Salesforce CPQ has long been a reliable tool for sales teams, but with Revenue Cloud (RLM) taking the main stage, many businesses are checking whether it’s time to make the switch. The good news? Upgrading is possible—but it’s more complicated than a lift-and-shift situation.
While CPQ was technically part of the Revenue Cloud ecosystem, moving from a standalone Salesforce CPQ setup into RLM Revenue Cloud isn’t seamless. Often it involves reworking customizations, migrating a lot of data, reconfiguring integrations, and adapting to new sets of permissions and features. So, in many ways, it can be almost as complex as starting fresh, particularly due to having historical baggage. If you’d like to better compare the CPQ versus RLM, feel free to read this blog post.
Whether you’re moving from CPQ or implementing Revenue Cloud from scratch, it’s important to understand the steps, challenges, and key differences. Here’s what that journey looks like:
Starting Fresh
If you’re new to the Salesforce quoting ecosystem—or looking to start over with a clean slate—this is the overtly simplified process of installing Revenue Cloud for your business. Unfortunately, we don’t go into the trenches and offer a fully fleshed, step-by-step setup process, but we’ll offer a guide in future blog posts.
1. Revenue Cloud Initial Setup
Revenue Cloud offers powerful tools, but those tools require thoughtful configuration and good planning.
- Start the setup for Revenue Cloud from scratch, including configuring products, price books, and pricing rules.
- Additionally, outline and customize your business processes within Revenue Cloud.
This phase is all about making sure the system fits within your operational goals and compliments your data.
2. Data Entry
With no legacy data to migrate, you can breath easy from not dealing with mass migration errors—however, patience and accuracy is needed for data input.
- Enter data manually and import data from lightning apps or other integrated software, if it applies.
- Furthermore, ensure that all necessary data is accurately entered through multi-point checks.
Starting clean and being thorough with your inputs allows you to set high data quality standards from day one.
3. Customization and Integration of Revenue Cloud
In order to reflect your business model, make sure the needs of your employees regarding the software are well documented.
- Customize Revenue Cloud to meet your specific business needs.
- Integrate Revenue Cloud with other customizations and software as required.
A well-integrated tech stack drives efficiency—make sure that each app and customization is compatible.
4. Testing and Validation
Functionality and performance need to be checked, too.
- Test the system to ensure that it meets your business requirements.
- Additionally, validate that all functionalities work as expected and that the system performs well in checkpoints.
This is because the best time to check for inconsistencies or data lapses is when you’re still in the implementing.
5. Training and Adoption
User readiness is key to long-term success. You not only have to make sure that your current users are well read but also that the new system is easy to pick up for new users.
- Train your users on how to use the new system.
- Ensure that they are comfortable with the new system and understand how to use it effectively.
This is necessary because a well-trained team means faster adoption and fewer post-launch issues.
Transitioning from Salesforce CPQ to Revenue Cloud
Here we’ll go over a very simplified, basic progression for organizations already using Salesforce CPQ and looking to build upon their existing investment.
1. Assessment and Planning
Before starting the switch, it’s necessary to understand your current environment.
- Evaluate your current CPQ setup and identify the customizations and integrations in place, particularly whether they are compatible with Revenue Cloud.
- Plan the transition by mapping out the features and functionalities you need from Salesforce CPQ in Revenue Cloud.
This presents a great opportunity to audit what can be improved in your tech stack.
2. Data Migration
Next comes one of the most exhaustive steps: moving your data—which includes products, price books, quotes, and contracts.
- Ensure data integrity and consistency during the migration process.
Maintaining data quality during mass migration ensures a smooth handoff and prevents downstream issues.
3. Configuration and Customization
Revenue Cloud isn’t just a rebrand, it brings new capabilities and architecture, as well as AI accompaniments.
- Configure it to match your business processes. This may involve setting up new product catalogs, pricing rules, and approval processes.
- Customize it to incorporate any unique business requirements, which may include AI insights.
Re-evaluate your old customizations and check whether they should be rebuilt, reworked, or scrapped entirely.
4. Testing and Validation
No transition is complete without thorough validation.
- Conduct thorough multi-checkpoint testing to ensure that all functionalities work as expected in Revenue Cloud.
- Validate that the migrated data is accurate and that the system performs well under load.
This is where you ensure your new setup is reliable and ready for prime time.
5. Training and Adoption
At the end of the day, user training and adoption is the most important part of the process.
- Train your users on the new features and functionalities of Revenue Cloud.
- Ensure that they are comfortable with the new system and understand how to use it effectively.
An indicator of a well-built, well performing system is how easily new users can adopt it.
Key Differences in Revenue Cloud Implementation
While both paths lead to Revenue Cloud, the routes come with distinct considerations. Transitioning might seem easier when you first look at it, especially since CPQ was already part of the Revenue Cloud ecosystem.
The reality, however, is more complicated. For example, if your business needs legacy data, then upgrading would be helpful. Migration errors are your main source of headache. If you’re alright with a fresh start, then manual configuration and input would be the solution (and, with large amounts of data, also a problem). Starting fresh allows for a clean and flexible setup, but requires a lot of upfront work to build everything back up.
Here’s a quick breakdown of how the two approaches compare:
So, as you can see, both roads still require some elbow grease to make the system work. Implementation is a long and arduous process but the results of a good system speak for themselves.
Need help with Revenue Cloud?
Whether you’re upgrading your Salesforce infrastructure or implementing it for the first time, success comes down to having a clear strategy; but, planning and putting that strategy to work is a massive undertaking and can also be a massive headache.
At ITeq, we specialize in making your switch—or fresh start—as smooth and effective as possible. From planning to user adoption, our team is here to help you get the most for your business out of your Revenue Cloud investment. Contact us today to get started!
