Gilles Muys’ latest addition to Forbes is all about preparing to deliver on a new level of customer expectations with the new year. Are You Ready to Deliver the New Customer Experience in 2021? addresses tangible tactics your organization can take to not only reach your customers where they are but also streamline the sales process internally. From guided selling and AI-powered pricing to self-service tools and transparency functionality, Gilles covers it all. Read some of the most insightful quotes below or check out the full article here.

1. Guided Selling and Configuration

“Guided selling and guided configuration within the sales process are two important components of your CPQ platform. Businesses can leverage these concepts to propose viable and optimized solutions adapted to the end customer’s needs.”

2. Pricing Guidance

“Your goal is to offer value to your customers. Once you have selected and configured a set of products and services meeting your end customer’s needs, optimize pricing so that you don’t over discount and instead preserve your margin. At the same time, you please the customer because they think that they got a fair deal. The key is to match the right price with the right product — and with the right customer expectation.”

3. Pricing Transparency

“Make sure the product or service your customer will receive is correct in terms of items and price. That information also works as an effective selling tool. Some suppliers hide list prices and discounts and only show the net price. I often suggest providing more transparency to the end customer. This is a common and effective selling point, and it helps build trust.”

4. Self-Service Tools

“Let’s be honest. If a customer doesn’t have to talk to a sales rep, they won’t. In fact, they may prefer not to talk to anybody for basic transactions. If you can provide a smooth self-service experience that includes selecting, configuring and pricing products, your customers will not appreciate it but enjoy it. The more intuitive you make this experience, such as using the same guided selling and guided configuration concepts I mentioned earlier, the more your customers will think that it’s easy to do business with you.”

You can learn more from our resident CPQ black belt, Gilles Muys, by following him on Forbes here.