Forrester’s recent Market Snapshot announced that it is time to consider PIM as pivotal to a successful digital experience strategy and that the PIM vendor landscape is in transition to meet CX needs. Solutions to manage product data are undergoing a transformation, driven by the impact of PIM on CX, scale of products and proliferation of touchpoints.
channelcentral met with Pimberly, a UK-based Product Information Management (PIM) Vendor last year. Multi-vendor sellers have to manage huge volumes of product data in a variety of different formats, connecting to multiple, non-standard systems. PIM Vendors not only normalize the data but also offer merchandizing and demand shaping functions to help improve the Customer Experience (CX).
Product data fuels CX
Many poor B2B Customer Experiences are due to insufficient or low-quality data integrated into the buying process. The product data exists but may be spread across multiple systems or stored in non-user-friendly format. Forrester emphasizes that product data fuels CX.1 channelcentral considers a project to consolidate and automate data sources as fundamental in ensuring that capabilities can be added, and error removed. An example leading to poor CX could be displaying a different inventory level in eCommerce to the one shown in CPQ. Businesses should identify the best (Golden) data sources and real-time delivery mechanisms.
Vendors aim to offer a consistent CX, regardless of where the product or service purchase is made in the omnichannel. For a relevant product category, well applied PIM can significantly enhance the buying journey when coupled with Digital Asset Management (DAM). Forrester stresses the importance of DAM and PIM collaborating to form compelling content for B2B buyers, recommending the integration to improve the omnichannel experience.
Adding value
Web Services play a huge role now, turning data from Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems into the dynamic data required by eCommerce and CPQ Systems. Expecting Product Managers to run reports or upload spreadsheets manually is not scalable. PIM vendors recognize this opportunity and in multi-vendor situations, where there is often more than one available data source (e.g. Vendor or Icecat), allowing eCommerce Store or CPQ stakeholders to set Golden sources per vendor or product line.
The configure element of Configure Price Quote (CPQ) consists of combining parts available to create a product that will operate. The more complex the component combinations can be for a product, the more highly configurable it is.
There are several approaches to configuration which affect the User Experience (UX) in a CPQ application. Each has its benefits for different types of users; however, being performant is critical to the application’s success.
Free flow, including accordian
A user can add any option or part to a quotation or basket. Errors are permitted, e.g. overpopulation, but the system generates warnings alerting the user that the errors need to be corrected. Many of channelcentral’s CPQ applications use this approach.
Free flow is ideal for regular users that have some knowledge of the products and options, or technical information is readily available.
Always correct
The configuration system constrains options so that anything that a user adds is functional. As a user adds more options, the remaining choices are restricted further. Some of channelcentral’s light eCommerce customers adopt this approach, using boost! and APWS.
Always correct is ideal if a user is infrequent or has limited knowledge of products, to simplify the process of selecting parts.
Pre-Qualification
The user is asked a set of questions up-front, and the configuration system limits options and therefore, complexity based on the responses.
Pre-Qualification is ideal if a user has no real knowledge of products and options available but does know clearly, the solution they require in purchasing a product.
Forrester has recently announced a top trend for 2020 will be an increase in ‘self-service for end-to-end customer journey‘, including customer-facing CPQ solutions for B2B buyers. 1 channelcentral designs all its CPQ and eCommerce applications with users in mind, so that users can self-serve.
Is a poorly designed performant User Interface equally bad to ‘egg-timer time’? Present the user with a form that takes one second to load but 30 minutes to complete is worse than something that takes a few seconds to load on each click but only takes 10 minutes to complete.
Our CPQ applications have not only complexity, but also a lot of dynamic data (notably price/stock), that enables them to generate complex configurations. So, we are refactoring (altering the code architecture) to make them as performant as possible for the best possible UX. By optimizing the architecture and the UX design, the future releases of our CPQ applications will enjoy the best of both worlds.
1Top CRM Trends for 2020, Forrester blog by Kate Leggett, Vice President, Principal Analyst, 11 February 2020
Like most organizations, channelcentral tracks what the market is doing using formal resources (Forrester, Novus etc) and informal resources (Twitter, LinkedIn etc). One of the CPQ evangelists, Michael Kiruba-Raja, posted an article on LinkedIn that pitched eCommerce and CPQ Applications as alternative solutions.
It’s a really good article that makes some very strong points, BUT at channelcentral we were completely thrown by this approach to CPQ and eCommerce.
With a couple of exceptions, our CPQ Applications are designed to be part of an eCommerce User Experience. We don’t really understand why you would create a great CPQ application for Sales Users without also making that application, or the data that drives that application, available to Buyers.
Independent research firm, Forrester, recognizes that modern B2B Buyers want access to digital tools themselves and instantaneous access to information.¹ We accept that modern B2B buyers like to perform their own research, discover what is possible, shortlist and then reach out to a Supplier (be that Channel Partner or Manufacturer). Exposing your solutions on your eCommerce using CPQ or CPQ data seems obvious to us. Sure, it may be necessary to offer a subset of the total solution combinations, or a simpler user interface than you might offer an internal product guru, but that’s all possible with the right architecture and data structure.
