Creating Draft Orders in Zuora CPQ

The process of creating draft orders in Zuora CPQ involves generating a temporary version of an order for internal review and validation before submission. This is particularly useful for large or complex deals where internal approval is necessary. The following steps detail how to create, review, and manage draft orders in Zuora CPQ.

Step 1

Begin by creating draft orders that require review before submission. Once a quote is finalized, the sales team typically sends it to Zuora immediately. However, in some organizations, quotes require internal review or approval before being submitted, especially for large or complex deals.

Step 2

Zuora CPQ allows you to create draft orders so that you can preview the order actions, verify pricing, and share the draft with stakeholders for review before committing it to Zuora Billing. Suppose our customer, Harper, has recently upgraded to the cloud storage premium plan and added several add-ons to their existing subscription. Because this deal includes customized pricing and additional services, your manager has requested a final internal review before it is sent to the customer.

Step 3

In this demo, you will create a folder for Harper to review all order actions and metrics before submission. Before creating a draft order in CPQX, ensure that you meet the following prerequisites: you are on Zuora Quotes version 10.20 or higher, and there are two other settings that allow creating draft orders.

Step 4

One of the necessary settings is a field set called Quote Information under the quote object. Select the quote object, navigate to field sets, select the Quote Information field set, and there you will find the field called Order Submission Status.

Step 5

Add this field to the field set and save the setting. Another important setting is the default setting in Quote Studio where you can define what the order submission status will be by default.

Step 6

In this example, it is set to "completed." The other option is "draft," but currently, it is set to "completed."

Step 7

The Order Submission Status field aligns with the default value settings and the object field configuration settings available in Quote Studio. This ensures that you can customize and configure this field according to your needs. Additionally, you can configure this field through the CPQX default value plug-in.

Step 8

It is important to note that draft orders cannot be activated directly within the CPQX interface. CPQX does not offer a native capability to delete draft orders within its interface. Draft orders are not synchronized or displayed within Salesforce with 360 or CPQX.

Step 9

Proceed to initiate the draft orders. Here we are on the Quote Studio page creating a new quote routed from the opportunity for Harper. Click on "New Quote."

Step 10

In the Quote Information section, you will see the Order Submission Status field, which we recently added. In this field, select "draft" and edit the quote name as needed.

Step 11

Ensure the start date remains unchanged. Move on to view the subscription details. Click on "Browse Products" and add the premium product.

Step 12

After entering the quote details, click "Save."

Step 13

Review the quote details carefully. Once reviewed, click "Submit." The draft quote is now ready.

Step 14

Send the draft order quote to Zuora.

Step 15

The quote is now sent to Zuora. You will notice the order submission status is "draft" and in the details section, there is no subscription name. Let's explore why the subscription name is missing even though the quote is sent to Zuora. Return to Zuora Billing and review the orders.

Step 16

We are not looking at subscriptions since it is a draft order. Examine the order that has been created. You will see an order with draft status, and the subscription is listed as "Create Subscription One."

Step 17

You can view the account details, the order date, and other information, but the status remains "draft." Click on the order to view more details.

Step 18

From here, you have the option to cancel or delete the order, as it is still a draft. Now back in Salesforce, let’s view the...

Step 19

Stakeholders, such as internal reviewers, can open the draft order to verify all key details. After the internal review is complete and approvals are received, the quote can officially be sent to Zuora, where it creates the definitive order and updates the subscription based on the approved quote.

Step 20

Key notes about draft orders: Draft orders provide a safety net, allowing sales teams to review complex quotes before sending them to Zuora Billing. They are especially useful for large deals, multi-product line deals, or compliance reviews. Only one draft order can be created per quote at a time.

Step 21

Once submitted, the draft is automatically updated to "submitted" in Zuora Billing. You have now learned how to create a draft order in Zuora CPQ.

Step 22

In this demonstration, you generated a draft version of Harper's complex quote to review pricing, order actions, and metrics before committing it to Zuora Billing. Draft orders allow your team to validate quotes internally, ensure accuracy, and maintain control before final submission.