations customers request, manufacturers can identify high-demand combinations and declining product lines. Conf Industries transitioned from predicting insights based on ERP data to being able to predict insights directly from their offers in CPQ. 

“The insights you can take through CPQ now is to understand which trends are driving your market,” Ventura explains. At Conf Industries, this visibility led to significant portfolio refinement: “I probably cut some of them, like 50 to 60 products in the catalog, because there was no amazing demand anymore.” 

By concentrating resources on high-demand products, manufacturers can further improve speed-to-market for their most important offerings. They’re optimizing a cycle where market intelligence continuously refines the product portfolio, making it progressively faster to quote, produce, and deliver what customers actually want. 

The compounding benefits for speed-to-market 

For manufacturers embracing modern quoting approaches, the impact on speed-to-market extends throughout the entire commercial process: 

• Quotes generated in minutes rather than days 
• Engineering resources redirected to innovation and new product launches 
• Delivery timelines aligned with actual production capacity 
• Channel partners empowered with self-service capabilities 
• Product portfolios optimized based on market demand 

Conf Industries’ experience illustrates the potential magnitude of these improvements:  

• 80% faster quote processing 
• 50% shorter delivery windows 
• 95% fewer communication errors.  

Similar results are being reported across the medtech landscape as more manufacturers recognize the strategic importance of sales and quoting automation. 

Meeting new medtech market expectations 

As the industry continues evolving toward greater customization, digital purchasing expectations, and value-based selling, speed-to-market has become a critical competitive differentiator. The days when medical device companies could succeed with slow, manual quoting processes are rapidly disappearing. 

Today’s market leaders recognize that speed-to-market in medical device and medtech sales begins with the first customer interaction. By transforming how they configure, price, and quote their solutions, they’re creating commercial velocity. 

If quoting is the roadblock between your product and your customer, it’s time to move. Learn how Tacton CPQ helps medtech manufacturers quote faster, sell smarter, and grow without friction. 

Explore Tacton for Medtech