Michael’s article does recognize that there is a hybrid world where eCommerce and CPQ co-exist. We agree: for channelcentral Sales Enablement and Customer Enablement is better than either/or.
¹ The State of Digitized Selling: Stop Testing the Waters and Get Immersed, Forrester, 27 December, 2019
A successful software implementation requires a combination of People, Process and Technology. Often underestimated in its importance, a key marketing and communications plan ensures the difference between ticking the box that software has been implemented, through to a thriving utilization and change in employee/customer behaviour.
Generate user adoption for your CPQ software with a pro-active, engaging strategy. Crucial to success is a stakeholder and project evangelist; a media savvy individual within the organisation who crusades to drive adoption and consequently utilization.
Include in your plan as many of the following as possible:
Keep communication channels open and regular during project implementation with staff and customers.
Hold a launch kick–off session, including training.
Create a landing page to link to the software for staff and customers.
Implement Deep-linking to connect your webstore to your CPQ application.
Incentivize staff with sales objectives, tracked in the software over a specific sales period.
Create and share social media announcements.
Make your training and marketing support resources easily accessible.
Feature a demo stand at your employee and customer events.
Boosting utilization rates will result in better employee and customer satisfaction, ultimately leading to a stronger bottom line for your business.
For further information on channelcentral’s CPQ application-specific best practice for successful implementation and driving utilization, please email marketing@channelcentral.net.
With the availability of the internet and explosion of eCommerce, consumer marketplaces have grown significantly over the last two decades.
B2B marketplaces are now predicted to grow significantly as the purchasing area of choice for the business purchaser.
channelcentral was interviewed in the November 12, 2019 Forrester research report, ‘Think SKUs, Not SOWs: How Marketplaces Will Shake Up Tech Selling’, which has identified B2B sales are struggling to accommodate more complex purchases in marketplaces.
Tim Moyle, channelcentral CEO is quoted, “Marketplaces, even Amazon Business, face issues selling complex, configurable tech products.”
channelcentral predicts that a key requirement from B2B buyers purchasing in a B2B marketplace will be the ability to see relevant add-ons, as well as product comparisons, visible pricing and reviews.
channelcentral has existing solutions to improve the B2B buying of complex product configurations in a Web Store environment. Currently the boost! Suite of flexible Web Data Services aimed at improving customers’ eCommerce experiences using Compatible Options, Recommends and Attach Patterns.
This same concept can be applied to B2B marketplaces. Just one area of improvement in the B2B marketplace evolution, nevertheless, an important one, to make the purchasing experience relevant.
One aspect of eCommerce being tipped as a huge growth area is Marketplaces. Leading Technology Analyst Firm, Forrester¹, is predicting that small businesses and motivated enterprise buyers (especially those buying indirect goods) will flock to a place that offers choice, makes comparisons easy and pricing visible, features reviews, and has add-ons just a click away.
If you’re thinking, “This is something that I need to get into,” then one thing to consider is that the term Marketplace covers a diverse set of organizations; in the same way that “High Street” no longer means grocers and newsagents.
There is a high-level differentiation between a Marketplace and a Web Store. A Marketplace attribute is one or more of the following:
Must be multi-vendor (so the Fitbit Store is not a Marketplace).
Must be multi-seller (so a traditional Reseller like eBuyer or Insight doesn’t qualify).
Can allow the same product to be sold by more than one seller at a different price.
Can be single platform (Apple, Google, Salesforce).
Can be single product/service (Air BnB).
Marketplace operators face different challenges, largely depending on which of the “can” attributes they address. Air BnB solved the complexity of booking dates, property attributes, owner preferences once. Apple, and to a slightly lesser extent Google, introduced review procedures to ensure that apps available for their platforms conformed to a certain standard. Salesforce likewise.
Marketplaces that are true multi-vendor, face different challenges, as any complexity associated with the product or service, they are offering has to be solved for each product type and potentially each vendor. In our next Blog, Using Data to facilitate B2B Marketplaces, we look at how channelcentral seeks to solve some of those complexities.
¹”Think SKUs, Not SOWs: How Marketplaces Will Shake Up Tech Selling”, Forrester Research, Inc., November 12, 2019
Hidden connections between a CPQ application and an eCommerce platform are now commonplace in the IT Channel, facilitating a vast number of transactions daily. channelcentral has worked hard to create a seamless, yet ultimately secure, integration process for its customers and their users using SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language). SAML is fast becoming an industry standard for for communicating identities across the internet.
How does this work?
It’s complicated, but put simply – SAML handles authentication negotiations between three separate parties:
An Identity Provider, in this example a CPQ Host (e.g. a Distributor).
A SAML Service Provider, in this example a CPQ application plugin provider (i.e. channelcentral)
A User – an employee or customer of the Identity Provider (Distributor or Reseller).
The authentication process is as follows:
The user is presented to the CPQ plugin provider (channelcentral in this case) when they click a link.
Assuming the user request was valid, the plugin provider sends a token back to the user (invisibly).
The token is routed automatically to the CPQ Host (Distributor) for confirmation of validity.
