The modern quoting process is a balancing act. Customers expect fast, accurate quotes, while sales teams must ensure that every quote complies with company rules around pricing and fulfillment.

While a slight delay may not matter in smaller markets, speed is a massive advantage in crowded industries with multiple competitors. Every minute it takes for reps to nail down the specifics, gather approvals, and push a quote is an opportunity for another competitor to submit their own bid and further complicate the sales process.

CPQ (configure, price, quote) software empowers sales reps to build and manage quotes for complex products. While this process is already streamlined, reps still coordinate with customers, select products, and submit quotes for approval within the platform.

When CPQ is combined with API-driven solutions, quoting becomes even faster and more efficient. Teams can enable real-time quote generation, automate product selection, and create a fully integrated workflow from pricing to approval.

Here’s a closer look at how that can work.

CPQ as a standalone solution

A configure, price, quote solution is designed to help sales teams streamline the quoting process with a guided sales flow, user interface, and quote template.

By itself, CPQs can help sales teams do any of the following:

• Configure products and services based on customer needs.
• Generate accurate pricing for products and services.
• Correctly apply discounts for bundles, loyalty programs, etc.
• Expedite the quote creation process with pre-built templates.
• Submit quotes for approvals based on internal rules and workflows.

These aspects are critically important when trying to push quotes over to customers, but these benefits don’t encompass the entire sales process. Because of this, CPQ performs well in some areas but not in others.

What it does well

CPQ excels at automating and easing various aspects of the quoting process through templates and a guided selling process.

For example, by using a dedicated quote template, teams can eliminate any confusion around quote design after product selection is complete. The CPQ system automatically adds the appropriate line items and pricing information directly to the quote following any preset pricing rules.

Most CPQ solutions allow users to create permissions and workflows using no-code or low-code rulesets, allowing for more complex routing when quotes are complicated. When these rules are tripped, quotes are automatically sent to other reviewers (legal, management, finance, etc.), so that quote lines and contracted terms can be reviewed before the document is sent to a customer.

Deploying with CPQ standardizes the look and feel of all proposals so that every price quote looks and feels consistent, no matter who creates them, and the built-in guardrails prevent pricing errors and legal exposure that can cost the company money.

It’s even possible to use native integrations like PandaDoc’s Salesforce or HubSpot connectors in order to effortlessly sync customer and product data between your CPQ and CRM systems.

All of this can be done without API integration, and that makes CPQ solutions a great fit for smaller companies, even without additional support.

Where it falls short

While CPQ can massively accelerate the quoting process, it’s not designed to handle other aspects of the sales cycle, like admin and follow-up.

For example, CPQ tools can help reps select products quickly, but they won’t help with keeping inventory pricebooks and rate plans updated. If the CPQ is separate from the system where that information is held—such as a CRM or ERP system—then updating the CPQ may create an additional workload for the team. With the right integrations, it might be possible to handle these dependencies without API endpoints, but your mileage will vary depending on the CPQ you’re using.

By design, CPQ isn’t equipped to handle what happens before the quoting process starts and after a quote is sent. Things like notifications and follow-up aren’t typically available inside the CPQ system and are often handled separately.

Using a REST API with well-defined endpoints allows developers to integrate these systems and services into a single, end-to-end sales workflow. CPQ sends quote data to downstream systems and pulls real-time updates, like pricing and availability, from external sources, keeping quotes accurate and up to date.

What APIs add to CPQ systems

API solutions don’t replace the CPQ process, but they can extend it by opening the door for your CPQ software to connect with the rest of your tech stack in ways that aren’t otherwise possible.

For example, the PandaDoc API allows CPQ to integrate with external systems such as ERPs or custom-built apps to access customer data, product catalogs, and pricing information.

In practice, this means sales reps can work entirely within a custom sales application—using an embedded instance of PandaDoc’s CPQ interface to configure products, apply pricing rules, and generate quotes without switching tools.

Behind the scenes, systems communicate through APIs to authenticate users, manage permissions, and exchange data like product details and pricing. This integration keeps everything synchronized and eliminates the need for manual updates across connected systems.

Here’s a closer look at the benefits teams can see by adding API to existing CPQ sales flows.

