When inquiry processes are enabled for an Account (see "Commerce Administration: Order and Inquiry" for more information), users browsing through products on the Commerce portal can request help and make inquiries about products of interest.
Inquiries can be placed after the product has been added to cart with either of the 2 buttons: (for configurable products), or
(for sealed variants). In addition, for sealed variants, users may have the option to first personalise it
and submit an inquiry on the modified item.
Web Configuration
Customised
Configurable products cannot be immediately ordered on checkout, but have to be processed with the help of a sales rep due to its customised nature.
| Icon | Descriptions |
|---|---|
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Add-to-Cart-&-Configure icon shown for configurable products, when inquiry process has been enabled. (Ordering of configurable products directly via commerce is not supported.) When clicked, the respective product is added to the inquiry section of the cart and the web configurator is launched. |
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Configure-the-Variant icon shown for classified products with KMAT references, when inquiry process has been enabled. (Ordering of configurable products directly via commerce is not supported.) When clicked, the associated KMAT is added to the inquiry section of the cart and the web configurator is launched with attributes copied from the variant.
Using this action you can Customise variants to offer the best-match product. The KMAT shall be added to the cart and the configuration shall be copied from the variant. User(s) will still be allowed to edit the configurations and submit an inquiry. |
(See "The New Configurator UI - Workspace" for more information)
Configurable Products
To start the configuration process for a configurable product in Commerce, users can click on the 'Add-to-Cart-&-Configure' icon found on the product catalogue screen or product detail page. When clicked, the respective product is added to the inquiry section of the cart and the web configurator is launched.
From there, users can select all product attributes for a full customisation as desired.
Tip: Fully configured inquiries result in fast quote creation. Still, configuration is optional - users can submit inquiries without any inputs or definite requests in the web configurator. Any missing information can be completed later in the sales process with the sales representative.
Personalise Sealed Variants
User(s) may select existing variants based on the required standard with customisation options. This ensures the request is kept close to standard variants. With faster time to value, approximately 90% of production can be done in advance with the remaining open to special requests on top of variants. With this feature made available, it is a helpful starting point for Commerce users to begin their product configuration process.
Compare Variant page
The image below shows the landing on the linked KMAT with config copied over from Variant:
Submit Inquiry Page
Before submitting an inquiry, the user(s) may also configure the selected product by clicking on the icon (if applicable).
Available Actions in the Configuration view
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Find matching variants | |
| Help Assist: to know about features and options, and upload specs/special request | |
| Settings for Configurator engine |
Help Assistance
The Help Panel provides documentation with rich text and visual content, if maintained by your marketing team correctly, which can help end-users understand the benefit of each option and make informed decisions.
As shown in the image below, errors encountered during the configuration process will also be highlighted for example missing mandatory fields or invalid selections.
The HTML content can include marketing videos. The user(s) can also upload specs and special request, for the specific like item.
Understanding the benefit of each option, not only helps you match the specific needs of the customer but also adds to the stickiness to eventually go with your offering.
Product Finder Assistance
To further assist the end user they can click on the button Product Finder - to find a matching variant (pre-configured product), that meets current inputs. Such Variants can be narrowed down as more attributes are selected.
The user(s) may compare variants, then add them to the cart, or copy attributes into the configurator as a starting point for configuration. The configuration engine can be now used as a guided selling to ask relevant questions and use that to filter products based on selected values.
For additional information on the setups, please refer to 'Assistive selling - Material Variant Finder'.
Cart
Before submitting inquiries, users can duplicate configurable items in the cart and make any adjustments needed to configurations by clicking on the Configure icon. Notes can also be added/attached as shown in the image below.
Available Actions in Cart
| Icon | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The Copy icon here copies the configuration and adds another line item in the inquiry tab. Products that have been copied and added to the line item list can be further configured too if necessary. | |
| Configure icon used in the line-item view of the inquiry section of the shopping cart. When clicked, it will launch the configuration again to view/edit. | |
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The Attachment icon shows the number of documents that are already attached. Clicking on it allow the user to upload more attachments if needed.
The Expand View (Arrow) icon, opens up the option to write notes and attach documents in a full view popover.
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(See "Process Overview: Post-submission of Order/Inquiry" for more information)
Pre-Requisites
Configuration
For the configuration screen to work in commerce please maintain the following
Under 'Administration' -> 'Master Data Management' -> 'Setting String' -> 'MX Application URL' the CPQ URL (example: https://xxxxxx.hana.ondemand.com)
Product Pre-Requisites for the Inquiry Process
The right pre-requisites need to be maintained on a Product record before they can be configured and inquired for by Commerce users in addition to the regular product master pre-requisites for Commerce (refer to 'Product Master Pre-Requisites' for additional information). These pre-requisites are:
- The product attribute 'Classification' needs to be Product
- It must be a configurable product, meaning it needs to have a valid knowledge base (refer to 'Product Rules Definition' for additional information) and the flag 'Classified' needs to be set to False