If you’re shopping for a CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) system for complex manufacturing, you’ve probably heard the same buzzwords from every vendor. “Streamlined configuration.” “Customer-centric experience.” “Seamless integrations.” It all blurs together. But picking the right tool is make-or-break for your business—especially if you deal with highly configurable products, lots of engineering rules, and global sales teams.
This guide is for people who want a straight answer on how Tacton stacks up against other B2B CPQ platforms. No fluff. Just a practical way to compare your options, spot the gotchas, and avoid buyer’s remorse.
1. Get Clear on Your Real Needs
Before you let vendors wow you with demos, pin down what problems you actually need to solve. This isn’t about a “feature checklist”—it’s about your daily headaches.
- Are your products truly complex? For example: Do you sell engineered-to-order machinery, or are you just choosing from a few catalog options?
- Who will use the CPQ? Is it just sales, or will engineering and partners use it too?
- How much do you need to automate? Are you trying to automate quoting, generate CAD drawings, or even kick off manufacturing orders?
- What systems does it need to connect to? ERP, CRM, PLM—figure out what’s non-negotiable.
Pro tip: Talk to the people who’ll use this daily—sales engineers, product managers, IT. They’ll tell you what trips them up now.
2. Understand What Makes Tacton Different (and Where It’s Just Like the Rest)
Tacton’s big claim is that it handles “complex configuration” better than the rest. Here’s what that means in practice—and where it might matter (or not):
What Tacton Does Well
- Rules-Based, Not Just Option-Based: Tacton uses constraint-based configuration, which means it can handle thousands of rules and dependencies—great for machinery with lots of options that interact.
- Automated CAD Generation: If you need to spit out custom drawings or 3D models as part of a quote, Tacton is one of the few that does this out of the box.
- Strong in Industrial Manufacturing: They’ve got a track record with companies making pumps, compressors, trucks—stuff that isn’t plug-and-play.
Where It’s Like Other CPQ Tools
- Pricing and Discounting: Tacton’s pricing engine is solid, but not wildly different from Salesforce CPQ, PROS, or Oracle CPQ.
- Integrations: Yes, it connects to SAP, Salesforce, and others—but so do most major players.
- UI/UX: It’s not going to blow you away. Usable, but not beautiful.
Where It Falls Short
- Learning Curve: The power comes with complexity. If your team isn’t technical, expect a longer ramp-up.
- Implementation Partners: There aren’t as many experts worldwide as with Salesforce or Oracle—so vet your consultants carefully.
- Not Built for Simpler Sales: If you mostly sell standard products, Tacton’s overkill.
Bottom line: If your business is truly “engineered-to-order,” Tacton’s configuration engine is a real advantage. Otherwise, you might pay for horsepower you don’t need.
3. Compare Real-World Use Cases, Not Just Features
Ignore the endless feature grids. Instead, map out a few core scenarios—then grill every vendor on how they’d handle them.
Example Scenarios
- A sales rep needs to configure a custom machine, check for errors, and get a quote out in 15 minutes.
- Engineering needs to review a configuration for technical feasibility—without back-and-forth emails.
- The customer wants to tweak their order after the quote—how easy is it to update everything?
- You need to automatically generate a 3D CAD model and BOM to send to your factory.
For each scenario, push for a demo. Don’t settle for “we can do that”—make them show you.
Red flag: If it takes days to set up a demo for your scenario, expect a long, bumpy implementation.
4. Dig Deep on Integration (This Is Where Projects Succeed or Fail)
CPQ doesn’t live in a vacuum. If it doesn’t play nice with your other systems, you’ll be stuck with manual workarounds—defeating the whole point.
Key Questions to Ask
- ERP/PLM Integration: Can you push/pull product data, prices, and orders automatically?
- CRM Integration: Is the sales team working off the same data, or is there double entry?
- CAD Integration: If you need CAD automation, is it native or a bolt-on?
- APIs and Extensibility: Can your IT team build custom connectors if needed?
What to watch out for: Some vendors claim “out-of-the-box” integration, but that often just means “we have APIs.” Ask for references from companies using the same stack you have.
5. Look at Total Cost—Not Just License Price
Sticker price is just a piece of the puzzle. Here’s what actually drives cost:
- Implementation: Tacton projects, especially for complex setups, often cost as much as (or more than) the first year of licensing. Budget for it.
- Customization: The more you need to tweak, the more you’ll pay in consulting fees—now and every time you upgrade.
- Training and Change Management: If you have a global sales team, plan for serious training. This stuff isn’t always intuitive.
- Ongoing Support: How much will it cost to keep rules, product data, and integrations up to date?
Pro tip: Get vendors to show you a real-world total cost of ownership over 3–5 years. Ask for case studies, not just sales slides.
6. Beware of Hype and Vaporware
Every CPQ vendor claims to use AI, machine learning, or “next-gen” features. Here’s the reality:
- AI-powered pricing: Usually means “it suggests discounts based on past deals.” Sometimes helpful, rarely magic.
- Guided selling: Good, but most tools do some version of this now.
- Cloud-native: Pretty much table stakes. On-prem is rare, but if you need it, double-check.
Don’t get hung up on what might be coming “next quarter.” Buy what works today.
7. Check References—and Dig for the Ugly Stuff
Always talk to real customers with similar products and sales processes.
- Ask what went wrong. Every big CPQ project hits bumps. The good vendors will put you in touch with folks who’ll give you the unvarnished truth.
- Find out what’s still manual. No system solves everything. See what workarounds people use.
- Ask about upgrades and support. How smooth are updates? How responsive is the vendor when things break?
8. Plan for Change (and Don’t Over-Engineer)
CPQ projects have a reputation for ballooning in scope. Resist the urge to solve every edge case on day one.
- Start with your core products and processes.
- Iterate as you learn. Every company discovers hidden complexity once they go live.
- Keep your rules and integrations as simple as possible.
Pro tip: If you’re not embarrassed by your first release, you waited too long.
Keep it simple. The best CPQ is the one your team actually uses—and that you can keep running without a team of consultants. Focus on your key pain points, stay skeptical of shiny features, and remember: No system is perfect, but the right fit will make your life a whole lot easier. Get the basics right, and you can always add bells and whistles later.