Elevating the Buyer Experience in CPQ Driven Sales: Have Digital Sales Rooms Moved the Needle for You?

Working with Salesforce CPQ on a daily basis to streamline quoting and proposal generation is what our team at Inforge does best. But even with its power, once proposals start flying around, it can quickly become a bit of a messy operation. We nail the demo and configure the quote perfectly, but by the time we get to sharing decks, PDFs, and the next steps with the buyer, the journey starts to fall apart. From the buyer’s perspective, it’s like getting a bunch of random emails and attachments instead of a clear, structured experience. Without deal specific content, buyers struggle to get answers to their unique questions, making it harder to move forward. This fragmented process disrupts the buying journey, making it less transparent and more confusing for everyone involved.

It’s this that has driven us to take a closer look at digital sales room tools like Trumpet and DealHub. These platforms promise a smoother, more collaborative buyer experience, but we wanted to dig a bit deeper to figure out if they really do make a difference in the real world. They enable sales teams to deliver content efficiently and in a more personalized way, ensuring buyers receive relevant information at every stage. Do they really help boost engagement and speed up deal cycles?

The Problem with Traditional CPQ Workflows - A Fragmented Buyer Journey

Even with Salesforce CPQ’s automation in place, many teams still struggle once that quote leaves the platform. And the trouble spots are pretty clear:

Buyer Journey in TattersBuyers have to sift through all sorts of different threads, attachments and files from different departments. It gets really hard to keep track of what’s current and what’s been approved. When the process is fragmented, potential customers can easily become disengaged and lose momentum in their decision-making.

Limited VisibilityWe can send out great proposals, but we almost never actually know how long buyers are looking at them, who they are forwarding them to, or what bits are really catching their eye. Without some actual data, follow ups are just a bit of a wild guess.

Internal MisalignmentSales, finance and legal are all working on different timelines and systems so when changes get made to pricing or terms, the communication delays can really slow things down. Better-aligned sales processes are needed to keep everyone on track and avoid unnecessary delays.

Buying Committees Getting Smaller (Not Really)B2B sales involve all sorts of different decision makers these days. Coordinating feedback and questions from multiple stakeholders across a bunch of different communication channels can end up dragging deals on longer than they need to.

Why Digital Sales Rooms Are Starting to Get Some Attention

Digital sales rooms (DSRs) are all about centralising the post proposal process in one shared workspace, between the seller and the buyer. Instead of wrestling with emails and attachments, everything lives in one interactive page. The idea is simple but actually pretty powerful: one place for the quote, the deck, the timeline and the next steps.

Platforms like Trumpet and DealHub are really positioning themselves as the evolution of sales enablement. They take content delivery, analytics and collaboration and mash them into a guided environment that actually looks more like a modern client portal than an email thread. Digital sales rooms are not just a tool; they are a strategic asset for modern sales teams, enabling personalized engagement, real-time insights, and streamlined deal progression.

In essence, they promise four key benefits:

1. Transparency - Buyers can see every resource, link and step they need in one place.

2. Analytics - Sellers can see when a buyer opens a proposal, how long they are looking at it and which bits they revisit. Analyzing this engagement data provides key insights that inform future sales strategies and improve personalization.

3. Collaboration - Both sides can comment, assign tasks or move through mutual action plans without having to switch platforms. These features help engage buyers throughout the process, ensuring timely and personalized interactions that keep deals moving forward.

4. Consistency - Every proposal follows a standardised template and brand experience, which reduces the room for confusion.

At Inforge, these advantages really caught our eye because they directly address the pain points that often arise once that quote exits the CPQ system. DSRs also facilitate collaborative selling by enabling teamwork, real-time communication, and integration of multiple stakeholders, making it easier to coordinate and engage buyers in complex sales cycles.

Key Features and Digital Selling

Digital sales rooms come packed with key features designed to make digital selling smoother and more effective for modern sales teams. At their core, these platforms offer robust content management, allowing sales reps to organize and deliver up-to-date sales content, proposals, and product information in one central location. Document tracking is another standout feature—sales teams can see exactly when buyers open, view, or share sales documents, giving real-time insights into buyer engagement and interest.

Real-time chat capabilities take collaboration to the next level, enabling instant communication between buyers and sellers right within the digital sales room. This means questions get answered faster, objections are handled on the spot, and the entire sales process moves forward without the usual email back-and-forth. Contract management tools are also built in, streamlining the negotiation and signature process so deals can close faster and with less friction.

By leveraging digital sales room software, sales reps can automate manual tasks, focus on high-value activities, and deliver a more personalized buyer experience. The entire sales process—from initial outreach to contract signing—can be managed within a single digital sales room, giving sales teams a strategic advantage. This not only boosts sales efficiency and performance but also helps drive predictable revenue and a more professional, engaging buyer journey.

Use Cases and Examples of Digital Sales Rooms

Digital sales rooms are proving their value across a wide range of sales teams and industries, thanks to their flexibility and focus on buyer experience. For example, sales development representatives (SDRs) can use digital sales rooms to send personalized video messages and tailored sales content, making their outreach stand out and increasing buyer engagement from the very first touchpoint.

Account executives (AEs) often leverage digital sales rooms to co-create mutual action plans with buyers, ensuring everyone is on the same page throughout the deal cycle. This collaborative approach helps align stakeholders, clarify next steps, and keep the sales process moving forward efficiently.

Account managers (AMs) find digital sales rooms invaluable for onboarding new clients, sharing relevant content, and tracking engagement with renewal proposals. By monitoring which materials clients interact with, AMs can proactively address concerns and identify upsell opportunities. Customer success managers (CSMs) also benefit by providing ongoing access to demos, product updates, and support resources, all within a single, easy-to-navigate sales room. This not only boosts customer satisfaction but also helps uncover new revenue opportunities.

