Feature Availability

Vtiger Editions: One Pilot | One Growth | One Professional | One Enterprise | One AI

Introduction

Summary Variables are used to calculate and display summarized values for products and services that are added to a Quote. They help sales teams analyze product-related information such as total quantity, total price, average selling price, minimum value, maximum value, and product count during the quotation ing process.

When Are Summary Variables Used?

Summary Variables are useful when you want to:

• Calculate total pricing dynamically.
• Track product quantity in Quotes.
• Apply conditional pricing.
• Trigger automated Product Rules.
• Simplify complex quote calculations.
• Improve pricing transparency.
• Enable guided selling.

They are commonly used in industries such as:

• Software and SaaS
• Telecommunications
• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Electronics
• Subscription-based businesses

Summary Variables in Vtiger CRM

Summary Variables are commonly used in CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) processes where your business needs dynamic calculations for the selected products or services.

How Summary Variables Work

Summary Variables work by:

• Reading product or service data from Quotes.
• Applying conditions and calculations.
• Generating summarized values such as totals, averages, minimums, or maximums.
• Using the calculated results in Product Rules and quote conditions.

These calculations happen dynamically when products are added or updated in Quotes. Click here to learn more about the Product Rules.

Summary Variable Fields 

The following Summary Variable fields are available in Vtiger CRM:

• Count: The Count Summary Variable represents the number of occurrences (records) in a dataset. The value field for the count Summary Variable contains the total count of the data points.
• Quantity (Sum/Max/Min/Avg): This Summary Variable is often used to measure the total, maximum, minimum, or average quantity of a certain item or attribute in a dataset. The value field for the  Quantity Summary Variable will contain the calculated sum, maximum, minimum, or average value of the quantity, depending on the chosen metric.
• Unit Selling Price (Sum/Max/Min/Avg): The Unit Selling Price Summary Variable provides information about the prices at which individual product units were sold. The value field for the unit selling price summary variable will contain the sum, maximum, minimum, or average of the unit prices, depending on the chosen metric.

Key Features

The key features of Summary Variables are:

• Creating dynamic calculations for Products and Services in Quotes.
• Calculating totals, averages, minimums, and maximums automatically, with real-time price calculation during quote creation.
• Applying conditions based on product quantity, count, and unit selling price.
• Supporting guided selling by helping sales teams recommend suitable products.
• Improving pricing transparency for customers and sales representatives.
• Dynamically updating values when products are added, removed, or modified in Quotes.

Use Case

Consider the following scenario:

A telecommunications company offers various features and add-ons. Customers can include features such as call minutes, text messages, data packages, and additional services, such as international calling or data roaming, in their phone plans. Each feature has a corresponding price.

A summary variable can provide customers with a clear overview of their selected features and the total cost of their customized plan. For example:

• Variable Setup: Create a Summary Variable called Total Cost to display the calculated total cost of the selected features.
• Formula Configuration: Define the formula for the Total Cost Summary Variable. The formula will sum up the prices of the selected features. For example: Total Cost = Call Minutes Price + Text Messages Price + Data Package Price + Additional Services Prices
• Dynamic Calculation: The total cost updates in real time based on selected features in the CPQ interface.
• Real-time Visibility: Total Cost is visible to both the customer and sales rep for transparent pricing.

By adding Summary Variables to a product or service, you can make informed decisions on customization. Your sales reps can also provide accurate quotes and address pricing queries during the quoting process.

For example:

• CRM License - $500
• Analytics Module - $300
• Mobile App Add-on - $200

The Summary Variable can automatically calculate:

Total Price = $1000

This provides real-time visibility into pricing during quote creation.

Summary Variables are closely connected with the Products and Services modules in Vtiger CRM. They use product-related information such as:

• Quantity

• Unit Selling Price

• Product Count

• Product Conditions

Benefits

The benefits of the Summary Variables feature are:

• Pricing Transparency: Summary variables play a crucial role in providing pricing transparency.
• Real-time Calculation: Summary variables in CPQ  can be dynamically calculated based on the selected configuration options.
• Guided Selling: Summary variables can serve as guideposts during the quotation process, helping sales representatives or customers make informed decisions.
• Condition Flexibility: Summary variables allow flexibility in CPQ systems. You can apply conditions on the aggregate count, quantity, and unit selling price of products.

