Item: NetSuite ERP
Rating: 10
Author: Jeff Gullang

Overall Satisfaction with NetSuite

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Our Company uses NetSuite across all business functions. From billing to collections, case management, advanced inventory, light manufacturing, and a dozen other areas. It is used across all of our employees. We do not use NetSuite for payroll, which is handled outside. If the native NetSuite does not provide enough of a solution one of their SuiteApps probably does.

Pros and Cons

Pros

NetSuite listens to its users and we can vote on enhancements. Twice a year versions are released addressing some of these areas. A few of the items we brought forth as an enhancement were voted on and made into production. With the thousand of users it was probably submitted many times over, but business voted on it.
This is a strength and weakness but their help desk and support have always resolved the issue. Weakness on help, but strength in the support. Every time I think I found a defect, it was found that I was wrong. Now I assume I am wrong, and try and find the solution.
Easily customizable. If you want to add a new department, field, form, report this is easily done. This can be done by non-technical individuals.

Cons

Have the ability to effect future transactions only. This has been something that has been open for 8 years. After a period is locked, and if you want to change an items account, it has to change everything. Especially being used at larger companies, who get audited, we cannot change historical transactions.
Improve help. I spent hours researching something this past week, got frustrated and called the support team. We were able to resolve the issue, but I could not find it in the mess of directions.
Year over year increases for loyal customers...even new ones is one huge area Netsuite can improve. These past few years we have seen double digit proposals. I worked with my sales rep to get it down to a more realistic number but this was a drain on their and my time. We can sign multiple years but would like more flexibility; this year I might need this feature but who knows next year.
Since there are many ways to communicate (thru emails, reports, searches) there is not an easy way, that I found, to mass change as employees start or leave. I need to go into the x00 reports/searches to change an employee.

Return on Investment

Year over year cost increase has a negative impact on ROI. Not scaleable for some growing companies based on its current pricing.
Do like all of the suite apps available. Have implemented some and this adds to the investments made. But this might defer hiring of certain staff.
There is the option to buy employee time/expenses only, but if they use case/customer cards/etc there is no option besides getting them the full seats. This locks you into the cost. The return on investment would be higher if there was an option to buy partial seats;

Alternatives Considered

When I switched from one of my ERPs I was a little concerned but 4 years later I am sold. There are pluses and minuses, but in the whole I am sold.

Twice a year enhancements, with no cost is huge. Avoids updating which with the other ERPs and is a bigger drain on resources and money. "Do we update this version?" "Can we hold off?" "How much is this going to cost us in hours and time?" These are all questions we no longer have to ask. Plus we can vote on the enhancements/fixes which might put a higher priority on a feature.

Likelihood to Recommend

Might not be suited for larger private/public companies with it current limitations. Until Netsuite addresses the impact of changing account numbers/accounting on items this can make it hard for some companies. Changing only future transactions is necessary. What happens if you change inventory costing method? Or what if the inventory costing (think FIFO or LIFO) where not available when the items were created.

This would bring it up to a ten. But a change should not impact previous periods. Especially when the period has been audited.

The adding of features/modules opens the possibility as your company grows. Am I going international? What about advanced inventory? How about taxes? Case management? With the suite partners it is going outside of Netsuite since it is not their expertise. When we added Suitepartners it has gone smoothly..not perfect, but smoothly.

Using NetSuite

Users and Roles

45 - Accounting & Finance; including collections, billing, cash application.

Service team recording time and expenses. Sales team for CRM. Support team for Case management. shipping and receiving. The entire company. Does get pricey when add the entire company, but is used by everyone.

Is not used for consolidation & intercompany.

Support Headcount Required

None support netsuite

Likelihood to Renew

Year over year cost increases are high. There is also limited ability to go onto another system. We reduce the YoY increase, and with the new versions, the full scope of features available, the ease of customization, it is highly likely we will renew. With the ease of adding features/modules this makes it higher a probability. But the YoY increase, brings it down. The inability to switch platforms is a push (which for some is a bad thing). All things added up, I am all in.

Netsuite - Four years in I am sold on the cloud!

Software Version

Modules Used