• Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Supplier Directory
  • SCB YouTube
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Logout
  • My Profile
  • LOGISTICS
    • Air Cargo
    • All Logistics
    • Express/Small Shipments
    • Facility Location Planning
    • Freight Forwarding/Customs Brokerage
    • Global Gateways
    • Global Logistics
    • Last Mile Delivery
    • Logistics Outsourcing
    • LTL/Truckload Services
    • Ocean Transportation
    • Rail & Intermodal
    • Reverse Logistics
    • Service Parts Management
    • Transportation & Distribution
  • TECHNOLOGY
    • All Technology
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cloud & On-Demand Systems
    • Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
    • ERP & Enterprise Systems
    • Forecasting & Demand Planning
    • Global Trade Management
    • Inventory Planning/ Optimization
    • Product Lifecycle Management
    • Sales & Operations Planning
    • SC Finance & Revenue Management
    • SC Planning & Optimization
    • Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
    • Supply Chain Visibility
    • Transportation Management
  • GENERAL SCM
    • Business Strategy Alignment
    • Education & Professional Development
    • Global Supply Chain Management
    • Global Trade & Economics
    • HR & Labor Management
    • Quality & Metrics
    • Regulation & Compliance
    • SC Security & Risk Mgmt
    • Supply Chains in Crisis
    • Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility
  • WAREHOUSING
    • All Warehouse Services
    • Conveyors & Sortation
    • Lift Trucks & AGVs
    • Order Fulfillment
    • Packaging
    • RFID, Barcode, Mobility & Voice
    • Robotics
    • Warehouse Management Systems
  • INDUSTRIES
    • Aerospace & Defense
    • Apparel
    • Automotive
    • Chemicals & Energy
    • Consumer Packaged Goods
    • E-Commerce/Omni-Channel
    • Food & Beverage
    • Healthcare
    • High-Tech/Electronics
    • Industrial Manufacturing
    • Pharmaceutical/Biotech
    • Retail
  • THINK TANK
  • WEBINARS
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
  • PODCASTS
  • VIDEOS
  • WHITEPAPERS
Home » Realizing Potential of Streamlined Quote-to-Cash Process

Realizing Potential of Streamlined Quote-to-Cash Process

December 4, 2015
Rajat Bhargav & Dave Shidler, Oracle

The challenges companies currently face are:

1. Process complexity – For a process where the order needs to capture the specific needs of the customers and may take multiple iterations before agreement, there must be balance between flexibility and enforcement of policies. The fulfillment and settlement of complex orders engenders a similarly complex end-to-end process. This involves a wide array of roles and functions.

2. Constraints and Rules – Even if one were to consider configured products, the rules and constraints are numerous from both an engineering and marketing point of view. The business rules and customer-specific preferences for the entire (Q2C) process are similarly cross-functional in nature and contribute to the “hairiness.”

3. Fulfillment network – The imperative to improve fulfillment lead times and reduce costs has in recent times created much more complex fulfillment networks as companies are experimenting with fulfillment from a variety of sources. This even extends to beyond the organization's walls as suppliers, partners and logistics providers are tapped for this task.

4. Settlement Processing – Settling the transaction is as important as the rest of the process.  Correct and accurate invoices help compress the order to cash cycle times and improve customer experience. 

Addressing these issues requires some foundational capabilities. The market has gradually shifted towards acquiring them, despite the considerable investments and change management needed. Some of these transition costs are falling because of the move to cloud-based applications that reduce the cost of ownership and provide an opportunity to simplify processes and enhance user experience.

The conventional way to look at the end-to-end process are the three stages -- the front-end order capture, fulfillment and settlement. We can then use this rubric to structure the action needed to realize the gains of a streamlined Q2C process.

Capture:

1. Process – Have a clearly defined and system enforced process. This should meet all the business requirements. However, all attempts must be made to keep it simple to reduce errors.

2. Rules – The system used for quotes must be able to easily model the engineering and marketing rules and enforce them for new and modified documents.

3. Fulfillment – Businesses must capture and present the order information to support the various formats and bring all the parties on the same page.

Fulfill:

1. Process – These set of process have the most spread since ability to fulfill is an important aspect of the commitment to the customer. Process flexibility and the ability to monitor it provide the best gains in operational efficiency

2. Rules – It is here that the rules need to be the most dynamic and leverage advanced analytics to determine the best fulfillment options. A variety of constraints related to product, geography and logistics have to be balanced.

3. Fulfillment – The process and tools should adequately link all the parties – internal and external – that are involved. Each needs to have the information and visibility to orders and inventory.

Settle:

1. Process - Settlement and post-sale care should tie into the overall order management processes.

2. Rules - Monitor and enforce the customer preferences, organizational rules and policies for presentment and receivables.

Benchmark studies by PWC have found some of the benefits of Q2C optimization to be:

• Total Revenue - 10%-15% increase

• Sales per customer - 10% -15% incremental revenue

• Cross Sell and Up Sell revenue – 20%-35% increase

• Sales Cycle Time improvements – 25%-50% faster

• Order Processing Cycle time reductions

• Percentage of invoices created without errors – 15%-20% improvement

• Order change processing cycle time – 20%-30% reduction

• Cycle time to generate invoices – 10% reduction

Q2C operations typically are more complex than other business areas because they are almost always cross-functional in nature.  The key to success when streamlining Q2C operations is to focus on the entire process – capture, fulfillment and settlement.  Organizations who only focus on one portion of the process typically end up with sub-optimal customer experiences.

