Industrial buyers have long needed to negotiate the specifications and prices for key purchases. Now, more than ever, consumers expect a personalized experience from product configuration all the way through fulfillment preferences. It is not surprising, therefore, that organizations today are facing increasing challenges with the management of their quote-to-cash (Q2C) process. These challenges include the ability to deal with the intricacy of personalized product offerings as well the complexity of the fulfillment processes and closing out the transaction through the settlement process. By embracing and streamlining the Q2C process, organizations can create strong customer loyalty and increase the bottom line.

Despite ongoing economic and business environment challenges, world-class procurement organizations continue to outperform the peer group by a wide margin, up to $6m in cost savings for the typical large company. They deliver services at 19 percent lower cost with greater effectiveness and require 27 percent fewer full-time-equivalents (FTEs) per $1bn in spend. For many, efficiency gains have reached their practical limits. What's next?