Introduction
Compare Oracle CPQ and Salesforce CPQ
Oracle and Salesforce are two high-profile cloud software providers in their own regards. They both offer solutions for businesses of all sizes, including Configure Price Quote (CPQ) applications, which allow sales teams to craft accurate and dynamic pricing quotes quickly.
Oracle is a platform that has been around since 1977. It provides a wide range of business software solutions, including ERP, HR, and CRM. Oracle CPQ is a cloud-based quoting and configuration system that helps users streamline the process of creating quotes, generating sales proposals, and invoicing customers. It is a part of the Oracle platform and is designed to be used with other Oracle products, but also integrates with other leading CRM systems.
Salesforce is the industry leader in CRM software—it boasts a user base of over 150,000 customers in more than 175 countries. Salesforce CPQ is its cloud-based quoting and configuration system that helps users create quotes, proposals, and invoices quickly and accurately. Salesforce CPQ is available as a standalone product but is also built into Revenue Cloud, which offers end-to-end revenue management for businesses of all sizes.
Product overview
Overview of each CPQ Solution
Just as Salesforce and Oracle have wide ranges of customers for their ERP, CRM, and other products, Oracle CPQ and Salesforce CPQ have user bases that span multiple industries. Both solutions offer a range of features for creating quotes and managing customer relationships.
Define Oracle CPQ
Oracle CPQ Cloud is a quote-to-cash (QTC) management system and CPQ software that helps businesses close deals quickly. This cutting-edge technology increases efficiency by streamlining the sales proposal process while simultaneously optimizing the entire sales procedure. Even better, it links with a wide array of Oracle’s customer experience solutions (e.g., ERP, HR, CRM) to provide an all-inclusive business solution for QTC automation.
Oracle is an ideal CPQ solution for medium to large-scale businesses looking to create, customize and finalize purchase orders with ease. With its integrated intelligence, sales teams can develop customized proposals, contracts, and documents that are tailored to the exact needs of their customers while closing deals quicker than ever before. Oracle CPQ also offers real-time product configurations that make it faster than ever for teams to deliver optimal customer experiences at lightning speed.
Define Salesforce CPQ
Salesforce CPQ is a configure, price, and quote solution native to the Salesforce ecosystem. Like Oracle CPQ, it streamlines complex sales processes to increase efficiency while automating the entire process of creating accurate quotes and invoices.
Because it is native to the platform, existing Salesforce customers can easily integrate it into their existing setup. Salesforce CPQ also comes with built-in analytics that help users monitor performance and understand customer behavior in real time.
For businesses with sizable IT infrastructure, Salesforce is also one of the most customizable platforms on the market. And when CPQ is built into it, users have the power to customize the solution to meet their specific enterprise needs.
Product features
Comparison of Key Features
When it comes to the product, Oracle and Salesforce CPQ have many of the same features all CPQ tools have.
Core CPQ features businesses should look for include dynamic pricing, automatic discounts, upsell/cross-sell capabilities, and product configuration. Guided selling and proposal generation, workflow automation, and multi-language support are also essential features businesses should consider when selecting a CPQ platform.
Both Oracle and Salesforce offer these core features as well as advanced capabilities designed to increase sales efficiency and customer satisfaction.
The main difference between Oracle CPQ and Salesforce CPQ is that Oracle is more of a PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service).
Oracle’s CPQ offering is all-inclusive and has a robust set of product features that integrate seamlessly into other platforms as well as its own.
Salesforce has more of a microservices architecture, in which users purchase licenses for other products from Salesforce and members of its partner network to get the full capabilities of the system.
Here’s a breakdown of each product’s features:
| Oracle CPQ | Salesforce CPQ |
|---|---|
| A centralized platform for managing sales, billing, and purchase order touchpoints within a company’s current ERP and CRM. | Configure complex product combinations with the same user interface as other Salesforce products. |
| Integration with any CRM and ERP solution, not just a partner network. | Provide real-time insights into customers, deals, and prospects through its integration with Salesforce’s CRM platform. Extended integrations through Salesforce partner network. |
| Long IT implementation, especially if a user is not an existing Oracle customer. | IT implementation takes an average of 6-9 months. |
| Product-specific guided selling rules ensure sellers match the right product configurations and pricing rules with their customers. | Salesforce offers pre-built guided selling capabilities, but more intricate workflows may require custom coding. |
| Scalable with additional implementation, investment costs, and potential consulting. | Oftentimes, modifications, alterations, and upkeep require specialized expertise—incurring additional expenses. |
| Send digital proposals, price quotes, and other documents for approval, signature, or review through the Oracle client portal. | Each price quote is delivered as an attachable file, and any alterations necessitate a new version of the document. |
| All CPQ product features available in one plan. | Additional features and licenses available for added costs. |
| Sales negotiations happen in the Oracle client portal and continue in integrated software. Partners can configure their own products on the client portal. | Customer communication within the Salesforce platform. |
| Automated discounting and pricing for even the most complex purchase orders. | Subscription management and complex billing capacity. |
| Sales channel quotation and activity insights and statistics to improve sales cycle visibility for management and executive leadership. | Detailed reporting analytics for customized pricing strategies and discount structures. |
| Professional, branded, and automated quotation generator. | Full-cycle quote-to-cash automation. |
| Web-based platform. | Web and mobile (iPhone and Android) platforms. |
| Knowledge base Email + help desk 24/7 live chat (live rep) FAQs + forum Phone support Live online support VideosIn-person training Documentation Live and recorded webinars | Phone support Knowledge base ChatFAQs/Forum Live online support In-person training Documentation |
Customer size
Ideal Customer Profiles
Oracle CPQ and Salesforce CPQ are both designed for businesses of all sizes. And many different companies use each platform across numerous verticals.