At Oracle, Rajat Bhargav is Director, Value Chain Execution Product Strategy, and Oracle Dave Shidler, is Senior Director, Value Chain Execution

Source: Oracle

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED VIDEOS

Supply Chain Finance & Revenue Management Sourcing/Procurement/SRM Technology Business Strategy Alignment Global Supply Chain Management Order Fulfillment Pharmaceutical/Biotech
KEYWORDS Business Strategy Alignment fulfillment process Global Supply Chain Management Oracle order fulfillment Pharmaceutical/Biotech procurement process Purchasing Rajat Bhargav & Dave Shidler SC Finance & Revenue Management Sourcing Sourcing/Procurement/SCM Supply Chain Analysis & Consulting Supply Chain Finance supply chain IT supply chain management: sourcing and procurement solutions Technology
  • Related Articles

    Quote-to-Cash Solutions Crucial to Revenue Cycle

    Kenandy Unveils Quote-to-Cash Feature in Cloud ERP Platform

    Seeburger Issues RollOut Portal for Streamlined Onboarding of Customers, Suppliers to B2B Systems

Rajat Bhargav & Dave Shidler, Oracle

More from this author

Wake up to live
“Supply Chains in Crisis”
updates and the latest Supply Chain News!

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

Timely, incisive articles delivered directly to your inbox.

Popular Stories

  • INTERIOR OF A CHICKEN FARM, WITH WHITE CHICKENS AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE

    Worst Avian Flu in U.S. History Is Hitting Poultry

    Food & Beverage
  • TWO FINGERS MANIPULATE WOODEN LETTER BLOCKS TO TURN FROM SHOWING THE WORD RECOVERY TO RESILIENCE

    Five Challenges to Supply Chain Resilience in 2023

    Supply Chain Visibility
  • A PERSON HOLDS UP A TABLET COMPUTER IN A WAREHOUSE, SUPER-IMPOSED BY A GRAPHIC SHOWING A COMPLEX WEB OF SUPPLY CHAIN ELEMENTS

    Three Post-Pandemic Actions for Repairing Global Supply Chains

    Data Management (Big Data/IoT/Blockchain)
  • A MAN IN A SUIT SHAKES HANDS WITH A WOMAN IN A HARD HAT, NEXT TO A STACK OF CONTAINERS

    Three Procurement Technology Evolutions for 2023

    Sourcing/Procurement/SRM
  • The blank stare of a child's eye who is standing behind what appears to be a wooden frame

    The Alarming Continued Rise of Modern Slavery in Supply Chains: How Procurement Can Help Reverse the Trend

    Sourcing/Procurement/SRM

Digital Edition

Scb nov 2022 sm

2022 Supply Chain Innovator of the Year

VIEW THE LATEST ISSUE

Case Studies

  • New Revenue for Cloud-Based TMS that Embeds Orderful’s Modern EDI Platform

  • Convenience Store Client Maximizes Profit and Improves Customer Service

  • A Digitally Native Footwear Brand Finds Rapid Fulfillment

  • Expanding Apparel Brand Scales Seamlessly with E-Commerce Technology

  • How a Global LSP Scaled its Security Program and Won More Business

Visit Our Sponsors

Orderful Yang Ming Alithya
Barcoding Blue Yonder BNSF Logistics
CoEnterprise Data Capture Deposco
E2open GAINSystems Generix
Geodis GEP GreyOrange
Here Honeywell Intelligrated IFM
Infor Inmar Keelvar
Kinaxis Korber Lean Solutions Group 2H
Liberty SBF Locus Robotics Logility
LogistiVIEW Lucas Systems MCA Connect
MPO Nvidia Old Dominion
OpenText ORTEC Overhaul
Parsyl PMMI QIMA
Redwood Logistics Ryder E-commerce by Whiplash Saddle Creek Logistics
Schneider Dedicated Setlog Holding AG Ship4WD
Shipwell Tecsys TGW Systems
Thomson Reuters Tive Trailer Bridge
Vecna Robotics Verity
Verusen
  • More From SCB
    • Featured Content
    • Video Library
    • Think Tank Blog
    • SupplyChainBrain Podcast
    • Whitepapers
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Upcoming Webinars
  • Digital Offerings
    • Digital Issue
    • Subscribe
    • Manage Your Subscription
    • Newsletters
  • Resources
    • Events Calendar
    • SCB's Great Supply Chain Partners
    • Supplier Directory
    • Case Study Showcase
    • Supply Chain Innovation Awards
    • 100 Great Partners Form
  • SCB Corporate
    • Advertise on SCB.COM
    • About Us
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact Us
    • Data Sharing Opt-Out

All content copyright ©2023 Keller International Publishing Corp All rights reserved. No reproduction, transmission or display is permitted without the written permissions of Keller International Publishing Corp

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing