The IT-landscape in a modern manufacturing business is extensive. It no longer consists of one ERP package. These traditional ERP systems are overtaken by a best-of-breed focus. A focus where software packages granting the best prestations of their kind are sought after. As where the manufacturing industry dives into niches more and more, so does the corresponding software. ERP should not want to be a CRM system in disguise. And not all of your products should have to be managed in your CRM package. The best solutions, which you would like to work with, should be able to work together seamlessly if they are to optimize your business processes.
Elfsquad CPQ software originated from the philosophy to be available and accessible for every manufacturing business. This is why we look further than our own software, much further. It is necessary to be compatible with your other business software. To create a connection within your entire supply chain.
With this connecting and cost-saving view the Microsoft software, too, has been developed. A platform allowing even faster integration and creation of workflows between all of your business applications. To forever ban all of the manual double data entry from your processes. Allowing you to remain incredibly flexible in your business operations.
This blog will tell you all you need to know about our integration with the entire Microsoft Business Suite.
The importance of a good integration between CRM, ERP, and your online CPQ tool is clear enough. Unambiguous data for all your salespeople, your (customer) data available everywhere, quotation synchronizing within CRM and CPQ, and much more. As a result, Elfsquad CPQ integrates with most common CRM systems, uses an open API, and connects with low-code platforms. All so that you are able to digitize quickly, and are not dependent on third parties and consultancy. And are able to prevent a vendor lock-in.
Dynamics 365 for Sales is the CRM package belonging to MS Business Suite. The Elfsquad CPQ integration with Dynamics for Sales makes it possible to go from a sales opportunity to an accepted quotation in just a few clicks.
See our Dynamics for Sales integration.
Microsoft Business Central, the name says it all: this application becomes the core of your business. ERP is often described as the ‘heart of the company’ for this reason. For production businesses too, Business Central is a scalable solution. And is, of course, able to integrate with Elfsquad without problems.
Elfsquad CPQ is available on AppSource, Microsoft’s app center. Along with our Excel Plugin.
See our Dynamics 365 Business Central integration.
Although we fortunately do not often see manufacturing businesses use an Excel Configurator, Excel is still an essential part of company processes. And for our CPQ tool as well, Excel is a powerful tool to manage data.
Our Excel plugin allows you to quickly do bulk updates in Elfsquad. For instance, data from CPQ can easily be exported to your Excel Dashboards for analyzing purposes.
See our Microsoft Excel plugin.
The Microsoft Power Platform allows many business apps to ‘talk’ to each other. Retrieve data, exchange and process data. Something we will gladly utilize.
The Platform consists of 4 different applications. All aimed at connecting Dynamics 365 software, Azure, and standalone business software. By making Elfsquad CPQ available on this platform, our software is able to connect to all available applications present here at once.
The four applications are the following:
The latter two are thoroughly explained below:
Microsoft Power Automate is een low-code platform. En wederom, net als Microsoft Power Automate is a low-code platform. And again, just like on the Zapier platform, Elfsquad is the only CPQ solution that links through this powerful application. Power Automate is a widely used application to further optimize business processes, by automating workflows between different business apps. This results in a simple, flexible automation of workflows between all available applications on this platform, based on your own management.
This makes it possible to add extra workflows to the existing Elfsquad CPQ functionalities. On top of that, it is also possible to realize drastic integrations through Power Automate.
When event A happens, workflow B is triggered. Within the ‘Elfsquad connector’ more than 60 actions are available, and we are constantly expanding. All aimed at further integration, digitalization, and optimization of your business processes.
Power BI is another application within Microsoft’s Power Platform. Using Power BI, you are able to create extensive visual data analysis by yourself. All available data is pulled from our CPQ software through an Odata connection. Your quotations, products, dealers, and users for instance; all data available to visualize your analysis.
Imagine you notice dealer A and dealer B both gain almost the same amount of accepted quotations. Yet dealer A has to generate twice as many quotations to achieve this. Meaning he has a lot more revisions on his quotations. You would want to learn why this is the case, to eventually steer towards a higher conversion percentage. You create a detailed analysis of both dealers, what products have been quoted, which salespeople rolled out the quotations and whatever else is relevant for you to analyze.
Another possibility is to easily gain insight in what region has a high number of open quotations with a good chance at success. Allowing you to learn to put your salespeople to work much more efficiently.
ESC is our Belgian partner regarding Microsoft Suite, and Business Central specifically. ESC knows exactly which workflows between Elfsquad CPQ & Business Central would be best for you. To eventually elevate all of your processes to a higher level.
Are you situated in Belgium? Get in touch with ESC.
It is simply impossible to explain all possibilities in just one article. Request a demo or contact us if you would like to know the many possibilities of our Microsoft integrations.
We let our innovative power in the manufacturing industry speak and are proud to say that we have received a number of prominent awards with Elfsquad. This motivates us further to fulfill our mission together with our customers: Ensure the manufacturing industry the right to exist.
| 2019 | Partner Award 2019 of ECI Ridder |
| 2019 | Nomination Deloitte Rising Star Award – Fast 50 |
| 2018 | Winner Noordelijke Innovatie Award |
| 2018 | Winner Ondernemersprijs Smallingerland |
