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Unified Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) and Ecommerce for Microsoft Dynamics 365 (Experlogix and DynamicWeb)
DynamicWeb
If you have ever ordered a product online that can be customized with different parts, colors, or designs, you were probably using a configurator. Integrated with an eCommerce website, a product configurator unleashes the power of the web to simplify the
Providing powerful web-based experiences has become a core competitive practice across many industries, especially in 2020. One type of digital experience is really starting to gain traction: online product configurators. Odds are you’ve even used one yourself!
If you have ever ordered a product online that can be customized with different parts, colors, or designs, you were probably using a configurator. Integrated with an eCommerce website, a product configurator unleashes the power of the web to simplify the purchasing of complex products in a way that’s interactive, visual, and easy-to-understand for your customers.
Beyond traditional eCommerce sites that sell stocked products, there are entire industries for make-to-order products that are shifting to eCommerce. In fact, many companies in these industries already use a product configurator for their sales reps, and are now looking to extend those tools to their customers and dealer networks.
In an eCommerce configurator experience, customers have the power to build their own configurations, quotes, and even place orders, reducing time spent on quotes by your sales reps and increasing sales conversion rates.
Automate the entire Quote-to-Order-to-Manufacture process
In a typical quote-to-order scenario, quoting initiates the sales process which is followed by a proposal/contract, negotiation and then an order. A Bill of Materials is then created off the sales order and sent to production.
A configurator, like Experlogix, brings all these steps together with integrations to ERP and CRM to provide real-time component availability and compatibility. Extending the Configure-Price-Quote process to your eCommerce site provides customers with a complete self-service environment including login, shopping cart, order history and much more.
Configurators can take many shapes based on industry or type of product. Whether it uses drop-down menus and checkboxes, or is heavy in design and visual features, your configurator can be designed to meet the needs of your specific audience.
By integrating with master data systems like CRM and ERP, you can provide customers with the most efficient, self-service method of ordering complex products. Plus, offering the process to customers online means they can configure and order products 24/7, increasing your order intake capacity.
With Experlogix, sales reps can spend 75% less of their time on quotes, and more time strategically selling or assisting with large accounts.
Product configurator for services and projects
The make-to-order concept is not relegated to tangible products. Anything that is combined to produce a single solution can be created using a configurator including, services and projects. Consider companies that sell playground turfs and equipment to schools. Depending on the size of the school yard and budget, a vast array of equipment and turf could be configured and therefore bundled together. As in any make-to-order product, a bill of material (BOM) is then generated like a shopping list. In some cases, this is a collection of available parts or equipment that has already been produced. In other cases, everything in the BOM needs to be manufactured and then assembled. In these cases, a product configurator ensures that when the BOM hits the shop floor, no one is scratching their heads wondering how it will be made. That’s the power of a CPQ engine – removing the complexities from the entire quote-to-order-to-manufacture process.
DynamicWeb + Experlogix
DynamicWeb has partnered with Experlogix to provide an integrated, customer-facing CPQ + eCommerce solution that integrates seamlessly with your Microsoft Dynamics solutions.
Combining the best in breed solutions from Experlogix and DynamicWeb empowers those seeking a turnkey solution to support the complexities of selling make-to-order products. This provides a cost-effective integration that takes you from start to finish without having to sort out the mechanics for either half of the CPQ process. The DynamicWeb + Experlogix solution offers complete flexibility for your customers, including a mixed cart containing made-to-order products (services and projects too) and stocked products.
As more companies shift to eCommerce and online selling to keep up with rapid changes to consumer behavior and the economy, the need for businesses to sell any type of product online will only continue to grow. If you’re company has been considering offering a CPQ experience to customers, there’s never been a better time.