A Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ) tool helps you generate accurate quotes quickly and efficiently. Quote-to-cash processes take over after that and handle everything from contracts to collections. The gap between the two is often where deals stall or revenue slips through.
In this article, we’ll cover:
- What are CPQ and Q2C software
- How they differ
- When CPQ alone is enough
- When Q2C becomes necessary
- Where each system fits in your sales-to-revenue flow
- How AI tools can tighten the gaps between quoting, billing, and collections
Let’s define CPQ first.
What is CPQ?
CPQ is a type of software that helps sales teams create accurate quotes for complex or customizable products quickly.
Most sales teams know the pain of pulling together pricing from spreadsheets, double-checking discount rules, or manually building quotes. CPQ tools eliminate that friction. They guide reps through the quoting process, help them create valid configurations, apply the right pricing logic, and generate clean proposals ready to send.
A good CPQ system handles three things well:
- Configuration: Helps reps bundle products correctly, based on logic or dependencies.
- Pricing: Applies rules, promotions, and discounts without needing approvals every time.
- Quote generation: Creates a polished, accurate quote, often as a PDF or email-ready format, in minutes.
This helps fast-moving sales teams avoid quoting mistakes that can slow down deals or hurt margins. When you sell high volumes or work with technical products, a solid CPQ system keeps things organized and easy to manage as the quoting volume grows.
Some popular players in this space include Salesforce CPQ, DealHub, and Oracle CPQ, each with its layer of CRM integrations and customization features.
If your team’s quoting workflow still involves too many tabs and approvals, CPQ is likely the first system you'll need in place. But quoting is only part of the picture.
Once the quote goes out, the quote-to-cash process begins. Let’s explore that next.
What is quote-to-cash (Q2C)?
Quote-to-cash (Q2C) is the process of generating a quote that continues through contract management, billing, collections, renewals, and finally revenue recognition. CPQ tools play a part in Q2C by handling the initial configure, price, and quote steps.
Quote-to-cash software connects sales to finance. It makes sure that once a deal is
signed, nothing breaks down operationally. It fulfills the orders, sends invoices on time, books revenue correctly, and doesn’t miss renewals.
A typical quote to cash cycle looks like this:
- Configure product and pricing, handled by CPQ
- Send quote to buyer
- Manage contract approvals and signature
- Generate billing once the deal is signed
- Collect payment, track renewals, and recognize revenue in accounting systems
Each step requires coordination. Without it, errors can pile up fast for teams where sales, ops, and finance run separate tools.
Q2C platforms help by creating a shared workflow across these functions. They pull data from your CRM and CPQ tools and sync it with billing platforms like Stripe, NetSuite, or Chargebee. This cuts down manual work and reduces errors, especially in areas like discount approvals, tax calculations, or contract management.
For teams serious about scaling, Q2C is a must. It gives RevOps visibility into the full deal lifecycle, keeps finance aligned with sales, and helps reduce leakage across the board.
This also connects closely with broader efforts like sales process automation, which is key to making handoffs faster and more reliable.
Now that we’ve defined both CPQ and Q2C, let’s look at how they stack up side-by-side and where each fits into the sales engine.
Quote-to-cash vs CPQ: Key differences
The difference between CPQ and quote-to-cash is that CPQ covers quoting, while quote-to-cash covers the entire process from quoting to revenue recognition.
We’ve prepared a quick-glance table to compare these two tools. Here’s how they compare across the full sales-to-revenue workflow:
At a glance, it’s clear that CPQ handles the front end, the part that helps reps create accurate quotes. But it stops short of the operational work that kicks in once the quote is accepted.
Q2C picks up right where CPQ leaves off. It handles all the downstream processes that get a deal to the finish line, and keeps it updated over time.
Here’s one way to think about it: CPQ is like writing a restaurant order and handing it to the kitchen. Q2C is what makes the food, serves it, collects the check, and brings the customer back again.
Both systems can work independently, but together, they cover the full arc of a deal.
We’ll dig into when you might need one versus the other next, because not every team needs the full Q2C setup right away.
When do you need CPQ vs full Q2C?
You need CPQ when you want to improve quoting, and you need full Q2C when you need to manage billing, contracts, or renewals beyond quoting.
CPQ is usually the starting point. If you’re dealing with customizable products, a growing sales team, or just want to get quotes out faster and more consistently, CPQ is enough. It’s useful for high-volume teams where speed and accuracy can make or break a deal.
Quote-to-cash, on the other hand, becomes essential when your sales process doesn’t end with the quote. If you have long contracts, usage-based billing, or subscription renewals, Q2C helps you manage all of it without constant back-and-forth between teams.
A few questions to ask:
- Do we struggle with delayed invoicing or missed renewals?
- Is our finance team re-entering deal info manually?
- Do contract approval delays or manual revenue tracking slow us down?
If the answer is yes to any of those, you’re probably ready to explore Q2C platforms, or at least audit your existing quote-to-cash workflow.
Next, we’ll walk through how teams combine both systems and what that setup looks like in practice.
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Tips to combine CPQ + Q2C for maximum efficiency
Most high-performing teams use both CPQ and Q2C tools. CPQ handles quoting, Q2C manages everything after, and the two are connected through shared data and automation.
