How to Reduce Quoting Time from Days to Minutes with SAP CPQ and S/4HANA Public Cloud

In today’s hyper-competitive market, speed is a critical factor in winning and retaining customers. A slow quoting process can not only frustrate potential clients but also result in lost deals. If your sales team is spending hours—or even days—configuring products, calculating prices, and generating quotes, it’s time for a change. 

With SAP Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) integrated with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud, businesses can transform their quoting process, reducing turnaround times from days to mere minutes. This article explores how this powerful combination automates and streamlines quoting, giving businesses the edge they need in 2025 and beyond. 

Why Traditional Quoting Processes Fail 

Before we dive into the solution, let’s examine the challenges that make quoting a bottleneck for many businesses: 

1. Manual Configurations: Sales reps often spend significant time configuring products, especially when dealing with complex options and features. 

2. Inconsistent Pricing: Without real-time data, pricing discrepancies are common, leading to errors and delays. 

3. Approval Bottlenecks: Quotes requiring multiple levels of manual approval can take days to process. 

4. Disconnected Systems: Data silos between ERP, CRM, and quoting tools create inefficiencies and duplication of effort. 

5. Poor Customer Experience: Delays in quoting often result in frustration for customers and missed opportunities for businesses. 

How SAP CPQ and S/4HANA Public Cloud Transform Quoting 

SAP CPQ, when integrated with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud, addresses these challenges head-on. Here’s how: 

1. Automated Product Configuration 

SAP CPQ simplifies even the most complex configurations with intuitive workflows and predefined rules. Sales teams can: 

• Quickly configure products with guided selling prompts. 

• Avoid errors with built-in validation rules. 

• Generate accurate configurations in minutes, even for highly customizable products. 

For example, a manufacturer of industrial machinery can use SAP CPQ to offer customers a seamless way to select features, dimensions, and materials without requiring back-and-forth with engineering teams. 

2. Real-Time Pricing and Margin Insights 

With real-time integration to SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud, SAP CPQ ensures that pricing is always accurate and up to date. Key capabilities include: 

• Real-time pricing updates based on inventory levels, market conditions, or promotions. 

• Automated margin calculations to ensure profitability. 

• Support for complex pricing models, including volume discounts and tiered pricing. 

Sales reps no longer need to manually calculate pricing or worry about outdated information. 

3. Streamlined Approvals 

Approval delays are a major hurdle in traditional quoting processes. SAP CPQ eliminates this bottleneck with: 

• Automated workflows that route quotes to the right approvers based on predefined thresholds. 

• Real-time notifications to ensure timely approvals. 

• Transparent tracking of approval status, so sales reps know exactly where a quote stands. 

4. Seamless Integration with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud 

SAP CPQ integrates directly with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud, creating a unified sales and operations ecosystem. This means: 

• Data flows seamlessly between the two systems, reducing manual input and errors. 

• Quotes convert directly into sales orders, accelerating the order-to-cash process. 

• Insights from S/4HANA—such as inventory availability and lead times—are instantly accessible in CPQ. 

5. Enhanced Customer Experience 

By reducing quoting time, businesses can provide a faster, more reliable experience for their customers. Customers receive accurate quotes in minutes rather than days, enhancing trust and satisfaction. 

Use Cases for SAP CPQ and S/4HANA Public Cloud 

Here are real-world scenarios where SAP CPQ and S/4HANA can make a significant impact: 

Manufacturing 

• Challenge: Configuring highly customizable products with hundreds of variables. 

• Solution: SAP CPQ guides the sales team through the configuration process, automatically validating options to ensure feasibility. Quotes are generated instantly with accurate pricing and lead times. 

Wholesale Distribution 

• Challenge: Managing dynamic pricing and bulk discounts for large orders. 

• Solution: SAP CPQ automates pricing based on customer-specific contracts, ensuring consistency and accuracy. 

Professional Services 

• Challenge: Customizing service offerings and pricing for complex projects. 

• Solution: SAP CPQ integrates with SAP S/4HANA to calculate service costs and margins in real time, enabling faster and more accurate quotes. 

Key Benefits of SAP CPQ and S/4HANA Public Cloud 

Integrating SAP CPQ with S/4HANA Public Cloud delivers transformative benefits, including: 

1. Speed: Quotes are generated in minutes, giving sales teams the agility to close deals faster. 

2. Accuracy: Real-time data ensures consistent pricing and error-free configurations. 

3. Efficiency: Automation eliminates manual tasks, freeing up sales reps to focus on building relationships. 

4. Scalability: The solution grows with your business, accommodating more products, regions, and customers over time. 

5. Global Consistency: SAP CPQ supports multiple currencies, languages, and tax rules, ensuring compliance and consistency across markets. 

Steps to Implement SAP CPQ with S/4HANA Public Cloud 

Implementing SAP CPQ and integrating it with S/4HANA Public Cloud requires careful planning. Here’s a step-by-step guide to ensure success: 

1. Assess Your Needs: 

1. Identify pain points in your current quoting process. 

2. Define key metrics to measure success, such as reduced quote turnaround time or increased customer satisfaction. 

2. Engage an Expert Partner: 

1. Work with experienced SAP implementation partners like ASAR Digital to design a solution tailored to your business. 

3. Prepare Your Data: 

1. Cleanse and organize your product, pricing, and customer data for seamless migration. 

4. Train Your Team: 

1. Provide training to ensure your sales and operations teams can fully leverage the new system. 

5. Test and Optimize: 

1. Conduct rigorous testing to identify and address any gaps before going live. 

2. Use analytics to monitor performance and make continuous improvements. 

Real-World Results: A Success Story 

Consider this example: A global manufacturer of electronic components reduced their quoting time from three days to under 10 minutes after implementing SAP CPQ integrated with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud. By automating configurations, pricing, and approvals, the company not only improved efficiency but also increased their win rate by 20%. 

Why Choose SAP CPQ and S/4HANA Public Cloud? 

In 2025, the pressure to deliver faster, more accurate quotes will only intensify. With SAP CPQ and S/4HANA Public Cloud, businesses can stay ahead of the competition by: 

• Automating critical sales processes. 

• Enhancing the customer experience. 

• Driving profitability with real-time insights. 

Conclusion 

Reducing quoting time from days to minutes is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. SAP CPQ, when integrated with SAP S/4HANA Public Cloud, empowers businesses to streamline their sales processes, enhance customer satisfaction, and drive growth. Whether you’re in manufacturing, distribution, or services, this powerful combination can revolutionize the way you work. 

Ready to transform your quoting process? Contact Team ASAR today to see SAP CPQ and S/4HANA Public Cloud in action.