Different Kinds of Quoting Solution Integrations for VARs: A Lesson in Four Use Cases

Value Added Resellers (VARs) face complex quoting processes that can benefit from streamlined, automated workflows. By incorporating quoting solution integrations with other elements of the business process, VARs can eliminate errors and gain significant business advantages.

Drawing from our industry experience, we’ve identified several popular use cases that demonstrate how quoting solution integrations for resellers contribute to achieving business goals. Each category of VAR integration listed below offers unique benefits, addresses specific pain points, and delivers its own value. In the following sections, StrataVAR will explore four specific VAR integration use cases, highlighting how system integrations can transform quoting processes and drive business success for VARs.

Integration Challenges that Resellers Face

While VAR quoting solution integrations offer numerous benefits, implementing them can be complicated, especially when connecting quoting solutions with ERP and CRM systems. These complexities often come from differences in platforms, data structures, and underlying business processes.

Without proper integration, companies frequently resort to inefficient workarounds. These may include:

• • Manual data entry: Copying and pasting information between systems

• • Creating dummy entries: For example, generating placeholder invoices in the ERP system

• • Developing custom scripts: To transfer data between incompatible systems

Such stopgap measures are both time-consuming and prone to errors. They can lead to data inconsistencies, reduced productivity, and even financial discrepancies. In fact, these manual processes often negate many of the efficiency gains that digital solutions are meant to provide.

Use Cases for Quoting Solution Integrations for Resellers

Let’s explore four integration scenarios that VARs can use to enhance their quoting processes.

Use Case #1: Vendor and Supplier Integration

Supplier and vendor integration for reseller quoting is a critical integration scenario for VARs. This involves connecting quoting systems with those of vendors (such as Cisco) and distributors (like Ingram Micro). This vendor and supplier integration streamlines the entire quote-to-reseller process by enabling VARs to receive quotes directly from suppliers, eliminating manual data entry and reducing errors.

The integration can be implemented through two primary methods: API (server-to-server) connections or file-based transfers. While API-driven integrations offer greater accuracy and reduced risk, file-based integrations using formats like Excel, PDF, JSON, or XML are also common when integrating vendors and suppliers with VAR quoting tools.

To accommodate various supplier systems and multi-vendor integration, it’s crucial for VARs to support multiple file formats, so they have flexibility when receiving quotes. Many modern quoting solutions incorporate intelligent parsing capabilities, particularly for Excel files, to extract and process quote data automatically. There’s also growing interest in developing support for PDF parsing, further expanding integration possibilities.

Use Case #2: Sales Tax Integration with Reseller Quoting Tools

Many end customers require quotes that include accurately calculated sales tax. This presents a significant challenge for VARs due to the complexities of US tax regulations which can vary widely across states, counties, and even municipalities. To address this, VARs can integrate their quoting solutions with specialized tax calculation services such as Avalara or Vertex. Using an integrated tax software with a quoting solution presents many advantages. These integrations automate the tax calculation process, ensuring accuracy and compliance with current tax laws.

For this integration to work, multiple critical data points must be synchronized. These include the item price, tax code (which can differ for software versus hardware), ship-from address, and ship-to address, among others. The complexity increases when dealing with companies that have multiple locations, as a single invoice may involve several tax codes. For instance, a transaction might involve a product with a specific tax code (e.g., code 70) sold for $50,000, originating from a vendor like Cisco in San Jose, California, but shipped to multiple locations such as New York City and various addresses in New Jersey. All of these details affect the tax calculation.

By implementing integrated tax accounting with a quoting solution, VARs can provide more accurate quotes, reduce the risk of tax-related errors, and save the time that would otherwise be spent on manual tax calculations.

Use Case #3: Post-Quote Process – Sales Order Integration for VAR Quoting

A well-managed post-quote process is essential. This includes integrating the quoting solution with ERP systems to track sales orders after a quote has been accepted. Sales order integration with a quoting tool allows VARs to monitor critical information such as shipment dates and serial numbers.  Sales order integration for resellers also allows them to communicate proactively with customers about potential delays or issues.

ERP integration, however, is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It often requires customization based on the specific platform, interface, and various moving parts within the business process. The integration must be capable of handling complex scenarios, such as splitting orders across multiple suppliers, synchronizing product catalogs between the quoting system and ERP, and seamlessly uploading accepted quotes as sales orders.

A critical aspect of this integration is the ability to link customer records between the CRM and the ERP to ensure that customer names match their corresponding ERP customer numbers.  This integration makes post-quote fulfillment processes, including invoicing and ordering from suppliers, much simpler.

In addition, an advanced integration can provide real-time insights during the quoting process itself. For example, it can automatically check inventory levels and pricing across multiple suppliers, allowing VARs to offer the most competitive quotes possible. To illustrate, VARs can easily check who has a particular CISCO router in stock for the best price. By implementing a robust sales order integration, VARs can reduce manual checks, minimize delays, and keep customers happy with timely and accurate order fulfillment.

Use Case #4: Post-Quote Process – Purchase Order Integration

It is not so simple to manually track purchase orders (POs) sent from the ERP to suppliers after a sale is completed. Purchase order integration for VARs can monitor order status and guarantee timely fulfillment. The ERP can send copies of POs to different suppliers, which is important for tracking.

The PO data also helps with sales integration with suppliers. It provides detailed information on pricing, quantities, and expected delivery dates, allowing VARs to:

1. Maintain better control over the entire order fulfillment process
2. Identify and address any supply chain bottlenecks
3. Give customers accurate order updates 
4. Update inventory based on real-time data about supplier orders
5. Manage cash flow by aligning customer orders with supplier deliveries

Conclusion: Why VARs Need Quoting Solution Integrations

Integrating quoting solutions with other business systems has become a must-have for VARs. These quoting solution integrations for resellers, as highlighted in the four use cases—vendor and supplier integration, tax calculation, sales order integration, and purchase order tracking—can improve the overall quoting process. While implementing VAR integrations can be complex, their benefits make them worthwhile for VARs looking to stay competitive. Using automation, VARs can focus more on delivering value to their customers and less on managing fragmented processes. To learn more about quoting solutions and integrations offered by StrataVAR, contact StrataVAR.