SCPQ vs CPQ: What Do Manufacturers Really Need?

Most manufacturers are already familiar with CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) software. If you’ve experienced the rigors of maintaining spreadsheets and catalogs, switching to CPQ probably changed the way you do your job for the better. But there’s a new class of software that’s improving efficiency even more.

SCPQ (Select, Configure, Price, Quote) integrates a Selector tool with CPQ software for a more convenient and unified workflow. What could this do for your organization? Let’s dive in.

What’s Missing From CPQ Solutions

During any equipment or product sale, Selection is the part of the process where manufacturers identify the product that most closely matches the customers’ conditions of service. To understand why this is so important, simply look at the standard CPQ workflow:
  • A lead comes in, defining a sales opportunity
  • An employee logs the opportunity
  • Customers submit their conditions of service
  • Either an employee or customer selects the most appropriate product
  • Sales configures the equipment
  • Sales prices the equipment and puts together a quote package
  • Customers confirm the order
This deceptively simple outline hides the challenges that begin when we reach step three: matching a product with the customer’s conditions of service. CPQ software is designed to be horizontal, general, and generic. That way, whether the CPQ vendor is configuring a bicycle, a contract, a pharmaceutical process, or a pump, they can argue that they have a solution that meets the customer’s needs.

However, the only reason it “meets needs” is because of the inherent nature of a product, which for some customers means it doesn’t meet their needs at all. This is especially true for customers with incredibly intricate specifications or variations, like mechanical equipment manufacturers.

Selection for Mechanical Equipment Manufacturers

Buyers aren’t shopping for equipment because they want to buy a certain product type — they need a solution to a problem. For that reason, manufacturers need a Selector to ensure they’re providing customers with the right equipment to solve that problem, something that CPQ software can’t do on its own.

When it comes to selling mechanical parts and equipment, a single, seemingly small pump or motor variation can have major consequences on its ability to serve its purpose for a customer. Even though customers will configure and customize each part before purchase, it’s imperative to start with a base product that’s conducive to the project. Choosing the right product to configure will keep costs under control and prevent issues later on from equipment misuse.

Manufacturers need a Selector that can automatically sift through hundreds or thousands of options based on the customer’s conditions of service, the variables, and their requirements. Automating this process ensures not only that the appropriate product is selected, but also that the selection process reaches maximum efficiency.

SCPQ solutions are programmable to sort according to specific industry parameters with no limits to how granular and precise they can parse data. This enables users to customize their SCPQ solutions to even the most complex and challenging industries, such as fluid handling equipment and mechanical industrial equipment. The right SCPQ can even project performance curves and lifecycle costs based on different product selections and configurations.

Choosing the Right SCPQ Vendor

The “S” in SCPQ isn’t just there to make a longer acronym. It helps:
  • Provide an easily accessible portal to input the conditions of service, templated to the products up for selection
  • Present the best product options based on the COS
  • Provide performance curves and additional information to help choose the optimal product for the project
Thanks to the all-in capabilities of an SCPQ, you no longer have to maintain a separate vendor for a Selector tool — you can consolidate it all into one for an even more unified workflow.

Revalize is one of the original SCPQ solutions in the market, and has specialized in industry-specific, purpose-built Selectors since the beginning. The wide-range of tailored solutions for manufacturers encompasses Selectors for pumps, valves, compressors, and more. Schedule a demo to experience the impact this leading SCPQ can have on your business.
Want to experience the Revalize difference for yourself? Schedule a demo with one of our experts.
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