One truth that prevails across teams, be it engineering, sales, or customer service, is that the quoting process is not simple. A customer demands a customized quote based on their needs. Your sales team collects details and sends them to the engineering team. A lot of to-and-fro happens between sales reps and engineers before finalizing the proposal; still there are errors and mistakes to be fixed. Days pass. Deadlines slip. The deal cools off. You know the rest of the story.
Quote delays are not just small problems but deal-breakers. Each configuration has to be validated, and pricing has to be verified by different teams. Somewhere between sales, engineering, and production, time slips away.
That’s where Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) software steps in. It connects these three teams and brings order to chaos. Let’s understand how using a CPQ solution helps manufacturers eliminate quote delays and create a quoting process that actually works.
Why Quote Delays Happen
In most cases, disconnected processes and teams working in silos lead to manufacturing quote delays. The quoting process remains scattered across departments, tools, and spreadsheets. Information is stored in silos, and every handoff introduces risk.
The Sales Team’s Dilemma
When a customer wants a quote, time is one of the most important things that matters. However, the salesperson often doesn’t have the technical details to finalize it. They pass the request to the engineering team and wait for confirmation.
That wait can stretch for days. If the customer asks for changes midstream, the clock resets. By the time the quote is ready, the lead sometimes fades away.
Engineering’s Bottleneck
Engineers handle every custom configuration request that the sales team sends their way. They check if the product design makes sense, whether parts fit together, and what custom work might be needed.
Here’s the problem. Not every request needs deep engineering work. Many are routine—standard combinations that can be handled automatically. Yet, without a system to validate those options, engineers end up buried under simple quote checks.
Production and Finance Challenge
Once engineering gives the green light, the quote moves to production or finance for final costing. Teams calculate costs related to materials, labor, and margins. If anything doesn’t add up, it bounces back to engineering or sales for corrections. The result? A quote that should take hours can take days or weeks.
How CPQ Turns Chaos into Clarity
CPQ software fixes these disconnected and redundant quoting processes. It connects sales, engineering, and production through a single platform. Instead of relying on emails or manual approvals, teams share the same system—and the same version of the truth.
Guided Selling for Sales Teams
Salespeople don’t need to wait for engineering to approve every configuration. CPQ gives them a simple, guided selling process to complete product configuration for customers. They select options, answer questions, and see only valid combinations based on company rules.
If a customer or a sales rep picks up incompatible parts, the system flags it instantly. If a better fit exists, it suggests alternatives. On top of that, pricing updates in real time, based on the final selection.
That means quotes can be built on the spot—accurate, clear, and ready to send. The salesperson stays in control of the conversation. No more “let me get back to you next week.”
More Time for Engineering to Innovate
CPQ takes the routine validation work off sales and engineering’s shoulders. That means standard product configurations no longer need manual checks. The software knows what’s possible and what isn’t.
That frees engineers to focus on what really matters—design improvements, new products, and complex custom projects that actually require their expertise. Instead of firefighting quote requests, engineering becomes a driver of innovation.
Production Gets a Clear Picture
When a quote turns into an order, CPQ hands production everything it needs. This includes a bill of materials, assembly instructions, and exact costs. No more surprises when the order reaches the shop floor. The product has already been validated, priced, and approved. What’s quoted is exactly what gets built. This clarity prevents costly errors, rework, and frustration.
What Happens When Quote Delays Disappear
Faster quoting is just the beginning. The real value of CPQ shows up in three areas—sales performance, customer experience, and teamwork.
More Wins, Fewer Losses
When your sales team sends a professional, accurate quote the same day, customers notice. They don’t have time to wait for slow responses. They’ll choose the supplier who moves fastest—and delivers with confidence. A faster quoting process gives your sales team that edge.
Better Customer Experience
The quoting experience sets the tone for the entire relationship. A customer who gets a quick, detailed, and error-free quote sees your company as organized and trustworthy. It tells them you know your products and value their time. That impression lasts longer, even after the sale is concluded.
Stronger Collaboration Across Teams
Sales, engineering, and production often operate like separate worlds. CPQ breaks those walls. With a CPQ solution in place, everyone works from the same system, with clear rules and shared data. The back-and-forth emails vanish. What replaces them is clarity, cooperation, and focus.
Cincom CPQ is built to offer enterprises these benefits. It brings clarity, speed, and accuracy to every step of the quoting process. Designed for manufacturers, it connects sales, engineering, and production through one simple, reliable platform. With Cincom CPQ, your teams can:
- Configure complex products easily using guided selling.
- Generate instant, accurate pricing in real time.
- Produce professional quotes and proposals in minutes, not days.
- Integrate seamlessly with CRM, ERP, and eCommerce systems to ensure everyone works from the same data.
- Deliver error-free orders with built-in validation rules.
Siemens, the world’s leading provider of large motors, partnered with Cincom to modernize its quoting and proposal processes for medium and high voltage induction motors.
Read everything about Siemens and how they automated their manual, error-prone processes using Cincom CPQ.
The New Normal for Manufacturing Quotes
Manufacturers who still rely on manual quoting processes are at a disadvantage. It’s not just about being slow—it’s about being unpredictable. Delays create friction, both inside and outside the company.
CPQ removes that friction. It automates validation, pricing, and documentation for sales teams and customers. It connects people who used to work in isolation and gives leaders a clearer view of margins and capacity.
When quoting runs smoothly, everything else follows. Customers stay happier and teams feel aligned.
So, if your quotes still crawl through spreadsheets and inboxes, it may be time to rethink how they’re built. Today, CPQ is a practical tool that turns quoting into a strength instead of a struggle. Ultimately, manufacturing is complex; your quoting process doesn’t have to be.
FAQs
1. How does CPQ speed things up?
CPQ seamlessly connects teams together. It manages product configurations, applies pricing rules, and creates quotes automatically. What once took days for sales teams can now be done in hours or even minutes.
2. How does CPQ help sales teams?
Sales reps can create quotes without waiting for approval. They can see valid configurations, updated prices, and delivery details on the spot. That means faster responses and happier customers.
3. How does CPQ help production and finance teams?
When a quote becomes an order, CPQ passes every detail to the teams, including materials, instructions, and costs. Production knows what to build, and finance knows what to expect. No guesswork. No missing data.
4. Can using CPQ change how teams work?
CPQ brings positive changes to the team’s operations. Teams start sharing information instead of chasing it. The process feels smoother, and the tension between departments starts to fade.
5. Can CPQ handle customized products?
Absolutely. That’s where it shines. The system knows which combinations work and which don’t, even when products have hundreds of options. It prevents mistakes before they happen.
6. What’s the biggest payoff for using CPQ?
Every quote that leaves your business is accurate, fast, and ready to win the customer’s trust. When quoting stops being a struggle, selling becomes a lot easier.
7. Which industry CPQ benefits the most?
Whether you build custom machinery, medical equipment, custom vehicles, or HVAC units, CPQ helps you quote faster and reduce costly errors.