Real-time integration with other systems

One of the most important benefits of a CPQ-connected API is the ability to connect with external systems in real time. APIs allow customer details, deal terms, and contact information to flow directly from a CRM into a draft quote, preventing reps from wasting time re-entering data.

For product information, APIs can sync a CPQ product catalog to data stored within an ERP or PIM, ensuring that pricebooks, SKUs, and rate plans are always aligned with the primary information source. While native integration can be achieved in certain circumstances—such as using two compatible apps like Salesforce and PandaDoc—using an API provides custom control and allows for added connectivity, even if an integration isn’t available.

This functionality can ensure that when reps configure products inside the CPQ, the information they see is always accurate and up to date.

Automated content generation and monitoring

APIs also support automation in and around the quoting process. By supplying CPQ with accurate inputs such as customer data, SKUs, and pricing details, sales teams can streamline the guided selling workflow.

Once a sales rep completes the CPQ process, integrated systems—such as CRM, ERP, or document generation tools—can use APIs to exchange data automatically. For example, a document generation system can create a quote based on CPQ output, while the CRM tracks quote status and updates the sales pipeline in real time. This system-to-system integration ensures that data flows seamlessly across platforms, enabling accurate dashboards, streamlined sales workflows, and improved revenue forecasting.

At the same time, API integrations can allow for a deeper level of data transfer, eliminating redundant data entry, reducing the risk of mismatched line items, and keeping templates consistent based on the customer details inserted into a quote.

The result is a quoting process that is faster, cleaner, and far less prone to input errors.

Seamless approvals and e-signature flows

Typically, approval workflows, e-signing processes, and payment processing are beyond the scope of a CPQ system.

While these features are built into the PandaDoc platform, many other CPQ solutions end their processes when the system outputs the quote. Teams must then manually export the quote to a new system for e-signing or load the quote into a separate platform for review and feedback. Payments may be another issue entirely.

In disparate systems, where functionality is split across multiple apps and software tools, API can be used to automate and string everything into a unified and cohesive flow. By calling the appropriate endpoints, quotes can be routed to internal reviewers for validation, sent to customers, and connected to e-signature or payment processing solutions with minimal friction.

If these features are connected to a central app or internal software, the entire workflow can become a true self-service experience. Combined with real-time notifications and webhooks, every stakeholder can know exactly when a document is sent, viewed, or signed without requiring anyone to log back into the CPQ interface.

Benefits of using API + CPQ together

When sales teams combine CPQ with API-driven automation, the quoting process transforms from a step-by-step manual workflow into a real-time operation.

When building quotes, reps don’t need to chase data, validate line items, or hop into external systems to consult a separate data source. It all happens automatically while the API manages those dependencies in the background. The result is a faster deals process with fewer errors and quote production that scales with your business.

Here’s a closer look at how teams benefit when CPQ and API work together.

Faster quote turnaround and reduced cycle times

As we mentioned at the top, speed matters in competitive markets.

A CPQ system already helps by guiding reps through product configuration and pricing rules, but delays can come from outside the CPQ interface. Sometimes, data has to be pulled from a CRM or pricing needs to be verified against an ERP. Approval requests can take time to process or may get lost in a busy inbox — especially if notifications and reminders aren’t automated.

By layering in an API, much of that work happens automatically. Customer and deal details flow directly from the CRM to the CPQ, so buyer information is automatically filled and always matches the CRM record. Pricing data and stock quantities sync from the ERP in real-time, so reps don’t need to double-check inventory levels or consult outdated pricing sheets.

Once a quote is finalized, webhooks can update deal stages in the CRM or notify downstream systems when a document is actioned. That means the quoting process moves forward without the lag of manual handoffs, giving reps the ability to deliver a polished price quote before competitors can react.

With PandaDoc API: Authenticate with an API key or OAuth 2.0 Create documents from templates using POST [/public/v1/documents] Add dynamic sections (like terms or pricing) with Content Placeholders

Fewer manual errors

Errors in quotes usually happen when information is mis-keyed, copied from the wrong source, or pulled from outdated records. While CPQ tools reduce these risks by enforcing pricing rules, they can’t guarantee that every input is current because the data source from which they pull their information must be updated independently. If the CPQ product catalog isn’t aligned with the ERP, or if pricing and rate plan changes don’t make it to the CPQ, reps can still send bad quotes.

