CPQ order management systems are a vital component of a business's 

software solution that addresses order fulfillment strategies. CPQ order management is often overlooked, frequently left out of the conversation, and constantly underestimated. It truly is one of the most integral pieces of any successful modern eCommerce strategy. In many cases, CPQ order management is the unsung hero of the business.

People commonly have a very incomplete idea of exactly what CPQ order management is and what it does for a business. We'll often get questions like, "Why is order fulfillment important?" Many believe that if they have a back-office method for dealing with their shipping and logistics, they have no need for a CPQ order management system.

This attitude usually comes from a lack of understanding of order fulfillment's meaning, knowledge of what it encompasses, and/or appreciation for the outcomes, advantages, and benefits it provides. When we talk about CPQ order management, we're referring to a system that handles countless functions of the post-purchase process. It goes far beyond just shipping.

A CPQ order management system helps with inventory management, order routing, creating a seamless, flexible, and transparent shipping process, and gives customers the ability to track orders, receive updates, handle returns, and connect with your service team among many others. Adding just this one software tool can provide countless benefits.

The reason it can do so much is that it integrates with your other business software to create a seamless, unified omnichannel business process. Taking it out of the shadows of the back-office system and making it a front-and-center customer-facing system aids your business in automating and streamlining your workflows and aids your customers by reducing friction and providing a smooth, easy, and transparent shopping experience they'll love.

If you'd like to see some order fulfillment examples to get a better idea of how it works and see the process in action, Salesforce CPQ has many resources and examples available. Seeing how the software works its magic when processing orders in Salesforce can really drive home the point by demonstrating what it can do and why it's so important to have.

Let's briefly take a step back from the order management side of CPQ software

to get a good look at the bigger picture. Order management is one of the details you see when you zoom into the overall CPQ system. However, it's important to ask yourself, what is a CPQ solution more broadly?

If you can't answer that question clearly, then it's best to go back to the CPQ fundamentals. This will help to make sure you understand the general topic before truly trying to grasp the value of specific features and processes. Doing it this way will help ensure that you build a cogent understanding of the technology from the ground up.  

CPQ stands for configure, price, quote. CPQ software guides users through the process of finding the best product to fit their needs and configuring and customizing it to tailor it to their specifications. It does this using guided selling, dynamic pricing, and real-time product visuals, giving them a clear picture of what the product will look like and cost at every step.

CPQ in Salesforce is the most common solution you'll see as well as the most highly rated among users. It has gained a reputation for being a powerful and comprehensive CPQ system. Salesforce customers love all the features and benefits to their business. However, another thing users often rave about is the number of helpful resources the platform provides.

The Salesforce CPQ documentation walks users through everything in a very thorough manner. It has step-by-step instructions, helpful definitions, and clarifying examples that make the information highly digestible. One of the most universally beloved features is the Salesforce CPQ Trailhead. This is the platform's school where you learn all the skills you need to make the software work for your business.

This is done primarily through Salesforce CPQ learning paths — collections of lessons to help you move smoothly along your learning journey. They can also include Salesforce CPQ PDF guides, projects to complete, and more. It's definitely worth looking into.

Salesforce CPQ order management leads the pack of CPQ order management software

in the eCommerce business solution space. Salesforce order management is such a good option in part because of its features and resources, but it's also a very smart choice because of its history.

Salesforce has been around for quite a while. They're well-established in the business software industry and they've rolled out many business solutions over the years. They've had plenty of time to work out all the kinks, add additional features that customers requested, and address any issues.  

While no software is ever perfect — and in the technology space, things change so rapidly that the difference between cutting-edge and outdated can be a matter of mere months — having a solution that is time-tested is always better. For example, the number of users that have successfully set up the system using the Salesforce order management implementation guide provides assurance that it's clear enough to be helpful.

The Salesforce order management documentation is likely so comprehensive due to users asking questions that were then added to it. The same can be said for the Salesforce order management Trailhead. Previous user feedback helps to pinpoint issues and improvements. Salesforce is so popular and has so many reputable partners that you can find resources all over the web on almost any topic imaginable and there's even a forum to ask professionals and other users your specific questions.

It's definitely worth looking into as an example of how all this works and a great place to find the best resources on the subject. If you like what you see, they have a Salesforce order management demo to help you see what it would be like to use firsthand and a clear Salesforce order management pricing page to help you see if it's in your budget.

For some, the basic order management features are more than enough to run their businesses smoothly.

However, for many others, that just isn't enough to handle the complexity they're working with. That's when advanced order management in Salesforce CPQ comes into play. It helps provide a more advanced experience with extra features that not all users need, but that are invaluable to those who do.

If you find that the basic system doesn't do everything you need it to do, this is the perfect option for addressing the most complex scenarios with a little extra support and features tailored to these needs. Advanced approvals in Salesforce CPQ is one such feature. Having access to Salesforce advanced approvals custom objects gives you much more flexibility and a higher level of detail.  

Salesforce advanced approvals is a powerful tool that many users find helpful in making the platform work better for their business needs. However, for some people, the Salesforce CPQ advanced approvals setup is more than they feel they can or want to handle on their own. In this case, there are Salesforce CPQ experts who can set up and run the system for you.

Salesforce CPQ order generation is another feature that users really love.

It acts as a sub-action of the larger Salesforce order management solution. There are many add-on features that make the platform easy to customize to make it work best for each individual business's unique needs.

For those asking themselves, "How can an admin most easily help sales ops streamline order generation?" there's a perfect solution on the platform for that too. The Salesforce CPQ "create order from quote" function provides the ability to do this quickly and easily. You simply press the "create order" button in Salesforce CPQ, and voila!

Features like these can make a huge difference in the time and effort spent on each order. Since time is money, there are plenty of benefits aside from just ease of use. If you have highly complex configurations and sophisticated logic that even the best Salesforce CPQ tools can't contend with, Logik.io has you covered. Try our interactive demo to see why Logik + Salesforce CPQ make the perfect team.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES