Is CoPilot Salesforce CPQ Ready?
In the wake of Microsoft Co-Pilot’s public launch and considering the strides made in AI since our well-received blog post featuring an interview with ChatGPT as a Salesforce CPQ Consultant, we’ve decided to put Co-Pilot to the test. We’ve adopted an open recruitment model, hiring the right talent when we find them, rather than waiting for a pressing need. If you haven’t tried Co-Pilot yet, we highly recommend it. For fairness, we’ve used the same set of questions we asked ChatGPT in this blog.
For those unfamiliar with Co-Pilot, it’s an AI tool engineered to respond to queries conversationally or visually. It’s readily accessible on various devices and offers multiple interaction modes. For example, the Android App includes a primary question format, along with Design (images), Vacation Planner, Cooking Assistant, and Fitness Trainer features. This multifaceted approach ensures more tailored responses and broadens the interaction possibilities for users. For this blog, we’ve utilized the main conversational format, which can construct formulas, supply information, and analyze data if needed. We’ve posed five basic CPQ interview questions for analysis.
Here is the interview with our thoughts:
Question 1: When would you suggest a company uses Salesforce CPQ?
Answer: Salesforce CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) is a powerful tool that can be highly beneficial for companies in various scenarios:
Complex Product Catalog: If a company has a complex product catalog with various configurations, Salesforce CPQ can help streamline the configuration process and ensure accuracy.
Pricing Complexity: Companies with complex pricing structures, including volume discounts, tiered pricing, or promotional discounts, can benefit from Salesforce CPQ’s advanced pricing features.
Quote Generation: If a company frequently generates quotes for customers, Salesforce CPQ can automate and streamline this process, reducing errors and improving efficiency.
Sales Cycle Acceleration: Salesforce CPQ can help shorten sales cycles by automating approval processes and eliminating bottlenecks.
Revenue and Margin Visibility: If a company wants to improve visibility into revenue and margins at the deal level, Salesforce CPQ provides robust reporting and analytics capabilities.
Remember, the decision to implement Salesforce CPQ should be based on the specific needs and complexities of the business. It’s always a good idea to conduct a thorough business process review before making the decision.
Analysis: This is a good overview of scenarios in which CPQ should be put in place. It is quite analytical, as I would expect, i.e. there is nothing about the pains that a company could be feeling. There are also no scenarios that have been experienced which is very much understandable. One thing that I noticed on the ChatGPT interview which is in play here as well is that there is not mention of subscriptions and renewals, which is an oversight. It is great to see approvals brought up though, this is often missed.
Score: 4/5
Question 2: What is the difference between a Price Rule and a Product Rule?
Answer: Sure, here’s the difference between a Price Rule and a Product Rule in Salesforce CPQ:
Price Rule: A Price Rule is a set of conditions for executing pricing actions in Salesforce CPQ. When the conditions of a Price Rule are met, it triggers actions that can adjust the pricing of a product or the entire quote. For example, you can use a Price Rule to apply a discount when a certain quantity of a product is added to a quote.
Product Rule: A Product Rule is used to ensure the product configuration within a quote is correct. It defines the logic for including, excluding, validating, or recommending products based on what’s already in the quote. For example, if a customer adds a laptop to their quote, a Product Rule could automatically add a compatible charger to the quote, or prevent the addition of an incompatible accessory.
In summary, while both are rule-based systems within Salesforce CPQ, Price Rules deal with the pricing aspect, and Product Rules handle the product configuration aspect.
Analysis: This a well rounded answer with examples. The example given of using a price rule to change the price of a Quote Line is interesting, as although it is true, this is probably better controlled via Discount Schedules. It would also have been nice to see more of a mention of Alerts and Validations for Product rules as these get used a lot, and in an interview, I would dive into more questions on this side, but the understanding is generally good.
Score: 4/5
Question 3: How do you build a Price rule in Salesforce CPQ to pull values from a data table?
Answer: Creating a Price Rule in Salesforce CPQ that pulls values from a data table involves several steps. Here’s a high-level overview:
Create a Price Rule: Navigate to the Price Rules tab in Salesforce CPQ and click ‘New’ to create a new Price Rule. Fill in the necessary details such as the Price Rule Name, Evaluation Event (when the rule should be triggered), and Active (to enable the rule).
Create a Price Condition: After creating the Price Rule, you need to create a Price Condition that defines when the Price Rule is applied. This could be based on a field on the Quote or Quote Line object.
