Can Your NetSuite Keep Up? How To Assess And Improve Your Configuration

April 4, 2024
Hand selecting check mark on paper document with blue backdrop. Can Your NetSuite Keep Up.

Imagine this: You've integrated NetSuite into your company's structure. Everything is running well in the beginning. Things are getting done and everyone can access what they need.

But then, your business starts gaining even more traction. Clients are coming in faster, leads are rising in numbers, and demand for your business is growing. 

And suddenly, your current system is struggling to keep up. 

Your team is stretched thin. Everyone juggles various tasks at the same time. Priority levels are unclear and unorganized. And your NetSuite system now struggles to ease the workload.

So, how do you fix this growing pain? By enhancing collaboration and improving your NetSuite configuration.

How To Check Your NetSuite's Efficiency

How can you tell if your NetSuite suits your business needs? And how do you assess it and implement changes to address the issue and support your business growth?

If you're looking for ways to get the most out of your NetSuite investment, your search has come to a full stop. 

We'll teach you all we've learned in the last 8 years to make your NetSuite experience smoother.

Assessing Your Current NetSuite Configuration

Like any routine checkup, assessing your NetSuite configuration periodically matters. It's how you identify areas for improvement, enhance performance, and maintain data security. 

What are the three aspects of assessing your current NetSuite configuration?

  1. Module Evaluation
  2. Performance Analysis
  3. Security and Access Controls Review

1. Module Evaluation

NetSuite modules will vary as your business continues to evolve. It allows you or your NetSuite support to tailor solutions for your needs. 

Modules you can apply in your NetSuite system include:

Financials Configuration

A crucial aspect of your NetSuite configuration is the financials module. This module manages your company's financial data, including income, expenses, and financial reports. 

To review if your financial processes are running smoothly, ask yourself:

  • Are your accounts and financial reports set up correctly?
  • Are you efficiently tracking income and expenses?
  • Is your budgeting aligned with your business goals?

These questions will determine if your financial configurations are providing accurate insights.

CRM Configuration

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is another essential module in NetSuite. It helps you manage your customer interactions and sales processes. Consider the following:

  • Are your customer records up to date?
  • Is your sales team effectively using lead and opportunity management tools?
  • Are you getting the most out of customer support features?

A good CRM module can help you nurture customer relationships. It can also boost sales and improve customer satisfaction.

Inventory Management Configuration

Does your business handle physical products? If so, the following are crucial points you must touch upon to set yourself up for success.

  • Is your inventory data accurate and up to date?
  • Are you using demand forecasting to optimize stock levels?
  • Is order fulfilment smooth and efficient?

How does well-configured inventory management save you money? It prevents stockouts and reduces oversells and markdowns. Plus, it helps you help your customers.

2. Performance Analysis

Why do you need to run a performance analysis? To stay on top of recurring issues, simplify maintenance, and ensure future readiness.

An effective performance analysis makes use of valuable data, including:

  • Identifying Bottlenecks
  • User Feedback and Pain Points
  • Data Accuracy Assessment

Not ready to run a performance analysis on your own? Our NetSuite-certified experts at Atticus can help your business climb up. We achieve this through data storage cleanup. We also offer round-the-clock system support and system health checks.

Identifying Bottlenecks

Is there a process disrupting the flow and efficiency of your operations? Signs may include excessive manual processes, inaccurate data reporting, or slow performance.

To dodge those future hiccups, it's ideal to spot and tackle any speed bumps in your NetSuite setup.

If your NetSuite system is sluggish or just not hitting the right notes, let Atticus take charge. We specialize in pinpointing delays and crafting tailored solutions to streamline your operations.

User Feedback and Pain Points

Have you ever used a platform where it feels like you're scrambling in the dark? Or you've found yourself Googling every possible tutorial just to get it running?

If you're seeing performance issues with your team, they're likely experiencing those scenarios. This makes listening to your users' feedback essential to enhance your NetSuite system. 

Is your sales team complaining about delays in accessing your customer data? This is a clear sign there is a performance issue with your NetSuite.

Ask your team how well NetSuite is working for them. Their feedback can uncover overlooked performance issues and enhance your overall NetSuite optimization.

Data Accuracy Assessment

Data accuracy is paramount. Inaccurate data can lead to incorrect decision-making and operational issues. Regularly check for data discrepancies and inconsistencies. A good example is that your sales figures should match the actual sales recorded in your CRM.

