Salesforce CPQ has long been a popular legacy solution for companies looking to streamline their quote-to-cash process. However, Salesforce recently announced that they will be sunsetting their CPQ product. This news has left many businesses wondering what this means for them and what their options are going forward.

What is happening with Salesforce CPQ?

In 2020, Salesforce acquired Vlocity, a provider of industry-specific cloud and mobile software. Since then, Salesforce has been working to integrate Vlocity's functionality into their core platform. As part of this process, Salesforce has decided to sunset their existing CPQ product and focus on the new Revenue Cloud, which incorporates CPQ capabilities from Vlocity.

Salesforce is taking a phased approach to sunsetting CPQ:

  • As of February 1, 2021, CPQ is no longer available for purchase for new customers.
  • Existing customers can continue to use and renew CPQ until the end of their current contract term.
  • Salesforce will continue to support CPQ for existing customers, including providing critical updates and security fixes, until the end of their contract term.
  • Once a customer's CPQ contract term ends, they will need to migrate to an alternative solution.

What does this mean for CPQ customers?

If your company currently uses Salesforce CPQ, you'll need to start planning your transition to a new CPQ solution. The specific timeline will depend on when your current contract is set to expire.

This sunsetting announcement does not mean that your CPQ functionality will stop working overnight. However, it's important to start evaluating your options and planning your migration well before your contract expiration date to ensure a smooth transition.

What are the alternative CPQ options?

There are a few different paths you can take for your CPQ needs going forward:

  1. Migrate to Salesforce Revenue Cloud: Revenue Cloud is Salesforce's new offering for quote-to-cash, built on technology acquired from Vlocity. While Revenue Cloud does include CPQ functionality, early feedback suggests it may not yet be as mature or fully-featured as Salesforce CPQ was. Carefully assess whether Revenue Cloud meets all your CPQ needs before assuming it's an automatic fit.
  2. Switch to a different CPQ vendor: The CPQ market has continued to evolve and innovate, and there are now many strong alternatives to Salesforce CPQ. Leading options to consider include Subskribe, Apttus, Oracle CPQ, Zuora, and more. Take the time to thoroughly evaluate the top vendors to find the solution that best aligns with your specific requirements and future roadmap.
  3. Build a custom CPQ solution: For organizations with highly specialized quoting needs, building a bespoke CPQ solution, either in-house or with an implementation partner, can be tempting. However, be aware that this path often requires significant time, resources, and expertise to get right. Weigh the costs and risks of a custom build carefully against the value of a purpose-built commercial CPQ product.

Next steps for planning your CPQ transition

Whichever path you choose, it's critical to give yourself plenty of runway to carefully select and implement a new CPQ solution before your Salesforce CPQ contract lapses. Key steps include:

  • Audit your current CPQ implementation and how your teams use the tool today
  • Define your key CPQ requirements and priorities going forward
  • Research and evaluate alternative CPQ products that meet your needs
  • Select your new CPQ solution and plan out your implementation timeline
  • Migrate your data, integrations, and processes to the new system
  • Provide training and change management to ensure a smooth transition for your users

Why Subskribe CPQ is the smart choice

As you evaluate your CPQ options, we highly recommend considering Subskribe CPQ. Subskribe provides an AI-Native, flexible CPQ solution built for today's business needs. With Subskribe CPQ you get:

  • A powerful yet intuitive configuration engine to handle the most complex products and pricing
  • Flexible, user-friendly quote templates that make it easy to generate professional proposals
  • A mobile-responsive configure-price-quote experience for your sales reps and partners
  • Comprehensive subscription management capabilities to handle recurring revenue business models
  • Out-of-the-box integrations with Salesforce CRM and other leading business systems
  • A modern, API-first architecture that makes it easy to extend and customize the platform

Many leading companies have already made the switch from Salesforce CPQ to Subskribe and have streamlined their quote-to-cash process as a result.

The Salesforce CPQ sunsetting provides the perfect opportunity to future-proof your CPQ and subscription management with Subskribe. Our team of CPQ experts is ready to help make your transition as smooth as possible.

To learn more about how Subskribe CPQ can transform your quote-to-cash, schedule a personalized demo today.