APIs address these issues by making sure that the CPQ is always pulling from the most accurate source of truth. For example, product SKUs, descriptions, and quote line pricing can sync directly from a PIM or ERP into the CPQ product catalog. If pricing updates are made in Salesforce, a REST API can push those changes immediately to PandaDoc or another quoting tool.

This type of automation eliminates typos, mismatched dependencies, and invalid pricing, so quotes are more reliable for customers and the data is easier for reps to trust.

With PandaDoc API: Sync your product catalog. Add products and details from your ERP or PIM into PandaDoc with the Catalog Items endpoints (create, search, store, delete). Merge customer and deal data from the CRM. When creating a document from a template, pass variables like account names, contact info, and address from the CRM to fill document variables automatically.

Unification and synchronization across multiple systems

Most companies don’t run their sales workflows on a single platform. Customer data might live in Salesforce while product information sits in SAP. Approval processes and redlining may involve a separate legal or financial tool. Without an API, sales teams and their counterparts are stuck moving data between those systems manually or relying on limited, native integrations.

An API changes the dynamic by acting as a connective layer across the entire tech stack. Endpoints can be configured to keep records synchronized in real time. CRMs can be updated when a quote is generated. Salesforce users can validate discounts using an Apex class. Custom tools can track quote creation events via internal dashboards.

This synchronization reduces the workload on reps while making sure that every department is working from the same validated dataset. Finance, operations, and fulfillment teams all see the same line items, terms, and pricing that the rep and customer agreed upon when the quote was initially generated.

With PandaDoc API: Use webhooks to keep systems aligned. Update CRMs, ERPs, and reporting dashboards in real time when a document status changes. Embed the editor. Centralize your sales workflow by embedding the PandaDoc editor directly to your app while the API handles headers, authentication, and permission in the background.

Better experience for reps and customers

Ultimately, the combination of CPQ and APIs creates a strong quoting experience that is smoother for everyone involved. Reps spend less time toggling between applications and more time advising customers, working with the CPQ while the API manages the background services.

For customers, the experience is also improved. Quotes are accurate, consistent, and can be e-signed without delay. APIs can even enable self-service quoting models by embedding product selection forms into customer portals. A buyer can configure products and submit an order for review, where reps can build the quote and connect with the customer to finalize the sale.

This level of automation improves efficiency and builds trust. For customers, quotes are always accurate and valid, featuring approved terms and pricing that won’t suddenly be walked back or invalidated. Reps can avoid both manual and systematic errors while keeping partner teams and leadership in the loop as the sales process moves forward.

With PandaDoc API: Set roles. Assign signers and approvers when creating a document so that routing happens automatically. Enable e-signing. Trigger e-signatures with embedded e-signing, or send documents for signature via API for a self-service experience.

Generate quotes at lightning speed with PandaDoc

CPQ solutions give sales teams the structure to configure products, apply pricing rules, and generate professional quotes quickly.

However, these platforms aren’t equipped to handle every aspect of the quoting process or deal with the structural updates necessary for the CPQ to function. If product catalogs are inaccurate or approval workflows aren’t automated, the CPQ will operate on inaccurate data and with bad protocols, causing the entire process to collapse.

PandaDoc API can automate the supplemental processes while easing the administrative burden for teams that support the sales process. By surrounding the CPQ with real-time integrations, authentication, and web services, PandaDoc users can ensure that accurate data is added to the quote regardless of where the company keeps it.

By combining PandaDoc CPQ and PandaDoc API, teams can create a faster, more accurate quoting process that reduces manual effort, eliminates dependencies, and delivers a smoother self-service experience for both reps and customers.

Ready to see it in action? Sign up for a free 14-day trial to see how PandaDoc CPQ and API can streamline your entire quoting process.

Disclaimer

PandaDoc is not a law firm, or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. This page is not intended to and does not provide legal advice. Should you have legal questions on the validity of e-signatures or digital signatures and the enforceability thereof, please consult with an attorney or law firm. Use of PandaDoc services are governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.