In both cases, however, enterprise organizations will get the most out of these products. Deep insights, customization, and automation in a legacy user interface can help larger organizations improve customer engagement, cut costs, and increase sales.
Beyond this, organizations that get the most out of their respective platform will use the company’s other products and partner providers as well. Oracle users, for example, will benefit from integrating with Oracle ERP, E-Business Suite, and other solutions. And Salesforce customers will get the most bang for their buck if they use Salesforce’s other products, such as Commerce Cloud, Service Cloud, and Marketing Cloud.
Pricing
Breakdown of Pricing Options
Oracle CPQ and Salesforce CPQ both offer straightforward pricing modules. Each offers custom pricing solutions on a usage basis for additional services, but the core product remains the same.
The cost of Salesforce CPQ is variable, but ranges between $75 on the low end and $150 on the high end. To integrate other features (such as billing, e-sign, and other Revenue Cloud offerings), users pay for extra licensing on an individual basis.
Oracle CPQ, on the other hand, is priced per user and comes with pre-built templates for common use cases such as lead management, product pricing, and billing. The cost is $240 per user per month but requires no additional licenses for other products.
| Oracle CPQ | Salesforce CPQ | |
|---|---|---|
| Product Pricing | $240 per user per month | CPQ: $75 per user per month (billed annually) CPQ Plus: $150 per user per month, billed annually CPQ + Billing Growth: Contact sales CPQ + Billing Plus: Contact sales |
| Implementation Fees | Ongoing IT costs with business scalability | Ongoing implementation fees for custom coding |
| Additional Licenses | Additional license fees only for other Oracle software platforms (e.g., CRM, ERP, etc.) | Additional license fees for e-sign, contract management, buyer engagement tracking, plus hidden licensing costs. |
It’s important to note that in both cases, additional IT consulting, implementation, and ongoing maintenance will be required on an as-needed basis. Businesses should prepare to invest in their respective platform when getting started, especially Salesforce users adding microservices to their tech stack.
Summary
Considerations for Choosing Between the Two Solutions
Salesforce CPQ and Oracle CPQ both serve the small, mid-market, and enterprise sectors of business. But both tools are best suited for the enterprise organizations with IT infrastructure, high budgets, and complex needs that a solution like this can meet.
Both platforms offer extensive customer support and pricing models that are suitable for most businesses. And while Salesforce offers more customization, its microservices architecture is limited to partner vendors and the company’s own internal products. Oracle, on the other hand, offers a complete solution with pre-built templates and no additional licensing fees for integration (albeit, at about double the cost).
At the end of the day, organizations should consider their own specific needs when deciding on a CPQ platform—including budget, complexity, and customer service requirements. By doing so, they can make sure they select the best tool to meet their business goals.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Unlike Salesforce’s CPQ, which is dependent on third-party integrations and partner solutions to bridge integration gaps, Oracle’s CPQ lets you invest in a long-term solution that isn’t limited by one particular platform. Oracle CPQ comes with pre-built templates and no additional licensing fees for integration. Salesforce’s CPQ, on the other hand, is priced per user and requires extra licensing for microservices such as billing, e-sign, and other Revenue Cloud offerings.
Salesforce has some CPQ features but is limited in handling complex pricing strategies and quoting needs. Adding a CPQ solution to Salesforce gives you the ability to create quotes quickly and accurately, streamline approval processes, and manage sales and discounts. CPQ solutions also give you visibility into the entire sales process, allowing you to measure results and make improvements where necessary.
Tens of thousands of businesses use both Salesforce and Oracle for a variety of users, both large and small. The best choice for you really depends on your need, budget, and infrastructure. Salesforce and Oracle generally suit the same customer segments, but it is important to research multiple software vendors before committing to the long implementation and setup of any one.
Oracle is a PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) offering. This means that users pay for access to Oracle’s cloud infrastructure, which can then be used to host various applications and services. PaaS solutions often provide additional benefits such as scalability, security, and automation features. Oracle CPQ is an example of a SaaS service offered by Oracle, allowing customers to quickly and easily configure pricing and quoting for their business.
Oracle is a highly scalable database solution, which is what many large organizations need to store and manage their data. Oracle’s Relational Database Management System (RDBMS) is also known for its high performance, security, and reliability—all of which are essential for large companies that need to process massive amounts of data. Additionally, Oracle offers various cloud services, such as Oracle CPQ, that simplify pricing and quoting operations for complex businesses.
Salesforce CPQ is hosted within Sales Cloud, but is not a part of the core product. Salesforce’s CPQ solution is designed to complement existing tools and help sales teams automate quote generation, pricing and discount management, and order processing. It also helps streamline approval processes for larger transactions.
Rhonda Bavaro excels in boosting SaaS companies’ growth through innovative content marketing, thriving in the dynamic sales tech industry amidst evolving technologies that drive revenue acceleration.
