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Summary – To secure your growth, control sales cycles and optimize revenue while ensuring ERP interoperability, flexible workflows and reversibility, a tailored requirements specification is essential. It defines the CRM–CPQ–Order-to-Cash modules (multi-entity, scoring, catalogs, complex pricing, quote–invoice–collections automation), a unified data model, ERP, Swiss e-invoicing, e-commerce and EDI integrations, offline mobility, LPD/GDPR compliance and an API-first microservices architecture. Solution: comprehensive spec, open-source components and an API-first focus for an agile, scalable, vendor-lock-in-free IT system.
Implementing a comprehensive and scalable commercial management software is a strategic challenge for any company aiming to control its sales cycles and optimize revenue. A well-constructed requirements specification will make all the difference in aligning your processes—prospecting, CPQ, ordering, delivery, invoicing, and collections—with your growth ambitions.
It ensures interoperability with your ERP, flexibility in workflows, and the ability to switch providers without locking in your data. Adopting an API-first approach and favoring open-source components, while tailoring key business benefits, enables you to handle complex pricing schemes and secure your long-term objectives.
Defining the Functional Scope and Data Model
A clear definition of the CRM, CPQ, and Order Management modules lays the foundation for your commercial IT system. An appropriate data model ensures consistency, traceability, and adaptability to B2B and B2C complexities.
CRM: Account, Contact, and Opportunity Management
The CRM module centralizes information on multi-entity accounts, billing addresses, and contacts. Every commercial interaction—calls, visits, or email exchanges—must be logged to feed scoring and guide follow-ups.
A flexible data model allows management of multiple hierarchical levels between parent companies and subsidiaries, while accounting for regional tax nuances, such as Swiss cantonal requirements. By integrating tables dedicated to commercial terms and price lists by segment from the outset, you streamline automatic quote generation.
Example: an industrial SME standardized the management of 1,200 customer accounts and their framework contracts, eliminating duplicates and optimizing segmentation. This implementation demonstrated that a single repository cuts monthly data consolidation time by 30% and improves sales forecast accuracy.
CPQ: Catalog, Bundles, Discount Rules, and Approvals
The CPQ module organizes the product catalog with variants, bundles, and options. It must incorporate complex rules such as volume tiers, customer-specific discounts, or differentiated sales channels. A hierarchical approval workflow secures pricing exceptions and ensures compliance with internal policies.
Traceability is essential: each quote retains a history of versions, applied conditions, and approvals. The system must be able to recalculate a quote from a previous state to track target margin evolution and avoid ambiguities during internal audits.
By relying on a centralized pricing table, the system can automatically generate multi-currency quotes, applying exchange rates and ensuring price consistency for foreign subsidiaries. Embedded finance integration allows seamless payment solutions directly within quotes.
Data Model: Entities, Price Lists, and Contracts
The data schema should include tables for addresses, Incoterms, location-based taxation, and VAT rates. Segmented price lists (by industry, channel, or volume) are linked to “Commercial Terms” entities to automatically manage negotiation rules.
Framework contracts entered into the system with start dates, durations, and renewal clauses generate automatic renewal schedules. All of this feeds reporting on ARPU, potential churn, and projected DSO directly from transactional data.
The modeling relies on 1:n and n:n relationships to guarantee scalability and anticipate new business objects. This data architecture is the foundation for all future automation.
Structuring Pricing, CPQ, and Key Integrations
Choosing flexible pricing rules and a robust CPQ is crucial for handling complex B2B pricing. Integrations with ERP, Swiss e-invoicing, and e-commerce platforms ensure a continuous data flow.
Advanced Pricing Rules and Traceability
Pricing rules must cover volume tiers, customer-specific pricing, and distinct channels (direct sales, resellers, marketplaces). Each rule is configured with target margins and an internal approval schedule to secure discount granting.
The CPQ tracks every price grid modification and retains the approval history. An audit log ensures compliance with internal control requirements and simplifies variance analysis in quarterly reports.
To support these functionalities, an enriched data model featuring “Contract,” “Renewal,” and “SLA” entities ensures consistency throughout the offer lifecycle, from simulation to recurring invoicing.
Financial Integrations and Swiss e-Invoicing
Interfacing with the finance ERP automates invoice creation and synchronizes accounting entries. ERP cloud flexibility and compliance standards reduce manual reconciliation.
For electronic delivery, support for eBill and PEPPOL opens access to large public and private accounts. Automatic export of sales journals to collections services or BI tools ensures DSO and dispute tracking.
This integration scope minimizes entry errors and accelerates month-end closings while facilitating external audits through a transparent flow between invoicing and accounting. Automation-first approaches further streamline process execution.
