Achieving Rapid Revenue Growth with Epicor CPQ
Graceland is a leading manufacturer of portable buildings in the United States, catering to the needs of both homeowners and businesses.
Founded in 2004, the company offers a wide range of products, including sheds, cabins, and portable offices, in sizes ranging from 8x8 to 16x40 feet. With an extensive network of manufacturing plants and 300 dealers, Graceland has established itself as a national leader in the portable building industry, helping hundreds of thousands of loyal customers "Make Room for Life™."
Before implementing Epicor CPQ, Graceland's ordering process was manual and paper-based. Dealers sketched requirements on a grid, and sales reps collected and faxed orders to the corporate office. This workflow became a bottleneck as Graceland expanded its product configuration options. Graceland's previous basic visual configuration system used 2D visuals, making it difficult for customers to visualize custom buildings. The system's constraints also limited Graceland's ability to showcase their extensive customization options.
The legacy configuration system hindered efficiency and limited the company's agility. Graceland needed a scalable solution that would allow them to maintain and modify products without external help, which is essential for maintaining a competitive edge.
“We were constrained by a linear, screen-by-screen process. Each selection triggered complex behind-the-scenes logic to determine subsequent options. This structure created chaos in the backend,” explained Ryan Holland, Director of CPQ Operations at Graceland.
After evaluating multiple solutions, Graceland chose Epicor CPQ to modernize its sales process. The implementation was smooth and on schedule, with the Epicor team demonstrating expertise in Graceland's specific needs and the portable building industry. The transition to the new system occurred without any interruption to regular operations.
"Implementing Epicor CPQ was seamless. The process was on schedule and delay-free from start to finish, which was fantastic. The Epicor team was very thorough and understood our product and exactly what we needed. They knew precisely what we were talking about, even when we got very specific and granular," shared Michael Boyd, Chief Information Officer at Graceland. Epicor CPQ's advanced 3D visualization capabilities significantly improved Graceland's product present. The system helps to offer photorealistic renderings that showcase buildings in stunning detail, helping customers make informed decisions.
Additionally, the ability to generate Bills of Materials (BOMs) based on these configurations bridged the gap between sales and manufacturing. "The advanced 3D visualization was a significant factor in our decision. Creating detailed 3D models and being able to fully customize the interface was huge for us," Michael Boyd added. The open API of Epicor CPQ was crucial for Graceland, allowing their development team to customize and integrate the system with their existing software without relying on third-party involvement. “The open API was a giant piece for our dev team. It lets us make backend changes without getting third parties involved,” said Greg French, Chief Executive Officer at Graceland.
Epicor CPQ's web-based configurator transformed Graceland's website into an interactive lead capture tool. This self-service configurator allowed potential customers to design their own buildings online, providing valuable leads and showcasing available options.
Greg French added, “Epicor CPQ’s web tool was another big piece that attracted us. It allows us to generate leads through our website. We have a full configurator for our dealers and a slightly limited version for public use, both capable of generating leads.”
“The web-based configurator had a substantial impact on Graceland’s business, resulting in a 36% increase in lead generation, 52% increase in lead conversions, and a 55% increase in lead-based revenue,” shared Brad Doll.
Implementing Epicor CPQ was seamless. The process was on schedule and delay-free from start to finish, which was fantastic… The Epicor team was very thorough and understood our product and exactly what we needed. They knew precisely what we were talking about, even when we got very specific and granular.
Epicor CPQ significantly reduced the time required to process quotes and orders, allowing the sales team to focus more on customer interaction and improving responsiveness to inquiries. The system's user-friendly interface proved adaptable to users of all technological skill levels, minimizing training time and reducing resistance across Graceland's diverse dealer network.
Ryan Holland explained, “We have some employees that are 20 years old, that are great with technology, and then we have some that are in their 80s, that hate to use a mouse. They can all use Epicor CPQ.”
Epicor CPQ helps to provide valuable insights into customer preferences and buying patterns, enabling data-driven decision-making for product configurations, pricing strategies, and marketing campaigns.
"It's impacting marketing by revealing trends in customer preferences for configuring products. This data allows us to tailor our marketing strategies and product offerings more effectively," elaborates Greg French.
The system's flexibility and scalability have positioned Graceland for future growth. Plans include integrating eCommerce capabilities and leveraging augmented reality features to enhance the customer experience further.