3. Security and Access Controls Review

NetSuite stores all your data, from internal processes to company finances. It makes data security even more crucial for your NetSuite configuration.

So, how can you safeguard confidential information on NetSuite? Assess the following areas:

  • User Roles and Permissions
  • Data Privacy Compliance
  • Security Vulnerabilities

User Roles and Permissions

Security is a top concern when it comes to business software. The first step in eliminating data leaks and risks is to protect it from unauthorized users.

Review your user roles and permissions. Do only your trusted employees have access to the data and functions relevant to their roles? What adjustments are necessary for that added layer of security?

Data Privacy Compliance

Compliance with data privacy regulations is crucial. Errors in compliance pieces could cost your business fines, productivity, and more. 

Ensure your NetSuite configuration aligns with these regulations. It protects your customers' data. It also reduces your team's risk, liability, and exposure to issues.

Security Vulnerabilities

Stay vigilant for potential security vulnerabilities in your NetSuite. Regularly update and patch your NetSuite system to address any known vulnerabilities. 

Keep an eye out for every security update that NetSuite releases and install it ASAP. This adds a layer of protection to your data against potential threats. 

Assessing your NetSuite configuration is essential. Through it, you maintain optimal performance, data accuracy, and security.

Regular NetSuite systems reviews and improvements are key to harnessing its full potential.

Download the Salary Guide to compare average salaries of top NetSuite ERP professionals.

Setting Up Your NetSuite’s Improvement Objectives

You need to have clear improvement objectives when optimizing your NetSuite configuration. Defining these objectives means you can:

  • Streamline your operations
  • Enhance overall efficiency
  • Drive your business towards success

Define Your Business Goals

Before diving into the specifics of your NetSuite configuration, it's crucial to align your improvement objectives with your broader business goals. This ensures that your efforts directly contribute to your company's success. 

Look at key areas where NetSuite improvements can make a difference.

Efficiency Enhancement

Imagine you run an e-commerce business. You notice the order fulfilment process in NetSuite is taking longer than desired. Your business goal should be increasing order processing speed to meet customer expectations.

Set an improvement objective within NetSuite to streamline your order fulfilment workflow. It will also reduce manual tasks and automate repetitive processes. The result? Improved efficiency and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Better Reporting and Analytics

Does your business aim to make data-driven decisions? You can set an improvement objective to enhance your NetSuite reporting capabilities. 

This involves customizing reports, integrating additional analytics tools. Or training your team to use NetSuite's reporting features. 

Better reporting will empower your organization to make informed decisions quickly.

User Experience Improvement

When your employees cannot navigate through NetSuite, it can cause inefficiencies and frustration. This is a sign that you have to improve user satisfaction and productivity.

You can revamp the user interface and simplify workflows within NetSuite. This could include customizing dashboards. You can also provide training sessions or gather user feedback for deeper insight. 

Remember, a better user experience can lead to higher productivity and happier employees.

Alignment With Your Business Goals

Now that we've outlined some improvement objectives, it's important to ensure they align with your broader business goals. Here are three critical aspects to consider.

Customization Needs

Want to expand globally, but your current NetSuite configuration lacks the flexibility to support multiple currencies and tax regulations? 

In this scenario, your improvement objective might involve customizing NetSuite to handle international transactions, multi-language support, and compliance with various tax laws. 

Aligning customization needs with your global expansion goal ensures that your NetSuite system scales with your business.

Integration Requirements

Want to keep your data across all platforms in sync? You can set an improvement objective to integrate NetSuite with other essential tools and improve operational efficiency. 

This involves integrating platforms like NetSuite's SuiteTalk API to automate data transfers and eliminate manual data entry.

Scalability Planning

If you are anticipating a significant increase in transaction volume in the coming years, you should ensure your NetSuite’s scalability.

You need to evaluate your current configuration's performance, identify potential bottlenecks, and make necessary adjustments. Scalability planning will enable your NetSuite system to grow seamlessly as your business expands.

Setting improvement objectives after assessing your NetSuite configuration is a critical step in optimizing your business operations. By aligning these objectives with your broader business goals and addressing specific areas, you can maximize the value of your NetSuite investment.

Strategies for NetSuite Configuration Improvement

NetSuite can streamline your operations and help you achieve your business goals more efficiently. However, to get the most out of it, it's important to optimize your configuration. 

Manage Your Data Through:

Data Cleansing and Deduplication

One of the first steps in improving your NetSuite configuration is to keep your data clean and duplicate-free. 

