There is a strong buzz in the Trailblazer community right now – Is CPQ dying? What’s the future of CPQ now that Salesforce has launched Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA)? Well, Salesforce CPQ is entering the ‘End of Sale’ (EOS) phase.
Now, to clarify—EOS doesn’t mean End-of-Life. It means Salesforce will no longer sell CPQ to new customers. At least, no official announcement regarding retirement has been made yet.
This shift didn’t come out of the blue. The suspicion in the Salesforce ecosystem and partner community was growing strong as many had already picked up on the signs—no major updates in 4 years, and a clear focus on newer products like Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) – the writing was on the wall.
So, why did Salesforce make this change?
The real reason Salesforce decided to shift from CPQ to RCA is strategic and technical: Salesforce CPQ (Steelbrick), acquired in 2015, has become a legacy managed package with no new releases in years, signaling its end-of-sale and eventual end-of-life status.
Salesforce wants to move customers to a modern, native platform solution- Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) -that offers a comprehensive, unified revenue lifecycle management system beyond just configure-price-quote.
What is the new Salesforce Revenue Cloud (RCA)?
Fully built on the core Salesforce platform, Revenue Cloud Advanced (RCA) is Salesforce’s new and improved way to handle everything from quoting to payments, all in one place.
What makes RCA different? For starters, it’s more flexible and modern. It doesn’t use the old-school managed package setup. With API-first approach, Revenue Cloud Advanced is more scalable and can handle a wide range of revenue models—whether you’re selling one-time products, offering subscriptions, or charging based on usage. Everything runs from a single system that’s easier to integrate with other tools and is ready to work alongside AI-powered agents like Agentforce across the entire sales process.
What’s New in Salesforce RCA?
- Built Natively on Salesforce: RCA is fully native to the Salesforce platform, meaning it works seamlessly within the Salesforce ecosystem. This native architecture enables it to handle high transaction volumes, large and complex quotes and orders, and extensive rule-based configurations — all with better speed and performance.
- AI-Ready for Smarter Selling: Because RCA is built on the Salesforce core, it’s ready to plug into powerful AI tools like Einstein and Agentforce. This means sellers can auto-generate price-optimized quotes, get smart product recommendations based on customer history, and close deals faster — all thanks to built-in intelligence.
- API-First Approach: RCA is designed with an API-first mindset, making it modular and easy to integrate with other complex systems and business processes. This flexibility ensures RCA fits into your existing tech stack without heavy lifting, allowing smooth data flow and consistent user experiences.
- Headless Architecture for Omnichannel Selling: With its headless architecture, RCA separates the frontend from the backend. This enables businesses to deliver a unified buying experience across all channels — whether it’s direct sales, partner portals, or eCommerce — while keeping the core logic and data consistent.
- Supports Complex Revenue Models: One-time purchases, subscriptions, consumption-based pricing—RCA handles it all in one system.
- New Transaction Line Editor (TLE): RCA has moved away from the traditional Quote Line Editor (QLE) and replaced it with a Transaction Line Editor, which gives users a much cleaner, more intuitive way to view and edit products directly on the quote. It may feel overwhelming at first, but it actually makes things simpler and faster.
- Guided Selling: Powered by OmniStudio, it’s simpler for admins to set up and easier for reps to use, with logic-based configuration instead of rigid filters. You can create smarter bundles, even configure products within bundles, all with less hassle. Unlike CPQ, which used filters, RCA uses logic rules—giving you more control, flexibility, and precision when building out your product offerings.
Source: Salesforce
Sticking with Salesforce CPQ or Moving to Revenue Cloud Advanced?
Salesforce CPQ isn’t going anywhere just yet. It’s still a solid tool, especially for small to mid-sized businesses with straightforward sales processes. If you’ve got a simple B2B sales flow and don’t often need to make changes after the deal is signed, CPQ may still do the job just fine.
But if your business is growing—or already operates at an enterprise level—RCA is built for you. It’s designed to handle:
- Bigger quotes and more complex pricing
- Huge volumes of transactions
- Custom rules and approval flows
- And personalized experiences across different sales channels (online, partners, direct sales, etc.).
Even though Salesforce CPQ is moving toward its “End of Sale” phase, Salesforce is still supporting it. Existing Salesforce CPQ customers will continue to receive full support and can renew their subscriptions as usual. However, Salesforce has stopped offering the product to new customers.
Final Thought:
The phase-out of Salesforce CPQ isn’t just a product sunset—it’s a signal that the next era of quoting and revenue management is already here. With Revenue Cloud Advanced, Salesforce revenue management has been reimagined. It is transforming how businesses can manage complex pricing, scale operations, and deliver better buying experiences—all natively, without the baggage of legacy tools and technical debt.
This is an opportunity in disguise. It’s time for businesses to use this transition period to assess, plan, and prepare your team for what’s next. Begin by auditing your current CPQ setup, engage your Salesforce partner to explore the best-fit options, and start evaluating Revenue Cloud Advanced as a modern, scalable solution designed to grow with your business.
If you’re ready to explore how RCA can support your business model, quoting needs, or complex use cases— let’s talk. At CEPTES, a Saksoft company, we ensure that you have a seamless and hassle-free migration aligned with your business goals.
FAQ:
1. Can we say CPQ is dying?
2. What’s the biggest difference between RCA and traditional CPQ?
3. Can RCA support industry-specific use cases like subscriptions, usage-based pricing, or channel sales?
Nilamani Das
Nilamani is a thought leader who champions the integration of AI, Data, CRM and Trust to craft impactful marketing strategies. He carries 25+ years of expertise in the technology industry with expertise in Go-to-Market Strategy, Marketing, Digital Transformation, Vision Development and Business Innovation.
