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Exceptional, highly-extensible product.
Updated July 21, 2015

Exceptional, highly-extensible product.

Rob Gottschalk | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Software Version

NetSuite Financials

Modules Used

  • NetSuite ERP
  • NetSuite CRM+
  • SuiteCommerce

Overall Satisfaction with NetSuite

We used NetSuite for sales rep quoting, order entry, maintenance renewals, customer service, accounting and finance.
  • It is exceptional at quoting, ordering, invoicing, revenue recognition, install base, renewals, purchasing, vendor billing, general ledger and financial reporting. Furthermore it is extensible, in that you can use java scripting and/or custom objects to manage requirements that are unique to your business. It has robust and flexible customer and item management capabilities.
  • NetSuite is an intuitive business application that support best practice business processes. When implemented and managed properly, it can handle the great majority of business processes in a scalable, open and secure environment.
  • The NetSuite platform also has an open API that enables integration with Salesforce. This requires a very clear integration methodology though. The methodology we used placed resulted in lower complexity and reliable uptime. Additionally, it had proper internal controls.
  • NetSuite e-commerce is evolving. Historically, the knock against it was user interface. NetSuite is spending considerable time and effort to improve this functionality though.
  • Also, as of late 2014, Advanced Projects now spans Project Management, Resource Allocation and Job Costing/Budgeting. They have been taking best practice workflows from OpenAir and putting them into native NetSuite. This solution will continue to be enhanced.
  • This is tough to quantify, as our business was growing rapidly, so it was almost impossible to attribute specific numbers to NetSuite only. But, I estimate that we cut administrative costs by ~ 30% with simplified billing, licensing and install base management. We dramatically improved renewals cash flow by automating the process via NetSuite.
  • We were up and running on the NetSuite GL in 1 month. We went live on Customer Support by the end of month 3. We fully implemented NetSuite with full integration to Salesforce within 5 months. We acquired 2 companies and opened up an office in Cork, Ireland in this same time period.
  • Oracle eBusiness Suite,QuickBooks Online,QuickBooks Pro
NetSuite architecture is far superior to any of these. Technically and business process wise. Robust revenue recognition, multi-company, multi-currency. Scales to meet entire business requirements.
I enjoyed my experience as a NetSuite customer so much so that I started my own services company. We are focused on Salesforce and NetSuite.

We are a NetSuite Solution Provider - reseller, new implementations and optimizations for existing NetSuite customers.

We are focused on the software and light manufacturing/distribution verticals. All of our NetSuite customers have been very happy with the results. http://www.saascg.com/our-clients/

NetSuite ERP Feature Ratings

10.0
Accounts payable
10
Accounts receivable
10
Subledger and Financial Process ()
Not Rated
Not Rated
Inventory tracking
Not Rated
Automatic reordering
Not Rated
Location management
Not Rated
10.0
Pricing
10
Order entry
10
Credit card processing
10
Cost of goods sold
10
Not Rated
Pay calculation
Not Rated
Benefit plan administration
Not Rated
Direct deposit files
Not Rated
10.0
Dashboards
10
Standard reports
10
Custom reports
10
10.0
API for custom integration
10
Plug-ins
10
10.0
Role-based user permissions
10
Single sign-on capability
10
Grants Management ()
Not Rated
Project Financial Management ()
Not Rated
Project Execution Management ()
Not Rated
Procurement ()
Not Rated
Risk Management ()
Not Rated
Logistics ()
Not Rated
Manufacturing ()
Not Rated
Supply Chain ()
Not Rated
Product Lifecycle Management ()
Not Rated

Using NetSuite

100 - Sales (for actuals and compensation)
Marketing (for promotion analysis and actuals by product)
Accounting
Product Management (for unit and $ analysis and item management)
Customer Service and Support
3 - One business applications manager.
One technical NS administrator.
One integration expert.
  • Quote to Cash, including revenue recognition
  • Procure to Pay
  • GL to Financial Statements
  • Operational reporting and analysis
It works well and it scales.

Evaluating NetSuite and Competitors

NetSuite Implementation

Executive involvement is critical. Make sure you have a good handle on the metrics you would like to ultimately manage. Work as a team to document your business requirements. Whiteboard often. Understand NetSuite's best practice capabilities.