In this article, you will learn:

• Adding Summary Variables
• Creating Product Rules
• Adding Product in Quotes

Creating Summary Variables

The value field of Summary Variables is the numerical result or value representing a particular summary metric. Creating summary variables involves aggregating or calculating metrics based on the data or configuration options available in the CPQ system.

The following steps are involved in creating Summary Variables: 

Step 1: Adding Summary Variables
Step 2: Creating Product Rule

Step 1: Adding Summary Variables

Follow these steps to add Summary Variables:

1. Log in to the CRM.
2. Go to the main Menu.
3. Select Products in the Inventory App. The List View opens.
4. Click Settings in the top-right corner of the screen.
5. Click Summary Variables.
6. Click +Add Summary Variable. The Add Summary Variable window opens.

 

7. Enter or select information for the following:
   1. Summary Variable Name: Enter a name for the Summary Variable.
   2. Conditions: Add conditions based on your requirement.
   3. Value: Select the Value from the drop-down, such as Count, Quantity Sum, or Average Unit Selling Price.
   4. Active: Enable the checkbox to activate the Summary Variable.
8. Click Save.

You have successfully added the Summary variable.

You can find it in Settings > Module Layouts and Fields section if you have successfully added a Summary Variable. 

Step 2: Creating a Product Rule

You need to create a Product Rule and enable the Quotes, Summary Variable option in the process.

Follow these steps to create a Product Rule:

1. Log in to the CRM.

2. Go to Inventory.
3. Select Others.
4. Select Product Rules. The Product Rules module opens.

5. Click +Add Product Rule. A Creating Product rule window opens.

6. Enter or select information for the following:
   1. Product Rule Name: Type the Product Rule Name.
   2. Active: Enable the Active checkbox.
   3. Assigned To: Select to whom the Rule is assigned from the drop-down.
   4. Rule Scope: Select Rule Scope from the drop-down.
   5. Trigger: Select the Trigger from the drop-down.
   6. Rule Type: Select Rule Type from the drop-down.
   7. Rule Sequence: Type the Rule sequence.
   8. Message: Type the message to notify the user in the Message textbox.
   9. Select Source Conditions On. Enable the Quotes, Summary Variables option.
      1. Quotes, Products, Services
      2. Quotes, Summary Variables
7. Select Source Conditions.
   1. Quotes
      1. All Conditions (All conditions must be met)
      2. Any Condition (At least one of the conditions must be met)
   2. Summary Variables can be selected in the following conditions fields:
      1. All Conditions (All conditions must be met)
      2. Any Condition (At least one of the conditions must be met)
8. Click Save.

You have successfully created the Product Rule.

Note: If products added in the Quotes match the Summary variable conditions, the configured product rule will be executed based on the trigger type. 

Use Case

Consider the following scenario:

A telecommunications company offers various features and add-ons. Customers can include in their phone plans features such as call minutes, text messages, data packages, and additional services like international calling or data roaming. Each feature has a corresponding price.

A summary variable can provide customers with a clear overview of their selected features and the total cost of their customized plan.

1. Variable Setup:

Create a Summary Variable called Total Cost to display the calculated total cost of the selected features.

2. Formula Configuration:

Define the formula for the Total Cost Summary Variable. The formula will sum up the prices of the selected features. For example:

Total Cost = Call Minutes Price + Text Messages Price + Data Package Price + Additional Services Prices

3. Dynamic Calculation:

The total cost is updated in real time based on the selected features in the CPQ interface.

4. Real-time Visibility:

Total Cost is visible to both the customer and the sales rep for transparent pricing.

By adding Summary Variables to a product or service, customers can make informed decisions on customization. Sales reps can also provide accurate quotes and address pricing queries during the quoting process.

Summary variables improve the quoting process by providing real-time summaries. This helps customers make informed decisions and improves communication with sales representatives.