-1.svg){kind=icon}
Managed Services Providers (MSPs) face a tough quoting reality: complex service combinations, tight margins, demanding clients, and fast-moving competition. Quoting isn’t just another task — it’s a critical point of failure or success.
Yet for many MSPs, the quoting process is still manual, inconsistent, and time-consuming. Sales reps dig through spreadsheets, interpret pricing rules from memory, and cobble together proposals using outdated templates. The result? Delayed responses, errors, and lost revenue.
There’s a better way. And it's already working for leading providers.
Why Quoting Managed Services Is So Frustrating
Quoting managed services is harder than it looks. Your service catalog may include:
- Remote monitoring, cloud backup, cybersecurity
- Licensing and professional services
- Add-ons like 24/7 support or device management
But every client wants a different combination. Some pay by device, others by user. Pricing changes with contract length, region, SLA level, and usage tiers. It’s easy to make mistakes — or worse, undercharge and eat into your margins.
Here’s what quoting often looks like without the right tools:
- Too many tabs: service offerings and pricing scattered across documents
- Manual errors: typos, wrong service tiers, miscalculated discounts
- Slow turnaround: quotes take hours or even days to finalize
- Inconsistent pricing: different reps quote different figures
- Missed revenue: delayed quotes result in lost opportunities
When quoting slows down, so does your entire sales cycle. Clients notice. Competitors move in. And your team loses confidence in the process.
Enter CPQ: A Smarter Way to Price and Quote
Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) software is built to streamline the quoting process. For MSPs, CPQ tools automate how you build service packages, apply pricing rules, and deliver clear, professional quotes.
With CPQ software, your quoting process becomes:
- Configurable: Define and customize service offerings easily
- Accurate: Eliminate manual errors and pricing guesswork
- Fast: Deliver quotes in minutes, not days
- Consistent: Maintain uniform pricing and approvals across the team
CPQ tools act as a quote manager, guiding reps through options based on client needs. They ensure accuracy while reducing the administrative burden of manual quoting.
The Business Benefits of CPQ for MSPs
1. Simplify Complex Offerings
MSPs deal with a mix of hardware, software, and services. CPQ makes it easy to bundle them together based on client size, industry, or needs. Guided selling tools ensure only valid combinations are selected.
2. Speed Up the Sales Process
Faster quotes mean faster deals. With real-time pricing and predefined templates, CPQ eliminates back-and-forth edits and accelerates the sales cycle.
3. Increase Accuracy and Profitability
With built-in pricing logic, CPQ software helps you avoid underquoting or misapplying discounts. Quotes stay within margin targets and reflect real-time costs.
4. Improve the Client Experience
Clients expect professional, timely service quotes. CPQ delivers polished, accurate proposals that can be personalized to specific requirements without starting from scratch.
5. Optimize the Payment Process
CPQ solutions reduce friction by integrating with your billing platform. All pricing and service terms are correct up front, which leads to faster invoicing and payment.
6. Scale Without Complexity
As your business grows, so do your service offerings. CPQ systems are designed to handle growth, supporting new pricing models, product tiers, and markets without overwhelming your sales team.
Recommended Customer Stories
Why MSP Quoting Tools Are Critical
When it comes to quoting managed services, not just any software will do. MSP quoting tools are purpose-built to handle the unique challenges of managed services offerings. These tools help you manage:
- Pricing based on devices, users, or hybrid models
- Subscription services and time pricing structures
- Complex approval workflows and discount rules
An MSP quoting tool doesn't just save time — it builds confidence. Whether you're configuring bundled products and services or handling changes mid-contract, quoting software ensures you're always accurate, fast, and consistent.
Choosing the Right MSP Quoting Software
Not all quoting tools are created equal. The best MSP quoting software goes beyond configuration. It allows you to:
- Standardize services across teams and territories
- Offer flexible pricing structures and bundles
- Enable self-service quoting for partners or resellers
- Provide visibility into quote history and win rates
A flexible MSP quoting platform ensures your sales team can adjust quickly to client needs while staying within business rules.
Common MSP CPQ Use Cases
Modern CPQ systems are built to handle the realities of MSP sales:
- Onboarding new reps with guided selling flows
- Quoting managed services bundles quickly and accurately
- Supporting recurring services with subscription billing
- Enabling partner resellers with secure quoting portals
- Handling multi-currency and regional compliance needs
- CPQ adapts to your business rules while enabling greater efficiency across quoting, sales, and finance.
Scaling With Advanced CPQ Solutions Like XaitCPQ
Basic CPQ systems handle standard configurations. But advanced solutions like XaitCPQ take things further by supporting complex approval flows, deep integrations, and tailored service logic.
XaitCPQ helps MSPs:
- Configure complex service packages with built-in logic and rules
- Manage user roles, discount thresholds, and multi-step approvals
- Connect seamlessly with CRM, ERP, and payment platforms
- Monitor key sales metrics like quote turnaround, win rates, and deal margins
With XaitCPQ, you get enterprise-grade flexibility without sacrificing usability. Your team can quote faster, smarter, and at scale.
Transforming Quoting Into a Growth Engine
Quoting doesn’t have to be a bottleneck. With the right CPQ platform, it becomes a strategic asset.
By investing in CPQ for managed services, MSPs can:
- Respond to client requests in real time
- Deliver accurate, personalized quotes every time
- Shorten the sales cycle and reduce errors
- Improve cash flow through streamlined billing
- Align products and services with evolving client needs
- Build smarter pricing strategies, including time pricing models
Whether you’re quoting professional services, bundled solutions, or subscription plans, CPQ gives your team the tools to succeed.
Ready to turn your quoting process into a competitive advantage? CPQ is the way forward.