These real-world examples show how digital sales rooms support digital sales strategies, improve sales team collaboration, and deliver a buyer experience that’s both seamless and memorable.

Setup and Implementation of Digital Sales Rooms

Getting started with a digital sales room doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does require a thoughtful approach. The first step for any sales team is to clearly define their goals—whether that’s boosting sales productivity, enhancing buyer engagement, or streamlining the sales process. Once the objectives are set, it’s important to choose digital sales room software that fits the team’s needs and integrates smoothly with the existing tech stack.

Implementation typically begins with configuring the platform to match your sales process, uploading key sales content, and setting up access controls to protect sensitive information. Training is crucial: sales reps should learn how to create personalized buyer experiences, track buyer behavior, and interpret engagement data to inform their next steps.

By following these steps, sales teams can ensure a smooth rollout and maximize the benefits of their digital sales room. With the right setup, sales reps are empowered to close deals faster, deliver more relevant content, and build stronger relationships with buyers—all while keeping the entire sales process organized and efficient.

Real Results and Observations

Companies using digital sales rooms have reported some pretty measurable improvements in their deal process, including enhanced sales performance such as higher close rates, improved buyer engagement, and healthier pipelines. Some have seen proposal review times shrink by more than a quarter and close rates pick up a bit. Others have cited smoother handoffs to customer success and fewer bottlenecks in legal reviews.

The visibility aspect seems to be a real game changer. When sales teams can see which stakeholders are actually looking at materials, they can prioritise follow ups much more intelligently. And when buyers see a clear, structured page with action steps, it adds a level of professionalism that builds trust.

Of course, not every rollout is plain sailing. We’ve seen common challenges like:

• Getting sales reps to actually adopt the new workflow and ensuring their engagement and buy-in.

• Keeping content fresh and consistent across all the different rooms.

• Training internal teams on how to make sense of engagement analytics, with a focus on the importance of accurate sales data for tracking and improving outcomes.

As with any tool layered on top of Salesforce, success depends on proper integration, process alignment and ongoing adoption.

Digital Sales Room Adoption and ROI

Adopting a digital sales room can deliver a significant return on investment for sales teams looking to modernize their sales cycles and boost performance. By streamlining manual tasks and centralizing sales content, digital sales room software frees up sales reps to focus on what matters most: engaging buyers and closing deals. This leads to shorter sales cycles, higher win rates, and increased revenue generation.

One of the biggest advantages is the wealth of engagement data and buyer behavior insights that digital sales rooms provide. Sales teams can see which materials resonate with buyers, track deal velocity, and adjust their sales strategies in real time for maximum impact. This data-driven approach not only improves sales effectiveness but also enhances the overall buyer experience and customer satisfaction.

To measure the ROI of a digital sales room, it’s important to track key metrics like sales productivity, deal velocity, and customer satisfaction. By demonstrating improvements in these areas, sales teams can justify continued investment in digital sales room technology and maintain a competitive edge in today’s fast-paced digital sales environment. Ultimately, digital sales rooms help sales organizations drive business growth, achieve revenue goals, and deliver a buyer experience that stands out.

Questions to Ask Before Committing to a DSR

If your team is evaluating DSRs like we are, here are the questions worth asking:

• What is the main goal - improving buyer engagement, shortening deal cycles or enhancing internal alignment?

• How tightly does the tool integrate with Salesforce CPQ and existing workflows?

• Can it scale easily across multiple business units or product lines?

• What analytics really matter to your team, and how will you use them to adjust strategy?

• How will you handle onboarding and content governance to keep things consistent?

Our Take at Inforge

For us, digital sales rooms represent more than just another sales enablement tool. They symbolise a shift in how sellers think about the buyer experience - reducing friction, creating clarity and building confidence throughout the deal process.

Digital sales rooms also play a key role in enhancing the overall customer experience by streamlining interactions and making the buyer's journey smoother. We’re starting to see our clients get the same benefits and feedback - and it’s a really exciting space to be in.At Inforge, we’ve already gotten pretty deep into Salesforce CPQ and other automated tools, so bringing in a digital sales room could finally get us over the last hurdle between configuring and closing deals. This adoption is part of a broader digital transformation that is changing the sales landscape and helping teams solve operational challenges.

The real value isn’t just about zipping through quotes super fast, its also about taking the buyer by the hand and guiding them through that whole proposal-to-signature process without making ‘em wonder what in the world is going on. Implementing digital sales rooms can also have a significant revenue impact by providing insights that align sales strategies with business outcomes and demonstrate clear ROI.

Final Thoughts

The appeal of digital sales rooms is all about pulling everything together - or to put it another way, about orchestrating that whole sales process. It's not about replacing Salesforce CPQ - that would be silly - it's about using it to make a greater impact on the bits that really matter - like when the buyer is deciding whether to actually move forward. Self-service features in digital sales rooms empower buyers to access information independently, allowing them to explore content and make informed decisions without waiting for direct sales interaction.

For our team here at Inforge, that means putting together an experience that feels straightforward, feels collaborative and feels modern. Digital sales rooms also contribute to faster sales cycles by streamlining the buying process and reducing delays. We’re all ears for any other folks in the Salesforce ecosystem who’ve made the leap - what was your experience like? Did implementing a digital sales room actually change the buyer journey or was it just another thing to juggle? Your thoughts and insights could really make a difference for all of us trying to get the quoting and closing process working better in a Salesforce driven world.

Improving the buyer experience is worth talking about and - who knows - digital sales rooms might just be the next step in making sales a bit more human, a bit more intelligent. Achieving strong marketing alignment is also key to maximizing the value of digital sales rooms, ensuring sales and marketing teams work together seamlessly for better outcomes.