Here’s what a common setup looks like: CRM (like HubSpot or Salesforce) feeds into a CPQ tool (Salesforce CPQ, DealHub), which then pushes deal details into a billing system (Stripe, NetSuite). Somewhere in the middle, you need something to make sure those handoffs don’t get messy.
That’s where tools focused on AI agent business applications come in. These can monitor workflows, flag missing steps, and even route data or approvals automatically. They help you work smarter within your tech stack.
Let’s look more closely at the operational gaps teams experience between CPQ and Q2C, and how they solve them.
How Lindy bridges the gap between CPQ and Q2C
Lindy connects quoting tools to billing workflows, so your team avoids delays or duplicate work. Even with solid CPQ and Q2C systems in place, teams often face obstacles between quoting and billing. That’s where teams experience missed handoffs, delayed invoices, or forgotten follow-ups.
Here’s how Lindy simplifies this:
- Quote handoff automation: Once a quote is approved, Lindy can notify deal desks, push records into billing tools, and create CRM follow-ups, so reps aren’t stuck copy-pasting info between platforms.
- Contract readiness scans: Before contracts hit legal, Lindy can flag issues like outdated terms, missing fields, or redline conflicts, and reduce last-minute back-and-forth.
- Pre-billing QA layer: Before the invoice goes out, Lindy double-checks pricing accuracy, discount logic, and terms. That means fewer billing errors and cleaner audits.
- Slack-based status agents: No need to chase status updates. Lindy can send automated nudges to the right teams when approvals stall or a renewal needs attention.
- Revenue leakage: From unbilled usage to missed upsell triggers, Lindy watches for leaks in your quote-to-cash cycle and flags them early.
If your team is already thinking about AI sales enablement, this layer of automation extends that same intelligence to ops and finance, not just sales.
Bottom line
Getting quotes right is important. But getting paid, and doing it reliably, is what drives the business. That’s why more teams are building end-to-end workflows that connect CPQ and Q2C. They need smoother handoffs across tools, teams, and processes.
Lindy plays a role here, not by replacing your stack, but by tightening the handoffs between it. That’s where most revenue operations lose momentum, and where automation goes a long way.
Let’s wrap up with a few quick answers to common questions we hear from teams exploring CPQ and Q2C.
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Let Lindy make your revenue operations smarter
CPQ and Q2C tools handle the structure of your sales process. Lindy adds the intelligence in between. From pushing quotes to billing, to flagging missed handoffs and keeping teams in sync, Lindy fills the operational gaps that usually get handled manually.
Here’s how it helps:
- Hand off quotes without the lag: Lindy automates deal desk notifications, CRM updates, and invoice triggers the moment a quote is approved.
- Scan contracts before they stall: It catches redlines, missing fields, or outdated terms before they hit legal.
- Offers 7,000+ integrations: From Airtable to Salesforce, Lindy connects with your favorite tools, ensuring all your training data and sales insights stay organized and accessible.
- Invoice parsing before mistakes go out: Check for pricing mismatches, tax logic, and terms issues automatically.
- Stay on top of status: Get instant Slack updates on approvals, renewals, or late collections without chasing.
- Catch revenue leaks early: Lindy flags missing follow-ups, unbilled items, or forgotten renewals in your quote to cash process.
You can try Lindy for free and run up to 400 automated tasks. Most teams start with a single fix and then end up automating entire handoffs across sales and finance.
Frequently asked questions
What is the biggest difference between CPQ and Q2C?
CPQ manages the configuration, pricing, and quoting steps, while quote-to-cash (Q2C) includes those quoting steps and continues all the way through contract management, billing, collections, renewals, and revenue recognition. CPQ is a crucial component within the broader Q2C workflow.
Do I need Q2C software or just CPQ?
If you're only solving for faster quoting, CPQ is enough. If billing, collections, or renewals are part of your pain points, you’ll need Q2C.
Can Lindy replace CPQ tools?
No, Lindy isn’t a CPQ system. Instead, Lindy automates and manages operational handoffs and workflow gaps between your existing CPQ and Q2C solutions, making the entire revenue process smoother
How does Q2C impact revenue recognition?
Q2C systems ensure revenue is logged accurately and in the right period, aligning with accounting standards.
What tools integrate CPQ with billing systems?
Popular CPQ solutions, like Salesforce CPQ, DealHub, and Oracle CPQ, offer integrations with major billing platforms. You can use systems such as Stripe, Chargebee, and enterprise resource planning systems like NetSuite.
What are examples of Q2C automation?
Automated contract routing, invoice generation, renewal tracking, and payment reminders are common examples.
Does Lindy integrate with Salesforce or HubSpot CPQ?
Yes, Lindy integrates with both Salesforce and HubSpot CPQ to automate quote follow-ups and billing triggers.
How can I reduce friction in the quote process?
You can reduce friction in the quote process by using a CPQ system with guided selling. You can even add automation to push deals forward after quoting.
Can AI help with quote follow-up and contract workflows?
Absolutely, tools like Lindy can automate follow-ups, flag contract issues, and keep teams aligned.
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