The CPQ Host either declines (in which case the user is prevented from accessing the CPQ application e.g. iQuote, PowerQuote, Market Pro) or successfully authenticates the user and issues a new token.
The new token is received by channelcentral and user is granted access.
Distributor control
So, what are the main benefits of introducing SAML authentication into the login process?
The CPQ Host, i.e. the Distributor, controls who accesses what. If the Distributor withdraws a service, access can be prevented, even if links still exist in their eCommerce store (or an old email that someone has found).
Importantly, it also prevents people/competitors spoofing the Distributor’s users to see their pricing/stock.
Improved deployment speed – being a widely-accepted standard, SAML allows interoperability between the highest possible range of back-end systems within the IT Channel.
Does your CPQ provider take user authentication as seriously as channelcentral, when plugging applications in to external eCommerce? For more information on CPQ user authentication contact us at marketing@channelcentral.net
In fact, without CPQ, it’s difficult to understand how PC as a Service can exist. PCaaS isn’t (today) a one stop shop: it’s rare that a PC Manufacturer provides Hardware, Services, Software and Airtime. PC, Services, Operating System sure. Office 365 or Google Docs? 4G (or 5G) airtime contracts? Not so easy.
To solve this, channelcentral has invested in one of its CPQ platforms (Market Pro for HP Inc) to support true multi-vendor PC as a Service. Solve is the word too. We had to architect in a few areas:
In the film Ghostbusters crossing streams was a no no. In Market Pro we had to ensure that we didn’t combine Capex (think payment up front) with Opex (think Finance contract).
We wanted to leverage the work we’d done with HP Services, who had created innovative suites of services to support “as a Service” procurement and lifecycle management/support.
We also wanted to leverage the support for Indicative Finance.
The solution had to be flexible, so that a Market Pro Host could choose, and ultimately self-manage the portfolio of subscription products.
The outcome? When a user applies Finance to a quotation, we flip into “as a Service” mode. Users can apply the HP Services in either mode. The hardware and services become a monthly subscription and the user is presented with complementary subscriptions. The first host to offer Multi-Vendor PCaaS chose to include Office 365, OneDrive for Business, Exchange Plans (for Shared Mailboxes) and Webroot SecureAnywhere Business Endpoint Protection.
Want to find out more on how CPQ can facilitate PCaaS? Email marketing@channelcentral.net
User experience covers a variety of topics. A poorly designed user flow or a badly designed screen layout is irritating, but nothing gets users more frustrated than application latency. On initial launch, a CPQ application can have really good performance, but over time it degrades: application optimization is not a single task, it’s more like a maintenance contract! CPQ applications spawn data, valuable data and simply archiving that
At channelcentral we used to speak about a four second rule. It’s an arbitrary number, but we believed that if a user didn’t see a result on click within four seconds they’d click again as the assumption is they didn’t click correctly OR the application needs a reminder. Today: four seconds needs to be nearer one second – user expectations are higher due in part to the Smartphone experience.
channelcentral recently undertook an architectural review of the applications that run in its “CMS” framework. One finding was that a lot of latency was caused by “Web Services” where applications pull in data to enrich the content with time sensitive data (notably price and inventory). Users were experiencing wait times of between four and 10 seconds and that was clearly unacceptable.
The Development Team looked at Microservices (MSA: Micro Service Architecture) as a potential solution to latency caused by data requests. Once deployed, application performance improved by up to 10X.
Moving from monolithic to modular has other benefits in terms of deployment, fault detection and code maintenance. There are some ‘cons’ with Microservices, but improving performance to that extent makes it an architecture we’re investing in.
Has this call or email conversation happened to you?
IT Partner: “Would you be interested in this amazing new product?”
Customer: “Sure, what is it?”
IT Partner: “Gimmix X120. It’s the best.”
Customer: “Yes, I know they’re fantastic; we’ve got five in the office already. It’s not that I don’t believe you, it’s just that we have no need for any more right now, I thought you’d know that.”
It’s common. Shotgun blast marketing from a CRM tool that has almost the right amount of information to be effective. Presenting solutions to a customer works better if you know what they already have, so what might be relevant to them. You can either identify the opportunity or look at technology that’s in situ to see if there’s something complementary or revolutionary to move a customer’s IT forwards. Promoting an Add-on for Office 365? Then target customers WITH or migrating TO Office 365.
If you’re an IT Vendor that sells through the Channel, wouldn’t you have more confidence if the IT Partner said: “We have 300 customers, and we have identified 50 of them as best to target for this campaign.” Sending marketing communications to an irrelevant target audience is not recommended. An additional 250 pointless or even frustrating marketing messages isn’t in anyone’s interest.
The rub is: CRM tools aren’t built as audit tools. That’s why one IT Partner engaged with us to build one, optimized for IT, to plug-in to their CRM tool:
Another benefit of using a CRM plug-in – if your organization knows what IT is deployed in a customer, when your sales person sails off into the sunset, your pipeline doesn’t sail off too.
If the potential of an IT Audit plug-in is of interest, and you would like to find out more, please email: marketing@channelcentral.net
Back in January 2019 channelcentral Blogged on how CPQ was an enabler for PC (or Device) as a Service (PCaaS):
channelcentral Blog 