August 21, 2020
Oracle Jet Framework Innovation in UI/UX for Oracle CPQ Cloud
Oracle Jet Framework Innovation in UI/UX for Oracle CPQ Cloud
Oracle Jet Framework — Innovation in UI/UX for Oracle CPQ Cloud

Millennials have a high affinity for technology but have a low tolerance for anything that does not work as expected and fast. The best example, Apple thrives on fluid user experience that feels good and is super easy to use.

There are standards that users uphold when accessing information. Instant gratification has become a theme of the consumer experience journey and brands continue to compete over how to provide the best for their customers.

User Interface (UI) Design has become a force to be reckoned with in the last few years. It continues to transform companies and their products; many frameworks have emerged that are revolutionizing the user experience (UX).

Oracle JET Framework

Oracle JET is a powerful front-end tool allowing users to pick their starter templates/charts that are fast, responsive, and fully functional. The uncomplicated and stable process helps them create, build, and serve web applications in the shortest possible time. Read More

Oracle CPQ Cloud

Oracle CPQ Cloud is a leading cloud based Configure, Price, & Quote (CPQ) solution that enables enterprises to streamline the opportunity-to-quote-to-order process — guided selling, etc. To know more about Oracle CPQ, check out what Oracle CPQ cloud is and how it differs from the rest.

Architecture

Oracle JET supports the Model-View-View Model (MVVM) architecture, constructed on a modular framework, a collection of third-party libraries. This modular version and Oracle support make a big difference in the life of design engineers. Read More

Oracle JET Code Editors

Oracle JET uses Visual Studio Code as code editor and there are hundreds of advantages like lightning fast source code editor, create extensions supporting new languages, embed Git etc. Read More

However, it is different from others because of built-in support for IntelliSense code completion, rich semantic code understanding and navigation, and code refactoring. An interactive debugger tool is also included to make an engineer’s job easier.

Oracle JET Features & Benefits

In contrast to different systems, Oracle has put resources into sharing their UI reasoning, technique, and parts inside the Jet structure. This has transformed into a designer’s fortune, beneath are the key highlights and advantages.

Leverages popular open-source technologies — The toolkit gives developers the power they need, to meet the challenges of building client-side applications in enterprise environments.

Support for internationalization (28 languages and 180+ locales) — There are different tools that support designing the app to be usable in different locales around the world, including extracting text for translation into different languages, and formatting data for specific locales.

Rich set of UI components — The rich set of ready-to-use JavaScript UI components, can be easily combined into a single application interface allowing to build cross-platform, cross-browser web, and mobile apps faster.

Advanced two-way binding with a common model layer — Oracle JET supports two-way data binding — Data changes in the View Model are sent to the UI components, and user input from the UI components is written back into the View Model.

Messaging and Event Services — JET is a multi-tenant cloud service, that provides reliable integration services. It enables efficient communications and provides enormous scalability.

Built-in Mobile Support — Oracle JET supports developing mobile applications that run on Android, iOS, and Windows 10 mobile devices, using Apache Cordova.

SoftClouds & Our Innovations with CPQ Cloud & JET UI

SoftClouds deeply understands its customers and aligns our innovation goals to deliver the right experiences to the end users. The key to our speed and success has been JET, which has helped us deliver unique solutions, create new value, and re-imagine our creativity. The following are a few use-cases & testimonials that stand as strong evidence.

Use Case 1 — An international data center solutions company wanted to open-up their partner portal with CPQ for easier and simpler sales cycles. Their complex systems were hard to migrate and track, they also lacked an intuitive system to support cross-sell/up-sell.

Innovation 1 — Dynamic Maps

With the normal Oracle CPQ, integration with google maps was a tough task as the integration UI/UX experience would not be well optimized. SoftClouds designed its own dynamic map using the data center coordinates from the customer, that lead to easier picks and navigation. With JET, we also designed an intuitive/futuristic interface, now the customer could easily locate the data center and its facilities, before making a purchase decision.

Innovation 2 — Detailed Structure & Product Groups

Product selection was a hassle with the classic line item grid, our solution was to customize the UI with Json and JS which gave a proper business for each metro — all the products could be grouped together, either colocation or interconnections. The customer could view a product’s high-level structure/detailed. We have also designed the copy/edit/delete functionality that is not available in typical CPQ for each product.

Innovation 3 — Guided and Direct Selling Process

With JET UI, we improved their quoting process and business rules by providing them with a ‘’guided and direct selling’’ process that is easy as DIY. It provides the right info on various fields like number of data centers, secure/private cabinet, interconnections, port speed etc.

We were tired of using different frameworks to improve the UI and our sales cycle. SoftClouds implemented JET and completely redesigned our app which feels good, comprehensive, and is very easy to use.

