Key Takeaways
- Telco providers face five costly CPQ challenges: slow quotes, customer churn, high operational overhead, limited scalability and poor visibility into margins.
- These issues stem from generic CPQ systems that weren’t built for complex B2B telecom environments.
- A telco-specific CPQ can solve these problems by automating quoting, improving accuracy and supporting complex product bundles.
- This post breaks down each issue and solution—and shows how to calculate the impact with CSG’s CPQ ROI calculator.
In the telecom industry, where speed, precision and scalability are non-negotiables, many communication service providers (CSPs) are still relying on generic CPQ systems that weren’t built for the complexity of telco B2B. The consequences are measurable—and increasingly unsustainable.
This post breaks down the most pressing business problems caused by inadequate CPQ systems and how a telco-specific solution can resolve them for greater revenue growth.
1. Slow Quote Turnaround Times Are Putting Deals at Risk
When a CPQ system lacks the ability to handle complex configurations, sales teams are forced to improvise. They resort to manual workarounds and disconnected tools, which slow down the quoting process and introduce errors.
This isn’t just inconvenient—it’s costly. According to Appledore Research, more than 50% of CSPs take longer than three days to respond to customers with a quote. That’s far beyond the industry target of less than one day, and in a competitive market, those delays can mean lost revenue and missed opportunities.
Solution: A telco-specific CPQ automates the entire quote-to-order process, enabling CSPs to deliver accurate, tailored quotes quickly—even for multi-line, multi-partner deals.
2. Poor Customer Satisfaction Is Leading to Churn
Customer trust hinges on consistency. When quotes aren’t updated accurately across systems, billing discrepancies arise. Customers receive invoices that don’t match their expectations, leading to disputes and erosion of trust.
Solution: An integrated CPQ system that performs real-time updates across quoting, fulfillment and billing ensures consistency—even for in-flight order changes. This alignment protects customer relationships and reduces churn.
3. High Operational Costs Are Tying Up Resources
Fixing quote and billing errors is a drain on resources. These inefficiencies consume time and budget, tying up teams in reactive tasks rather than strategic initiatives.
Solution: A unified CPQ and deal management platform serves as a single source of truth throughout the deal lifecycle. It streamlines operations, reduces rework and frees up resources for higher-value activities.
4. New Services Can’t Be Deployed at Scale
Telco B2B offerings are inherently complex. Generic CPQs often lack the configurability to handle multi-site, multi-access and multi-partner requirements. As a result, CSPs struggle to launch new services at scale.
This challenge is widespread. In a CSG-commissioned Appledore Research survey, 85% of CSPs reported that their existing CPQ system meets less than 75% of their requirements. Even more striking, 60% said fewer than half of their requirements are being met.
Solution: Telco-specific CPQs are engineered to manage intricate product bundles and configurations. They empower CSPs to deploy new services confidently, without overwhelming the system or the sales team.
5. Limited Visibility Is Hindering Strategic Decisions
Without visibility into margins, profitability and product performance, CSPs are left guessing. Strategic decisions become reactive, and opportunities for optimization are missed.
Solution: Advanced CPQ systems provide real-time insights into product and service performance. This data-driven visibility enables CSPs to make informed decisions, optimize offerings and promote profitability.
Calculate What Else Your CPQ Might Be Costing You
If your CPQ is slowing down quotes, creating billing headaches or making it hard to scale new services, you’re not just dealing with inefficiency—you’re losing money. But how much?
Find out with our CPQ ROI calculator. It’s a fast, easy way to estimate the real financial impact of upgrading to a telco-specific CPQ. Then, dive into the full Quote & Order Buyer’s Guide to explore how the right system can help you fix what’s broken, and build what’s next.
