Chapter 9: Quote Templates, Documents, and E-Sign – Automating Output

 Creating a deal-winning quote isn’t just about pricing—it’s about presenting a professional, personalized, and accurate document to the customer. Salesforce CPQ helps you do just that using Quote Templates, Document Generation, and E-Signature integration.

In this chapter, we’ll explore how to build and automate sales documents from quote to signed contract.

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9.1 What Is a Quote Template?

A Quote Template in Salesforce CPQ is a predefined format for generating customer-facing PDF quotes. It controls how the quote looks, what data is displayed, and how terms and conditions are appended.

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9.2 Why It Matters

A well-designed quote document:

• Increases customer confidence

• Reduces turnaround time

• Ensures compliance and branding

• Supports multi-currency and language localization

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9.3 Quote Template Components

Section	Purpose
Header/Footer	Company logo, address, date, page number
Line Items Table	Products, pricing, quantities, discounts
Terms & Notes	Commercial terms, billing details, legal disclaimers
Custom Fields	Payment methods, contract terms, approval status, etc.

You can include:

• Dynamic fields (e.g., quote name, expiration date)

• Conditional sections (e.g., show discount only if applied)

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9.4 Creating a Quote Template – Step-by-Step

Step 1: Create a Template Record

Go to:
App Launcher → Quote Templates → New

Set:

• Name: "Standard Quote"

• Default Template: Yes (if applicable)

• Page Size: A4/Letter

• Top & Bottom Margin: 0.5 in (recommended)

Step 2: Add Sections

Under the Template Content related list:

• Add Line Items table

• Add Terms & Conditions

• Add optional section for Quote Summary

You can choose which columns to display, sort order, and headers.

Step 3: Attach Dynamic Content

Use Merge Fields like:

• {{SBQQ__Quote__r.SBQQ__StartDate__c}}

• {{SBQQ__PrimaryContact__r.Email}}

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9.5 Customizing the Look and Feel

You can style the template using:

• Fonts, colors, and borders

• Conditional formatting (e.g., highlight discounts)

• Logos and images (uploaded to Salesforce Files)

To make advanced customizations:

• Use HTML Templates or Visualforce (for branding-heavy use cases)

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9.6 Multi-Template Support

You can create multiple templates for:

• Product-based templates (e.g., software vs hardware)

• Country/language-specific quotes

• Partner-specific formats

Use Template Content Conditions to dynamically include/exclude sections.

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9.7 Document Generation

Once a template is assigned:

• Open the Quote record

• Click “Generate Document”

• Choose template → Preview → Download as PDF

You can enable:

• Auto-naming (e.g., Quote_{{Account}}_{{Date}})

• Version control with Salesforce Files

• Automated document generation using Flows or Apex triggers

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9.8 Integration with E-Sign

Salesforce CPQ supports integration with:

a. DocuSign for Salesforce

• Automatically send generated quotes for e-signature

• Pre-fill signer name, email, and signature blocks

• Track signature status inside Salesforce

b. Adobe Sign

• Similar functionality with full audit trail

• Can be launched from Quote or Opportunity

c. Native E-Sign (Industries CPQ/OmniStudio)

• Offers simplified signature flows in Industry-specific contexts

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9.9 Automating Quote to Contract Flow

A fully automated Quote-to-Signature process might look like:

1. Sales rep configures quote → clicks “Generate Document”

2. Document auto-generates from quote template

3. Email with PDF sent to customer via DocuSign

4. Customer signs → Signature status auto-updates in Salesforce

5. Contract record is created automatically

This improves deal velocity and eliminates manual follow-ups.

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9.10 Best Practices

• Use versioned templates to avoid accidental changes

• Include branding and T&Cs to reflect legal compliance

• Automate where possible using Flow + Approval Process

• Enable file tracking via Salesforce Files Connect

• Test templates with various quote sizes (small vs complex)

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9.11 Chapter Summary

• Quote Templates help generate clean, professional PDFs with rich, dynamic content

• Sections like product tables, summary fields, and terms are fully configurable

• E-Sign integrations like DocuSign and Adobe Sign bring speed and legal confidence

• Automating document workflows improves the entire quote-to-cash lifecycle