We found the maps feature to be the most innovative of them all, our customer just hovers on a metro and has all the details. Amazing! Now, it is much simpler for our sales folks to execute our sales strategies. In previous applications so much time used to be wasted on training how to execute a specific task, now our overall ROI has also improved with intuitive cross-sell and up-sell.

Use Case 2 - Our client is a fourth-generation family owned business for paper products who wanted to improve their business process. They wanted to improve their outdated CRM to have an efficient business process flow. Our solution was to help them leap into the digital age by implementing Oracle CPQ with JET UI.

Innovation 1 — Dynamic Product Configuration and Pricing Modules

With the help of Oracle JET, we improved their customer experience to a great extent. We also constructed a dynamic product configuration, pricing modules and an enhanced discounting module that lead to improved sales. Also, many different sets of products could be displayed in one page which helped the customer pick and choose what they wanted.

Innovation 2 — Self Guided Process & Graphical Data Visualization

We synced the product with ERP in run time that supported real time data. With JET’s powerful UI components, we could help the graphical data visualization and made it a self-understanding process.

Innovation 3 — Display of Multiple Addresses

In normal commerce layouts, multiple billing and shipping addresses cannot be displayed, which makes the user to navigate from ERP to select. Using JET, we created an API call to the ERP that fetched the required information in an array set. This made the user functionality much easier.

We are delighted that we consulted SoftClouds on improving our business flow. They have thorough knowledge and experience with Oracle CPQ and the way they used JET to power up the interfaces was also unique.

It is much more cost effective now with an efficient product configuration and discount module.

Use Case 3 -Our client, a specialist in global clinical trial supply needed a digital customer service portal for better service. Their operational costs were very high with no data classification. We saw an opportunity to revolutionize their business operations and we created something very special.

Innovation 1 — Efficient Product Management

JET’s advanced two-way binding helped us sync the product easily, between CPQ and Oracle Engagement Cloud resulting in an efficient product and pricing management. As we handled end-to-end in commerce module with no configuration, the client achieved their goals with minimum number of clicks reducing their sales cycle to a large extent.

Innovation 2 — Setup Rules, Discounting Logic, & Define Commerce Process

Oracle CPQ allowed us to reconfigure their entire business process, we were able to implement a different set of rules and discounting logic that made the reduced the sales cycle. This implementation also freed up the salesman by creating an automatic quoting process, which in turn also shortened the sales cycle even more.

Innovation 3 — Applied Visibility & Access Control Rules through Role-Based Privileges

Using JET UI we were able to configure a state of the art interface that was able to allow different users, different access based on hierarchy. This makes sure only the right people can see important documents, improving data and financial security. Using CPQ we tailored the solution specifically to the amount of visibility the enterprise wanted, thus creating complete peace of mind.

We were only looking for a digital customer service portal to provide better service. We didn’t know anything about Oracle CPQ or JET until SoftClouds came our way. Now, not only do we have a digital customer service, but we have comprehensive dashboards and reporting systems. We also have faster interactions and stronger product build, better data visibility, and analysis in real time. Thanks to SoftClouds and its extensive knowledge in Oracle CPQ & Jet UI.

Final Thoughts

We want it, and we want it 5 minutes ago. We want it with no friction, good feeling, and no human interaction. As said earlier and seen widely in the technology industry, today’s consumer market has little to no patience, and businesses are challenging each other to deliver instant gratification to users in every vertical/industry.

The CPQ industry is no different. For many, the primary function of their sales organization is creating quotes. More quotes lead to more opportunities, more orders, and increased revenues. The quoting and waiting process of the old style will go away soon, to prepare for the future, we must generate quotes with just a click and reduce the sales cycle to an even greater extent.

However, in the future, User Experience Design will become much stronger and a more well-established practice. We are already seeing great modifications and specializations in the UX role, it will be bigger, as frameworks like JET will focus on getting Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Voice User Interface in usual/regular modules. This will revolutionize not just a user’s or businesses’ experience but an enterprise or an entire industry’s experience. SoftClouds has the right innovation and expert solutioning mindset to help our customers along their journey towards the future.

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This post was written by Srikesh Menon — CPQ Practice Director at SoftClouds, who has 12+ years of experience with technical solution design and end to end implementations. Srikesh is also certified on Oracle BigMachines and Siebel. He specializes in developing CPQ processes, Complex Configuration of Product Catalogs, Pricing, Tracking & Approvals, Order Management, Service Management, Partner Management, and Loyalty Management modules.

SoftClouds is a recognized leader in CRM/CX transformation with experience in numerous Service Cloud Implementations with pre-configured best practice business processes for multiple verticals/domains.