For many businesses, the quote is the moment of truth. It’s when a prospect sees exactly what they’ll get and what it costs. Yet in many companies, quotes are still built in spreadsheets or Word templates, copied between systems, checked by email and sent days later than they should be.
CRM quoting software fixes that by generating quotes directly from your CRM, using accurate product and pricing data, with approvals, e-signatures and automatic updates to the deal. This guide explains how CRM quoting works, the difference between simple quoting and full CPQ, which features matter, how leading tools compare, and how to implement quoting without slowing your sales team down.
What Is CRM Quoting Software?
CRM quoting software is a tool, built into a CRM or integrated with it, that lets salespeople create, send and track quotes using data already in the CRM: the customer, the opportunity, products and prices.
At its simplest, it means:
- Open a deal in the CRM
- Add products from a catalogue
- Apply discounts within allowed limits
- Generate a branded quote document or online quote
- Send it for review and e-signature
- Track when it’s viewed and accepted, and update the deal automatically
Quoting vs CPQ: What’s the Difference?
CPQ stands for Configure, Price, Quote. It’s a more advanced form of quoting software for businesses with complex products and pricing.
| Basic CRM quoting | CPQ |
|---|---|
| Add products and prices from a catalogue | Guided configuration of complex products with rules (which options are compatible) |
| Simple discounts | Tiered, volume, bundle, partner and contract pricing |
| Manual review | Approval workflows based on discount levels, margins or deal size |
| Standard templates | Dynamic documents with conditional sections and terms |
| One-time products | Subscriptions, renewals, usage and amendments |
| Good for SMBs with simple catalogues | Good for manufacturers, SaaS and companies with complex offerings |
If your products have many options, dependencies or pricing models, you likely need CPQ. If you sell a manageable list of products or services, built-in CRM quoting may be enough.
Why Use Quoting Software in Your CRM?
- Speed: Quotes take minutes instead of hours, so you respond while interest is high.
- Accuracy: Prices and product details come from one source, reducing costly errors.
- Margin control: Discount limits and approvals protect profitability.
- Professional presentation: Consistent, branded quotes build trust.
- Visibility: Managers see which quotes are out, opened and accepted.
- Cleaner forecasting: Accepted quotes update deal values and stages automatically.
- Faster handoff: Won quotes flow to invoicing, ERP or onboarding without re-keying.
Must-Have Features
Product catalogue and price books
Centralised products with descriptions, SKUs, prices, currencies and price books for different regions, customer types or channels.
Discounting rules and approvals
Set maximum discounts by role or product, with automatic approval routing for anything beyond the limit.
Templates and branding
Professional templates with your logo, terms and conditional content. Online interactive quotes, where customers can pick options, are increasingly popular.
E-signature
Native or integrated e-signatures shorten the time from “yes” to signed.
Quote tracking
Notifications when quotes are viewed, how long they were read, and reminders when they haven’t been opened.
Versioning
Track multiple versions of a quote during negotiation, and see what changed.
Taxes and currencies
Automatic tax calculation and multi-currency support for international sales.
Integrations
Connect to accounting, ERP, billing and payment systems so accepted quotes become orders and invoices. Our guide to the best CRM and invoicing software covers this in more depth.
CRM Quoting Software Options
| Tool | Type | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| HubSpot Quotes | Built into HubSpot Sales Hub | SMBs and mid-market teams on HubSpot |
| Salesforce Revenue Cloud (CPQ) | Advanced CPQ on Salesforce | Enterprises with complex pricing and subscriptions |
| Zoho CRM quotes and CPQ | Built into Zoho CRM (CPQ on higher editions) | Cost-conscious teams wanting native quoting |
| Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales quotes | Built into Dynamics | Microsoft-centric organisations |
| PandaDoc | Document, quote and e-signature tool integrating with many CRMs | Teams wanting attractive interactive quotes quickly |
| DealHub | CPQ and revenue platform integrating with major CRMs | Mid-market and enterprise B2B |
| Conga | CPQ and contract lifecycle management | Enterprises with complex contracts |
| Proposify | Proposal software with CRM integrations | Agencies and service businesses |
| Pipedrive (Smart Docs and contracts) | Built-in document and e-signature features on higher plans | Small sales teams on Pipedrive |
Features and packaging change frequently; check current plans and which CRM tiers include quoting. Field service businesses often use quoting built into their trade CRM; see our electrician CRM and CRM cleaning service guides.
