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What Exactly is Quote-to-Cash-to-Service?
While Quote-to-Cash (QTC) is commonly known within all sales and RevOps circles, Mobileforce is proud of coining the phrase “Quote-to-Cash-to-Service” to describe our platform. But what exactly does it mean – and how does QTCS enhance sales for companies with field service or field sales teams?
Quote-to-Cash and CPQ
We know that QTC includes Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) software, which we are pleased to offer to numerous customers from key sectors as part of our intelligent CPQ offering (see more details here). But QTC extends even beyond CPQ (see our post CPQ vs. Quote-to-Cash: What Exactly is the Difference?) by also referring to the full sales cycle from initial quotes to final payments for revenue-generating products or services.
This entire cycle includes all the steps involved in the sales process, from lead generation to sales, order management, invoicing, and payment.
However, while the QTC process ends when the deal is closed and payment is made, the Quote-to-Cash-to-Service (QTS) process is just beginning. QTS includes a number of steps that QTC does not, many of which are critically important to companies’ growth and success – especially companies with significant field service or customer success teams.
Adding FSM to CPQ
QTS features post-closing and billing aspects that include all aspects of Field Services Management, which we are also pleased to offer to numerous customers from key sectors as part of our intelligent FSM offering (see more details here). FSM includes planning, optimizing, and overseeing the activities of service reps and technicians who often work outside of a traditional office setting. This field services aspect encompasses a wide range of tasks, from scheduling appointments and dispatching technicians to mobile workforce management to managing inventory to field data collection as well as tracking job progress every step of the way.
These steps and tasks are critical to a variety of field service-oriented sectors and can be both complex and mission-critical. For example, scheduling and dispatching involves creating and managing work orders with varying demands, assigning them to qualified technicians based upon unique skill sets and changing availability, and real-time route optimization to ensure efficiency.
The Need for Integrated CPQ & FSM Solutions
Not all our customers require both CPQ and FSM solutions, but many do. For those that do, the line between where QTS ends and field services begins is often very blurry – and perhaps even non-existent. Why? Because their field services team often has to provide pricing, quoting and proposals while in the field – i.e., this team also needs to leverage a CPQ solution. And their sales and account team members may also be at least peripherally involved with ensuring field service success for their customers that they help manage (and upsell/cross-sell) – i.e., this team also needs to leverage an FSM solution.
The Need for a Unified Quote-to-Cash-to-Service Solution
For these customers, they demand that their CPQ and FSM solutions be robust and intelligent – with smart automation and smart rules. They also require that these solutions be easy to deploy (for administrators) and easy to use (for reps). And, just as important, these customers demand seamless integration with the back-office applications they currently (and will eventually) use – including CRM, ERP, inventory management and more – as well as seamless and integration with each other.
This latter point cannot be overstated. Mobileforce is proud to offer its customers access to an intelligent, no-code fully integrated CPQ + FSM platform unlike any other. Seamless integration is not just a feature of our unified offering, it’s a core value proposition. It’s Quote-to-Cash meets Field Services Management, which we like to refer to as our unified Quote-to-Cash-to-Services solution.
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