Conga research links slow quote approvals to lost deals

New research from Conga found that delays in internal quote approvals are costing organisations business. In the past six months, 45% of respondents said they lost a deal because approvals took too long.

The survey of more than 1,200 commerce and contracting decision-makers also points to broader operational friction. Almost all respondents (93%) said deals struggle to move through key functions including sales, legal, finance, pricing and IT.

These slowdowns can hurt both revenue and predictability. Beyond lost deals, 38% said system handoffs led to lost or delayed revenue, and 41% said fragmentation weakened accurate revenue forecasting.

Internal bottlenecks

The findings describe a deal cycle that often relies on multiple tools and handovers, making it harder to keep pace with buyer expectations and internal targets.

Nearly 80% said they struggle to meet CEO expectations for commercial operations and risk management. The responses suggest the issues extend beyond sales execution into finance and governance, where forecasting accuracy and risk controls depend on consistent data and disciplined processes.

Quote approvals emerged as a particular pressure point. When approvals drag on, teams can struggle to keep commercial terms, pricing and documentation aligned. In organisations with multiple handoffs, delays can compound as each function applies checks and sign-offs in sequence.

AI and automation

Conga said the results show that AI and automation investments have not removed friction across the deal cycle in many organisations. It described fragmentation as a structural issue spanning departments and systems, rather than a problem confined to one team.

"Despite advances in AI and automation, it is clear that commercial operations are often disconnected and difficult to scale," said Celia Fleischaker, Chief Marketing Officer at Conga.

Conga linked the problem to the end-to-end process from pricing and quoting through contracting and revenue recognition. That sequence typically crosses sales operations, legal review, finance controls and the IT systems used for approvals and record keeping.

"There is a need throughout the industry to line up every part of the commerce chain, from pricing and quoting through revenue recognition and renewal, into a unified view so teams stay in sync and buyers keep moving forward," Fleischaker said.

Rebrand move

The research was released alongside a global rebrand that brings PROS B2B and Conga together under one identity. Conga said the new look and language reflect a focus on streamlining commercial operations across teams.

It described the rebrand as a way to present its portfolio under a single positioning around aligning commercial operations, including pricing, quoting, contracting, rebates and related communications.

Conga has expanded through acquisitions and product development to broaden its role in deal processes. Unifying PROS B2B and Conga under one identity signals tighter alignment in market messaging as software providers compete to own workflow across revenue operations and contracting.

In many organisations, these workflows still run across separate systems. Pricing data may sit in one tool, contract terms in another, and approvals and audit trails in a third. The survey suggests this kind of fragmentation continues to create delays that show up in forecasting and time to close.

Buyers can feel the impact directly. When sellers cannot finalise terms or produce approved quotes quickly, procurement cycles can stall. Competitors with faster execution can benefit, particularly where products are comparable and contracting speed becomes a differentiator.

Conga reported more than 10,000 customers worldwide, including over 50% of the Fortune 100. It said it focuses on aligning commercial processes where complexity is high, including global organisations with multiple approval layers and strict compliance requirements.

"Businesses know what it feels like when everything is in sync," Fleischaker said.

"Our new brand represents our promise to help customers reach that state more often, and to keep building it into a sustainable, compounding advantage."