In this blog I will describe the different SAP tools that are provided for generating proposal documents out of a CRM quotation.
First of all, a proposal is a written document that outlines a seller´s understanding of the buyer´s needs and recommends an appropriately matched solution, pricing, and expected needs. A winning proposal typically includes messaging tailored to the prospect’s unique goals and needs. A quote might be a simple document, but proposals and more formal quotation documents can be very lengthy. If printed, they can amount to hundreds of pages of documents, technical specifications, product descriptions, product pictures, technical drawings, etc.
SAP provides, out of the box two different tools within the CRM quotation for generating proposals:
- Smart forms
- Template designer
And of course there is the SAP Document Builder application lets you generate simple to complex text-based documents quickly and easily.
1) Smart Forms
There are also, Smart forms can be used to create and maintain forms for mass printing in SAP systems. In a smart form, you describe the layout of the form, the individual elements (text graphics etc.) and the form logic (e.g. read application data).
Some Main features:
- Integrated into all CRM documents (activity, lead, opportunity, order) with actions
- Examples are provided
- Mass printing is supported (batch processing)
- Documents can be output to printer, fax, and e-mail
The smart form technology is easy to use in an environment with automated and quite static processes, where mass printing and batch processing is necessary. It is an interesting and cost-saving technology, especially for upgrade customers who have already invested in it in previous releases.
2) Template Designer
The template designer is a tool that enables you to put CRM data from a Web service into a document in either Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format. You can use the template designer to design a template, for an object such as a quote, that specifies the layout, logo, formatting, etc. of your document, which is filled with CRM data at runtime. A Web service supplies the data to the template.
Main features:
- Integrated into all CRM documents
- Sales support departments can easily adapt or create templates, no special knowledge is necessary
- Adapted for the creation of simple documents
SAP Document Builder
The next step is to use a tool that has generic functions, and is easy to integrate. A tool that allows the generation of very complex documents with configuration data or product master data, such as product descriptions, pictures, or text modules.
The tool of choice is SAP Document Builder. The SAP Document Builder application lets you generate simple to complex text-based documents quickly and easily, using customer-defined formats, templates, and clause content. Its strength is generating complex documents, the composition of which is determined by the evaluation of rules.
Main features:
- Easy to integrate
- Clause, template, and document versioning
- Configurable output (PDF, MS Word, XML)
- Leverage of professional MS Word sophisticated formatting features
- Rules-based content selection: Rule evaluation is based on data passed into SAP Document Builder, as well as data supplied by the user in a dialog sessionn
- Multi-language support
With the SAP CRM tools it is easier for you create proposals.
I hope this was helpful for you.