How to Choose CRM Quoting Software
- Assess product complexity. List your products, options, dependencies and pricing models. This tells you whether you need CPQ.
- Start with your CRM’s native tools. Built-in quoting is often cheaper and simpler. Only add a third-party tool if it can’t meet your needs.
- Define discount policies. Decide limits and approval paths before configuring software.
- Check document quality. Ask for sample quotes and test how they look on mobile.
- Confirm integrations. Especially with accounting, ERP and e-signature.
- Evaluate admin effort. CPQ requires someone to maintain products, rules and templates.
- Pilot with real deals. Measure time to quote and error rates during the trial.
Implementation Steps
Step 1: Clean your product catalogue
Remove discontinued products, standardise names and SKUs, and confirm prices. Garbage in, garbage out applies doubly to pricing.
Step 2: Design templates
Create one or two primary templates with clear structure: summary, line items, options, terms, next steps and signature.
Step 3: Configure rules and approvals
Set discount thresholds, approval routing and any product compatibility rules.
Step 4: Connect downstream systems
Ensure accepted quotes create invoices, orders or onboarding tasks automatically.
Step 5: Train and launch
Train reps on building quotes, managing versions and tracking engagement. Train approvers on response expectations; slow approvals undo the speed benefit.
Step 6: Measure and refine
Track time to quote, quote-to-close rate, average discount and approval turnaround.
KPIs for Quoting
| KPI | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Time to quote | Faster quotes improve win rates |
| Quote-to-close rate | Shows quote effectiveness |
| Average discount | Indicates pricing discipline |
| Approval turnaround time | Reveals internal bottlenecks |
| Quote error rate | Measures data and process quality |
| Quote views before acceptance | Shows buyer engagement |
See our full guide to CRM KPIs.
Common Mistakes
- Automating a messy price list. Fix pricing structure before you configure software.
- Over-engineering CPQ rules. Too many rules make quoting slower, not faster.
- Ignoring approvers. Managers need mobile-friendly approvals and clear SLAs.
- Not tracking quote engagement. Views and time spent help prioritise follow-up.
- Disconnected billing. If finance re-keys every accepted quote, errors creep back in.
Example: Quoting Before and After a CRM Quoting Tool
Before: A rep at a B2B equipment supplier receives a request for pricing. They open last month’s quote in Word, update the customer name, copy prices from a spreadsheet that may be out of date, email their manager for approval on a 15% discount, wait a day, convert to PDF and email it. When the customer replies with changes, the process repeats. Nobody knows whether the customer opened the quote.
After: The rep opens the deal in the CRM, adds products from the catalogue with current prices, applies a 15% discount that automatically routes to the manager’s phone for approval, and sends an interactive quote the same afternoon. The rep is notified when the customer views it, follows up while it’s top of mind, and the customer signs electronically. The deal moves to “Won” and an invoice is created in the accounting system.
The difference isn’t just speed. It’s accuracy, visibility and a better buying experience.
Quoting for Subscriptions and Services
Subscription and service businesses have extra requirements: recurring line items, billing frequency, contract terms, ramp pricing, renewals and mid-term changes (amendments). Check that your quoting tool can represent annual versus monthly billing, multi-year terms with price increases, one-time setup fees alongside recurring fees, and co-termed add-ons. If these are central to your business, prioritise tools with subscription-aware CPQ and billing integration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is CRM quoting software?
It’s software that lets salespeople create and send quotes directly from the CRM using product, pricing and customer data, with approvals, tracking and e-signature.
Do I need CPQ or just quoting?
Choose CPQ if you have complex products with many options, rules, subscriptions or tiered pricing. Simple catalogues are usually well served by built-in CRM quoting.
Which CRMs have built-in quoting?
HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho CRM, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Act! and Pipedrive (on certain plans) all offer quoting or document features. Availability depends on the plan.
Can quoting software integrate with accounting?
Yes. Many tools integrate with QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite and other accounting or ERP systems so accepted quotes become invoices or orders.
How much does CRM quoting software cost?
Built-in quoting may be included in your CRM plan. Standalone tools typically charge per user per month, and enterprise CPQ often requires custom pricing plus implementation.
Final Thoughts
CRM quoting software shortens sales cycles, protects margins and makes your business look more professional. Start by cleaning your catalogue and defining pricing rules, use your CRM’s native quoting if it’s sufficient, and move to CPQ only when complexity demands it. The goal is simple: accurate quotes, sent fast, that turn into revenue without re-keying.
Related: features of CRM and CRM process.