As AI-driven advancements like Agentforce became increasingly integrated into business solutions, Salesforce began developing a more unified revenue lifecycle management solution.
In March 2024, they launched Salesforce Revenue Lifecycle Management (RLM), offering feature parity with Salesforce CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) while also incorporating Billing and CLM functionality. RLM was then briefly renamed to Revenue Cloud Advanced, and then finally Revenue Cloud in late 2024.
However, unlike Salesforce CPQ — which operates as a managed package — this new solution is built natively on the Einstein 1 platform, leveraging Salesforce’s advanced data architecture and AI capabilities. At Dreamforce 2024, Salesforce unveiled these changes and some of the exciting features and enhancements surrounding Revenue Cloud.
In this blog we’ll dive into the transformation from Salesforce CPQ to Revenue Cloud, the key difference between the two products, and how to determine whether you should make the switch from Salesforce CPQ to Revenue Cloud.
For years, Salesforce Revenue Cloud consisted of two core products: Salesforce CPQ and Salesforce Billing. The journey began in 2015 when Salesforce acquired Steelbrick CPQ, which was then rebranded as Salesforce CPQ. In 2018, Salesforce introduced Billing, expanding its revenue management capabilities.
For many years, Salesforce CPQ has been the choice product for businesses to automate and manage complex quoting and pricing processes. CPQ enhances Sales Cloud with advanced capabilities for managing complex catalogs, configurations, pricing, and quoting. However, it operates as a managed package and requires additional add-ons to further extend its capabilities.
The main functionality of Salesforce CPQ consists of the following:
With the release of Revenue Cloud, there has been some question as to whether customers will eventually be migrated over to the product in the near future. It’s our opinion (and others) that Salesforce CPQ remains highly relevant today and will continue to be a valuable solution for many businesses.
As a well-established and mature product, Salesforce CPQ offers extensive documentation, implementations, and use cases — providing significant benefits for business across industries. With Revenue Cloud now generally available, Salesforce is simply evolving to meet the increasing demand for more automated and scalable revenue management solutions.
Revenue Cloud can be best understood as a platform for running your entire revenue lifecycle on Salesforce instead of relying on other tools and services. Revenue Cloud goes beyond Salesforce CPQ and handles all of your revenue management needs — from pricing, quoting, contracting, fulfillment, and billing — on one unified platform.
For companies with evolving revenue management needs — such as handling subscriptions, dynamic pricing strategies, and complex post-sale workflows like renewals, provisioning, and fulfillment — Revenue Cloud provides a scalable solution to bridge this gap.
The main difference between Revenue Cloud and Salesforce CPQ is that CPQ is a managed package for Sales Cloud and Revenue Cloud is built ‘on-core’ or the Einstein 1 platform.
Revenue Cloud includes more functionality out-of-the-box such as product catalogs, price management, transactions, product configurator, contract lifecycle management, omnistudio, and more under a single platform. Revenue Cloud runs natively in the newer Salesforce Lightning UI so it’s also easier to navigate and more intuitive for users to get started with, which is a huge plus.
For B2B companies in particular, Revenue Cloud offers exciting solutions for companies that sell complex products and services with variable pricing structures beyond configuration. Let’s take a closer look at some of the advancements and capabilities that Revenue Cloud offers.
Revenue Cloud introduces a modern, AI-powered approach to managing the full revenue lifecycle. Built on Einstein 1, Revenue Cloud provides businesses with a scalable and flexible platform that enhances sales, pricing, quoting, and order management.
In this section, we’ll explore the key capabilities that sets the product apart, from its advanced API architecture and automation features to customizable pricing strategies and Dynamic Revenue Orchestration (DRO). Whether you’re looking to improve efficiency, personalize the customer experience, or streamline complex revenue processes, Revenue Cloud offers the tools to drive growth and agility.
The true power of Revenue Cloud comes from its ability to provide a headless API, which allows for flexible, real-time connectivity across various digital touchpoints. APIs (application programming interfaces) enable different software systems to communicate, and fast API calls mean quicker access to product details, pricing, and configuration options. This allows businesses to offer more interactive product visualization and a seamless buying journey.
In Revenue Cloud, these headless APIs can be effortlessly embedded into websites, customer portals, or third-party storefronts, providing a frictionless buying experience while maintaining data integrity within Salesforce.
Additionally, Revenue Cloud empowers B2B companies to deliver a highly personalized experience, including tailored product recommendations, dynamic pricing, and customized offers based on buyer profiles and behavior. Revenue Cloud offers a far more robust and integrated solution compared to external plug-and-play quoting tools, ensuring seamless alignment with your Salesforce data and processes.
While Salesforce CPQ is a powerful tool for configuring complex B2B quotes, it becomes even more effective when paired with B2B Commerce, an add-on product for Commerce Cloud. CPQ requires B2B Commerce in order to enable businesses to manage multiple sales channels — whether through direct sales, online storefronts, or self-service commerce experiences.
Revenue Cloud is built on Einstein 1, Salesforce’s core platform, offering a composable, scalable, and extensible architecture. This foundation enables AI-driven capabilities across the entire revenue lifecycle, starting with Contracts AI and an upcoming Copilot that is currently in development. With this solution, admins can seamlessly integrate data and automate processes.