E-Commerce and EDI/Marketplace Connectors
The commercial management IT system must connect to B2B e-commerce gateways via REST APIs or webhooks to retrieve orders and delivery statuses in real time. EDI channels and marketplaces ingest orders and transmit logistics statuses without interruption.
EDI data exchange relies on configurable mappings to adapt to carriers’ and marketplaces’ standards, ensuring automatic updates of inventory and order statuses.
Example: a Swiss wholesaler established a direct link between its e-commerce platform and multiple carriers, reducing delivery status inquiries by 40% and improving average order processing time.
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Orchestrating the Order-to-Cash Process and Omnichannel Experience
A seamless orchestration of the quote-to-cash cycle optimizes cash flow and customer satisfaction. Omnichannel and mobile access boost sales agility in the field and for self-service.
Quote-to-Cash Process
The Order-to-Cash workflow begins with quote-to-cash creation in the CPQ, followed by validation and conversion to an order. Logistics then triggers picking and delivery, while the billing module automatically issues credits or invoices per contractual terms.
Lead times, late fees, and backorders must be configurable to reflect negotiated commercial terms. Tracking the critical path from approval to payment due date feeds DSO reporting for cash flow management.
Finally, the collections module sends automated reminders and escalates disputes to a dedicated team, documenting each action to maintain an accurate history in case of litigation.
Example: a Swiss electronic components company reduced its DSO by 15 days by automating reminders and centralizing disputes in a single dashboard, demonstrating the direct impact on cash flow.
Omnichannel and B2B Customer Portal
A self-service portal allows customers to review quotes, place orders, track deliveries, and download invoices. This responsive, secure web platform provides a consistent customer experience across all channels.
Portal data synchronizes in real time with the CRM and ERP, ensuring consistency of inventory, prices, and delivery lead times. Customers can also manage their profiles and download performance reports.
This omnichannel setup boosts satisfaction and reduces support tickets while freeing order management teams from repetitive data entry tasks.
Field Mobility and Offline Mode
For field sales teams, a mobile app with offline functionality enables quote creation and review even without connectivity. Data syncs automatically upon reconnection, ensuring uninterrupted operations.
The mobile interface adapts screens to usage constraints (tablet or smartphone) and provides quick access to customer history, product catalogs, and negotiated pricing terms.
The ability to electronically sign quotes on a tablet accelerates conversion and consolidates traceability, reinforcing trust between sales reps and customers.
Ensuring Security, API-First Architecture, and Reversibility
Compliance with the Swiss Data Protection Act and GDPR, granular access control, and encryption safeguard your sensitive data. An open-source, API-first architecture ensures flexibility, extensibility, and exit without vendor lock-in.
Data Protection Compliance and Access Management
The Swiss Data Protection Act (DPA) and GDPR impose strict personal data protection rules. Integrating audit logs, storing connection records, and managing consents are essential to meet legal obligations.
Role-based (RBAC) and attribute-based (ABAC) access control restrict permissions by function (sales, order administration, finance) and secure access to sensitive data. SSO mechanisms (SAML, OIDC) simplify centralized authentication.
Encryption of data at rest and in transit, hosted in Switzerland or on a sovereign cloud, builds trust and ensures a high security level for your commercial operations.
Open-Source, Microservices, and API Architecture
An API-first approach combined with microservices decouples functionalities to enhance scalability. Services expose REST or GraphQL endpoints with documentation, enabling agile integrations with PIM, TMS, or BI modules, supported by open-source building blocks.
Using open formats (CSV, JSON, Parquet) for data export and import simplifies transfers and guarantees data longevity without depending on a single vendor.
This modular model reduces development times and allows components to be replaced or added as business needs evolve.
Data Ownership and Reversibility Clauses
A contractual clause ensures export of data and custom code at no cost, guaranteeing full control over the application assets. Your company retains ownership of its data schemas and any bespoke developments.
In case of a provider change, reversibility is achieved via full exports and API documentation, minimizing migration risks and costs. This anti–vendor lock-in strategy secures your IT system against market shifts.
By adopting this architecture, every future evolution or integration builds on an open, stable, and controlled foundation.
Frame Your Commercial Management IT System to Fuel Growth
A comprehensive requirements specification covering CRM, CPQ, Order-to-Cash, integrations, and security is key to building an agile and sustainable commercial management IT system. Precise scope definition, modular pricing, seamless sales process orchestration, and an API-first architecture ensure alignment with your revenue strategy.
Regardless of your industry or size, our experts are here to translate these principles into concrete solutions tailored to your challenges and free of vendor lock-in. Together, let’s secure your commercial performance and future-proof your information system.