Create a Lookup Query: A Lookup Query is used to pull data from a custom data table. Navigate to the Lookup Queries tab and create a new Lookup Query. You’ll need to specify the Source Object (usually Quote or Quote Line), the Lookup Object (the custom data table), and the Lookup Field (the field on the Lookup Object that matches the Source Field).
Create a Price Action: Finally, you need to create a Price Action that defines what happens when the Price Rule is triggered and the Price Condition is met. In the Price Action, you can specify the ‘Target Object’ as ‘Quote Line’, ‘Target Field’ as the field you want to update, and ‘Value Source’ as ‘Formula’. In the ‘Formula’ field, you can reference the Lookup Query to pull the value from the data table.
Remember, this is a high-level overview, and the exact steps may vary based on the specific requirements and Salesforce CPQ setup. Always test your Price Rules thoroughly to ensure they’re working as expected.
Analysis: This is a good answer, and well set out. This couldn’t be followed by a complete novice as there are many steps required that are not mentioned, such as creating the Data Table and updating picklist fields etc. However, for an interview, this shows a solid level of understanding.
Score: 5/5
Question 4: If a Quote document is not generating, how should you investigate?
Answer: If a Quote document is not generating in Salesforce CPQ, here are some steps you can take to investigate:
Check the Error Message: If there’s an error message when trying to generate the Quote document, it can provide clues about what’s going wrong.
Verify Template Configuration: Ensure that the Quote Template being used is properly configured. Check the template content, conditions, and related objects.
Check Quote and Quote Line Fields: Make sure all mandatory fields on the Quote and Quote Line items are filled in. Missing data can often cause issues with document generation.
Review Document Output Settings: Check the document output settings in Salesforce CPQ. Ensure that the output file type is supported and correctly configured.
Examine CPQ Plugin Version: If you’re using a plugin like Conga, make sure it’s compatible with your Salesforce CPQ version.
Look at Salesforce CPQ Logs: Salesforce CPQ logs can provide detailed information about what happens during the quote process. You can enable logging in the CPQ package settings.
Test in Different Browsers: Sometimes, browser-specific issues can cause problems with Salesforce CPQ. Try generating the Quote document in a different browser to see if the issue persists.
Remember, it’s important to test each change you make to isolate the issue. If you’re still having trouble after these steps, it may be necessary to reach out to Salesforce support for further assistance.
Analysis: There are some good points here; however, the main task is not mentioned until the end of the text, where it talks about testing each change made. I would prefer to see information on creating a backup before you make changes and comparing, or/and creating a copy of the Quote Template and removing sections until you find which open causes the problem. All other elements are interesting options but shine a light on a lack of experience doing this.
Score: 1/5
Question 5: Write me a Salesforce validation rule to ensure a field is populated if the probability is over 41%
Answer: Here is an example of a Salesforce validation rule that will ensure that field "a" is populated if the probability field is over 41%:
AND( ISPICKVAL(Probability__c, "41% or higher"), ISBLANK(Field_A__c) )
This validation rule uses the AND function to check if two conditions are true. The first condition is that the Probability__c field is equal to "41% or higher" using the ISPICKVAL function. The second condition is that the Field_A__c is blank using the ISBLANK function.
If both conditions are true, then the validation rule will trigger and the user will see an error message.
You can customize the error message to be displayed to the user by adding a third parameter to the AND function:
AND( ISPICKVAL(Probability__c, "41% or higher"), ISBLANK(Field_A__c), "Please fill in Field A if Probability is over 41%" )
This validation rule can be added to the object that has the fields Probability__c and Field_A__c.
It's important to note that the validation rule will only run when the user is saving or editing the record, it will not run when the record is created via Apex or any other automation process.
Please make sure to test the validation rule before deploying it to your production environment.
Analysis: O dear O dear O dear, I'm afraid that's not right in so many ways. Firstly, Probability is not a custom field, and if it was custom, it should never be a picklist! Secondly, the inclusion of the error message in the formula shows a lack of understanding of what a validation rule is. As someone who spends a lot of time training, this type of information could be harmful to a novice trying to get help on a Validation rule, which fills me with concern.
Score: 0/5
So, the big question is, would I hire CoPilot? I’m still fuming over the answer to the last question, so the answer has to be no. The overall score was 14 out of 25 (56%). This is 1 point higher than Chat GPT got back on 16th January 2023, and the main basic technical understanding I would have expected to improve has not improved. As far as how I would use Co-Pilot at this stage, it is for that information and explanation of functionality; however, I would still not trust that information 100%; yet.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss AI or Salesforce CPQ further via our Contact page; we will get back to you ASAP.
