Unlock Your Brand: Customizing CPQ Quotes in HubSpot for a Seamless Customer Experience

Unlock Your Brand: Customizing CPQ Quotes in HubSpot for a Seamless Customer Experience

In today's competitive landscape, a consistent brand experience is paramount. For HubSpot users leveraging the Sales Hub, CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) quotes are a critical touchpoint in the sales process. But what happens when you need your quotes to reflect your brand's unique identity? Many users find themselves grappling with the limitations of customizing CPQ quote templates within HubSpot. This article dives deep into the challenges and potential solutions, drawing insights from a recent HubSpot Community discussion.

The ability to create branded quotes is essential for maintaining a professional image and reinforcing brand recognition. A visually appealing and consistent quote can significantly impact a customer's perception and ultimately influence their purchasing decision. For those operating a storefront, ensuring brand consistency across all customer touchpoints, including quotes, is crucial.

Let's explore a common scenario faced by HubSpot users:

The Quest for Customization: A Real-World Example

Imagine you're Technix, a HubSpot user aiming to migrate a custom-branded quote template from Legacy Quotes to the more advanced CPQ Quotes. In Legacy Quotes, you've meticulously crafted a template with:

• Custom CSS styling (specific fonts, brand colors, gradient header)
• Custom object integration for shipping addresses
• Automated Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ) notes for specific SKUs
• A PDF-optimized layout

This Legacy Quote template works flawlessly, perfectly embodying your brand. The challenge? Replicating this level of customization within HubSpot's CPQ Quotes.

Technix's experience, shared on the HubSpot Community forum, highlights the hurdles encountered when attempting to apply custom CSS to CPQ quotes. Let's examine the approaches they tried:

The Attempts: HubL and Hybrid Approaches

Attempt 1: Custom HubL Template

• Technix created a custom-coded template, mirroring the structure of their legacy version.
• Result: The CPQ quotes either rendered a blank template or defaulted to HubSpot's standard styling, completely ignoring the custom code.

Attempt 2: The Hybrid Approach

Inspired by a suggestion to extract CSS into a child.css file and wrap CPQ modules with custom classes, Technix implemented the following:

 {% module "quote_header" path="@hubspot/quote_header" %}
 {% module "quote_line_items" path="@hubspot/quote_line_items" %}

Result: The modules still rendered with HubSpot's default styling, proving that the custom CSS wasn't being applied.

This led to some critical questions:

1. Is it even possible to apply custom CSS to CPQ quote templates?
2. Can we use custom HubL code within CPQ templates?
3. Is the hybrid approach a viable option?
4. What's the recommended pathway for achieving custom-branded quotes alongside CPQ functionality?

The Reality: CPQ Customization Limitations

The unfortunate truth, as confirmed by BérangèreL from the HubSpot Community team, is that CPQ quotes have limitations in terms of customization. CPQ quotes operate on a standardized template system that doesn't allow for direct code-level changes. This means:

• Custom CSS is not supported: You cannot directly inject custom CSS into CPQ templates.
• Custom HubL is not supported: CPQ relies on a visual builder and UI-based approach, not custom HubL code.
• Hybrid solutions are not effective: Wrapping CPQ modules in custom CSS won't work due to the rendering engine used by CPQ.

So, what are your options if you need custom-branded quotes with CPQ functionality?

Workarounds and Alternatives

While direct CSS customization isn't possible, here are some strategies to consider:

• Leverage UI-Based Customization: Explore the UI-based customization settings within HubSpot. While limited, you can often adjust colors, fonts, and logos to align with your brand.
• Consider a HubSpot App Marketplace Solution: Explore apps in the HubSpot App Marketplace that offer enhanced quote customization features. Some apps provide more flexibility in branding and design. For users with a storefront, look for apps that seamlessly integrate with your existing e-commerce setup.
• Evaluate Legacy Quotes (If Applicable): If advanced custom branding and custom object logic are paramount, and you don't necessarily need all the advanced features of CPQ, Legacy Quotes might still be a viable option.
• Provide Feedback to HubSpot: Let HubSpot know that you need more customization options for CPQ quotes. User feedback can influence future product development.

For those considering a move to or from platforms like BigCommerce, carefully evaluate the integration capabilities with HubSpot. While "bigcommerce msf" (BigCommerce Multi-Storefront) offers flexibility on the e-commerce side, ensure that quote generation and branding align with your HubSpot CRM and Sales Hub setup. A well-integrated system is crucial for a smooth RevOps process.

Ultimately, achieving a fully branded CPQ quote experience in HubSpot requires a strategic approach. By understanding the limitations and exploring available workarounds, you can create quotes that are both functional and visually appealing, contributing to a positive customer experience and reinforcing your brand identity. Keep an eye on HubSpot's updates, as they are constantly evolving their platform and may introduce new customization options in the future.