3 min read
Conga Launches First Feature Request Submitted by a Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company
Conga’s ideas portal empowers Conga Customer Community members to actively shape the development of our products and solutions. Submitting a feature request or “idea” allows users to propose, discuss, and upvote new features or improvements, fostering a sense of collaboration and transparency.
Community users submit details on the problem the idea aims to solve, its potential benefits, and any relevant use cases. These suggestions are then open for discussion, enabling valuable feedback and refinement through comments and votes. The most popular requests rise to the top, helping the Conga Product team prioritize development efforts and, if approved, prepare for implementation efforts in an upcoming product release.
We are excited to share that the first customer-submitted feature request is now live in the product!
How This Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company Uses Conga
The Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company uses a heavily customized Conga Configure Price Quote (CPQ) solution as an end-to-end contract workflow to verify deal guidance, initiate automated approvals before sending the deal to customers, and configure complex instrument bundles.
The Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company Feature Request
The Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Company first submitted its idea for a new feature in late April 2023 labeled, “Defaulting options of sub bundle does not happen if Sub bundle is added via API.” The goal was to add a sub-bundle (a bundle within a bundle) via SOAP APIs, but the default option was not included.
Conga CPQ offers a set of SOAP APIs tailored for customers requiring customization beyond the standard UI features. These APIs, however, may not perfectly mirror UI actions, as they have evolved to address specific customization needs instead of promoting minimal customization. The company is one of those customers that continues to use these SOAP APIs due to their Conga CPQ customizations and multiple workflows.
Because of heavy SOAP API usage, the company discovered a functional gap around its Conga CPQ default options. When designing a bundle, product administrators add options to be selected inside these bundles and can predetermine what options are defaulted in the bundle structure itself. That’s a mouthful, right? For example, when you design a car before purchase, 20-inch wheels may be the default selection for that model, however, you can select a different size wheel if desired and tailor that custom feature.
Solution
Conga reviewed the request—along with peer votes—and determined this was an important feature to add and laid the foundation for the first feature request launch. We planned for development and our product team enhanced the existing SOAP API so that it adds a line item to the cart in the Conga CPQ to include default options when it is a sub-bundle.
With hard work and dedicated planning, this new feature went live in the recent October 2023 release. Now, The company can easily select a sub-bundle to further customize its workflow. This feature improves the company's contract processes and will ultimately augment product functionality for other customers. This feature also reduces incorrect configurations and time spent in flows that utilize manual selections vs. API selections.
To Summarize
By integrating this feature request tool, Conga has enhanced engagement, demonstrated responsiveness, and delivered products that better align with the needs and desires of our members. The company's recent feature request highlighted the value of open collaboration and bringing thoughtful product innovation to light.
Make sure you submit your feature requests to the Conga Customer Community and ensure your idea gets considered!