Have a central person identified to handle all report and analysis requests (ie - don't allow multiple people to create reports; have one person create reports and distribute them to decision makers via the NS dashboard or whatever form). Make sure you understand critical dates and develop the project plan accordingly.

  • Vendor implemented
  • Implemented in-house
We used NetSuite Professional Services in a shared services model. They would meet with us and walk us through specific functionality. Then we would setup the rest of the functionality ourselves. For example, they would teach us how to enter an account in the chart of accounts, then we would enter the rest.

NetSuite Training

  • Online training
  • Self-taught
It was for me, but I believe that is because I have a public accounting background with a heavy emphasis on business workflows, risks and controls. Plus, I was an Oracle Applications Sales Consultant for 8 years. But for most organizations, I would recommend training sessions by functional area.

Additionally, NetSuite has excellent Help documentation.

Configuring NetSuite

NetSuite's SuiteCloud platform allows you to easily adapt NetSuite to meet your company's
business process. You can control the information that is accessed and
entered by each user of your NetSuite account. There is a
simple point and click interface for configuring standard fields, forms and reports and for creating custom fields and forms,
custom record types, transaction form layouts, and custom centers (role based dashboards).

NetSuite Support

In my opinion, the best place to go to answer your NetSuite functionality questions is their Online Help. It is excellent. For true support questions, NetSuite offers a Knowledgebase to its customers. Also, for ERP, NetSuite has licensed accountants that provide support. With any support organization, you must be thorough in describing your issue though.

NetSuite has several different support levels - http://www.netsuite.com/portal/services/support_main.shtml

Using NetSuite

Overall NetSuite is very intuitive. Usability is the direct product of a proper implementation - the way you configure form layouts, add fields, assign permissions and develop workflows.
ProsCons
Like to use
Relatively simple
Easy to use
Well integrated
Consistent
Quick to learn
Convenient
Feel confident using
Lots to learn
  • Fields and forms are easy to configure.
  • Order to Cash, including revenue recognition.
  • Multi-company, multi-currency
Yes - NetSuite's support for mobile devices—iOS, Android and
Windows Phones—ensures that your business users get real-time access to
the information they need.

NetSuite Reliability

NetSuite has a published 99.5% uptime guarantee.
In my experience, NetSuite's server and network performance has been good.

Integrating NetSuite

The SuiteTalk Platform provides programmatic access to your NetSuite
data and business processes through an XML-based application programming
interface (API). Generally speaking, the SuiteTalk Platform has the
following characteristics:



  • SOAP encoded web services – the SuiteTalk Platform uses SOAP-based web services with document style, or Doc style, encoding.


    Doc style encoding consists of message-oriented
    exchanges where an XML schema specified within the SOAP message defines
    the structure of any messages sent between two applications. RPC
    exchanges are NOT supported.



  • HTTPS Transport – currently the only transport supported is HTTPS as defined in the WSDL document.


  • Salesforce.com
  • A custom product licensing system on SQL Server.
We initially created a custom object for quoting in Salesforce then integrated the transactional (line) item detail. This is very challenging, as you are recreating items, pricing, discounting, etc. Plus, this requires the integration to transfer all of the transactional detail leading to more inherent risk of failure.

We redesigned the integration to allow Sales Reps, on an opportunity in Salesforce, to click a button to launch the Sales Rep into NetSuite where they could enter the quote in NetSuite. Order Management could then process approved quotes to Orders and eventually Invoices. We transferred Quote Header (ID, amount, expiration date) information back into Salesforce so that Sales Manager could run Opportunity and Quote reports (ex. which opps have quotes that are expired). Best of all worlds.
  • In my current role as President of SaaS Consulting Group, my team has done many integrations.
NetSuite now supports an integration with Salesforce.com.
  • File import/export
  • API (e.g. SOAP or REST)
  • Javascript widgets
https
Plan out your business process. Leverage each system's core process strengths (ex. NetSuite item master, quote to cash). Reduce transaction line item integration whenever possible.

Relationship with NetSuite