How iQuoteXpress offers CPQ Automation to Zoho users through Marketplace

The Challenge

Businesses were not able to streamline their proposal management and quote-to-cash process, especially in the case of multiple product configurations and multiple price lists. Many clients were using third-party tools and processes which were inefficient and created poorly constructed proposals. Worse yet, all of this proposal data was not being captured by Zoho CRM. This resulted in many lost opportunities, flustered customers, and sales teams that were not operating at their best.

The Solution

CPQ automation integrated with Zoho enables sales reps to easily configure complex products and services while following the company’s business rules for pricing, discounting, and sales terms. All the while sending real time data back to Zoho CRM and Zoho Books to ensure that management is able to review reporting of sales projects for demand planning, forecasting, and overall company performance.

iQuoteXpress (IQX hereafter) offers a guided selling and configuration utility to help customers generate proposals quickly. Upon installation from Marketplace, Zoho CRM or Books users can stay within their Zoho environment and click on the IQX tab to generate a proposal. Proposals can be configured by using guided selling, catalogs, and other added utilities to quickly generate error-free, good-looking proposals.

When the proposal is executed and signed off, the feedback returns to Zoho CRM and IQX to say that the proposal was closed, signed off, and that all the stages were updated. Customers are able to use their investment in Zoho CRM or Zoho One and leverage that to create functional proposals through IQX.

Find help from development to listing on Marketplace

As a Zoho Marketplace partner, IQX could access all the tools and resources to plan, develop, promote, and support their app. Let's dive into the details of each step:

Extension planning and development

• IQX had an open-source API that could be integrated with Zoho's own open-source API.
• The IQX team received extensive support from the Zoho development team to help them understand the extension publishing process. The Zoho Marketplace team worked closely with IQX for about 30 days to make sure that the extension was working as it should and that it was certified under Marketplace guidelines. Zoho Marketplace provides a Zoho One license to partners to try out products for which they want to build integrations.

Listing on Zoho Marketplace and co-marketing

Zoho Marketplace is an online store that allows independent software vendors, system integrators, and developers to build and list extensions for Zoho users. Through this, Zoho customers can browse and install extensions based on their needs. Upon review of the extension by the Marketplace approval team, partners can opt for co-marketing, content-based activities that can increase visibility and adoption of the integration. All documentation and guidance are provided for creating content, so getting creative and educating your audience also helps in promoting the integration. This can build trust and brand awareness on both sides.

Co-marketing activities like the Launchpad program, which helps partners generate educational and awareness-based content for promotion, helped put IQX on the map and helped them to be found with organic Google searches and specific searches on CPQ extensions for Zoho users.

Partnership experience

By listing on Marketplace, iQuoteXpress was able to offer its valuable CPQ proposal automation to the Zoho ecosystem, which has enabled it to reach and grow its presence amongst Zoho users.