Salesforce recently showcased how Agentforce can streamline quote creation in Revenue Cloud, enabling sales teams to generate accurate and compliant quotes faster than ever. With seamless CRM integration, Agentforce for Sales transforms the quoting process by allowing users to instantly generate, modify, and summarize quotes with ease using a Sales Agent.
With Agentforce for Sales, you can ensure compliance with pricing, discounting, and product rules while maintaining role-based security for complete confidence in every transaction. We’re excited to see how Salesforce continues to integrate Agentforce into Revenue Cloud, making sales, quoting, and billing more intelligent and efficient!
In CPQ software, a pricing waterfall is a structured visual representation of the pricing process. It represents how a price can be calculated from list price to net price. The benefit of a pricing waterfall is that it allows businesses to implement a variety of pricing discounts for their products, providing them with greater freedom in setting prices and offering discounts.
With Revenue Cloud, the Pricing Waterfall is configurable and can be built from the ground up, allowing businesses to design fully customizable pricing workflows. While the pricing waterfall in Revenue Cloud is flexible and can be quickly updated to reflect your business needs, CPQ is generally more rigid and requires customization for the pre-set pricing sequence.
Businesses can implement dynamic discounting models, such as volume-based discounts, contract-specific pricing, or promotional offers, ensuring that prices remain competitive and aligned with customer expectations.
Dynamic Revenue Orchestration or DRO, transforms how admins support businesses in handling complex order processes throughout the revenue lifecycle — from fulfillment to billing, revenue recognition, obligation management, and compensation.
A key advantage of DRO is its ability to automate workflows that respond to events or exceptions based on specific product or industry needs. This allows businesses to optimize operations while maintaining high service levels. By breaking down products and order lines, DRO enables customized fulfillment plans for each item.
DRO’s Execution and Enrichment Rules provide admins with control over how orders are processed. Whether setting rules for quantity thresholds or mapping attributes between commercial and technical products, DRO adapts to evolving business needs.
Once activated, DRO guides products through a configurable fulfillment journey, triggering tasks, automation, and integrations with third-party systems. It also supports Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and exception handling to ensure smooth operations.
With a drag-and-drop interface, admins can easily configure end-to-end processes without costly customizations. From rules to dependencies, DRO provides the flexibility businesses need to manage even the most complex use cases efficiently.
To sum things up, the following capabilities make Revenue Cloud a unique product and comprehensive solution for managing your entire revenue lifecycle:
Whether you’re currently relying on spreadsheets and siloed systems to manage pricing, contracts, and billing or you’re wanting to move beyond Salesforce CPQ, there are several considerations to keep in mind. The first step begins with understanding how your current solution(s) impact your overall business operations compared to a fully on-platform solution like Revenue Cloud.
If your Salesforce CPQ system is running smoothly with integrations for document management, billing, or order-to-cash, there may not be an immediate need to switch to Revenue Cloud. Salesforce will continue to support CPQ, though future innovation and product investment will focus on Revenue Cloud.
If you’ve purchased Salesforce CPQ but are struggling to successfully implement it, our team can provide an assessment and recommend the best path forward — including whether Revenue Cloud could be a better fit.
If you’re looking for a solution that combines billing, subscriptions, and CPQ under one roof, then Revenue Cloud may be a great investment for the future of your company’s revenue management processes. However, not every company is the same or may need/require these capabilities in Salesforce if your ERP system is functioning successfully.
Before we can make any recommendations as to which product is best suited for your business, our team will need to conduct a thorough business, process, and solution analysis. Broadly speaking, you may be a great candidate for Revenue Cloud if your business meets these requirements:
Revenue Cloud is a great choice if you’re considering a fresh start due to a bloated Salesforce CPQ instance that is leading to an inefficient customer and employee experience. Additionally, Revenue Cloud may be a good fit if you have CPQ and are considering adding CLM and Billing, as these are both add-on products that will increase your overall costs.
Our team of Sales and Revenue Cloud experts is here to provide guidance and answer any questions you may have about Revenue Cloud and Salesforce CPQ. Whether you’re evaluating a transition from Salesforce CPQ to Revenue Cloud, looking to optimize your existing Revenue Cloud setup, or exploring how AI-powered solutions can enhance your sales processes, we’re here to help.
We offer Salesforce consulting services tailored to your business needs, providing strategic advice on selecting the right solution, implementing best practices, and maximizing the value of your investment. Our expertise spans Sales Cloud, Salesforce CPQ, and Revenue Cloud, ensuring that you receive informed recommendations based on your company’s unique requirements, growth plans, and technical landscape.
From formal implementation projects to ongoing Managed Services, we support businesses at every stage of their Salesforce journey. Whether you need a full-scale deployment, enhancements to your current setup, or continuous optimization and support, our team is dedicated to ensuring that your sales, quoting, and revenue management processes run smoothly and efficiently.
Revenue Cloud represents the future of revenue management, offering a powerful, AI-driven solution that streamlines pricing, quoting, and order fulfillment. With its scalable architecture, advanced automation, and flexible pricing models, Revenue Cloud empowers businesses to optimize their revenue lifecycle while delivering a seamless customer experience.
Whether you're currently using Salesforce CPQ or exploring new ways to enhance your revenue operations, now is the time to evaluate how Revenue Cloud can support your growth. Our team of Sales and Revenue Cloud experts is here to help you navigate the transition and determine the best path forward for your business.
Reach out to us to learn more about how Revenue Cloud can transform your revenue strategy from day one.
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