Imagine you have a list of customers, and John Smith appears twice with slightly different information in your system. This can lead to confusion and errors in your records. 

NetSuite provides tools for data cleansing and deduplication to help you avoid such issues.

Data Migration Strategies

If you're transitioning to NetSuite from another system, effective data migration is crucial. You need to ensure that all your historical data is transferred accurately to maintain business continuity. 

Don’t worry because NetSuite offers various data migration strategies. This includes data mapping and validation, to simplify this process.

Data Validation Rules

To maintain data accuracy in NetSuite, implement data validation rules. These rules will help prevent data entry errors and enforce consistency. 

For instance, you can set up rules to ensure that all email addresses entered into the system follow a standardized format.

Optimize Your Workflow With:

Process Automation

NetSuite offers powerful workflow automation capabilities that save you time and reduce manual tasks. You can automate processes like order approvals, invoicing, and inventory management. 

By automating repetitive tasks, you free up your team to focus on more strategic activities.

Streamlined Workflows

Take a close look at your existing workflows and identify areas where you can streamline processes. 

Simplify complex workflows to improve efficiency and reduce errors. NetSuite's workflow optimization tools allow you to make adjustments as needed.

User Training and Adoption

Invest in training for your team to ensure they are proficient in using NetSuite's workflow features. When your team understands how to use the system effectively, you'll see greater adoption and better results.

Customize and Integrate

SuiteFlow

NetSuite's SuiteFlow tool allows you to customize your NetSuite instance to suit your unique business needs. You can create custom fields, forms, and records, tailoring NetSuite to your specific requirements.

SuiteScript for Advanced Functionality

For more advanced customization and automation, consider using SuiteScript, NetSuite's scripting language. With SuiteScript, you can develop custom scripts to extend NetSuite's functionality and integrate with other systems.

Third-Party Apps

NetSuite offers integration capabilities with third-party applications. This allows you to expand your system's functionality by connecting it with specialized software for tasks like marketing automation, CRM, and payment processing.

Harness the full power of NetSuite to drive your business forward. Optimize your NetSuite configuration is essential for achieving maximum efficiency and accuracy in your business processes. Explore NetSuite's features and consult with experts to make the most of this robust business management software.

Monitoring and Maintenance

Regular check-ups, performance monitoring, and attentive care ensure your business operations run smoothly and efficiently.

System Health Checks

Imagine your NetSuite configuration as a well-oiled machine. Just like any machine, it needs regular check-ups to ensure it's running smoothly. These check-ups are what we call "system health checks." They involve examining the core components of your NetSuite setup to identify any issues or potential bottlenecks.

Performance Metrics Tracking

To monitor the performance of your NetSuite configuration, you'll want to track key metrics. These could include website load times, transaction processing speed, or even the number of user complaints about system slowness.

Error Log Analysis

Errors happen in any system. In NetSuite, these errors are logged for you to review. Regularly checking these error logs is crucial. They can provide insights into what's going wrong and help you fix issues before they escalate.

User Input

Your NetSuite users are your best source of feedback. They interact with the system daily, so their insights are invaluable. Create channels for users to share their thoughts, suggestions, and concerns. This could be through surveys, feedback forms, or direct communication with your support team.

Iterative Adjustments

Once you've collected user feedback, don't just file it away. Act on it! Use this input to make iterative adjustments to your NetSuite configuration. For example, if several users express frustration with the search feature, you can work on enhancing it to provide better results.

Change Management Strategies

When implementing changes based on user feedback, it's essential to have a well-thought-out change management strategy. This ensures that updates are rolled out smoothly without causing disruptions.

Monitoring and maintaining an improved NetSuite configuration is an ongoing process. By following these steps and staying proactive, you can ensure that your NetSuite setup runs like a well-oiled machine, providing a seamless experience for your team and your customers.

Key Takeaway

Your NetSuite configuration is a critical component of your business operations. Regularly assessing and improving it ensures your system aligns with your evolving needs. 

Remember, NetSuite is a powerful tool that can propel your business forward, but it requires ongoing attention and care to unleash its full potential. 

So, embrace the journey of NetSuite optimization and watch your business thrive with streamlined processes and enhanced capabilities.

Need assistance in improving your NetSuite? Maximize your NetSuite with a Chassi-powered NetSuite System Review from Atticus Solutions. 

Book a call with us today!

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Investment
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Initial training and technology
Highest initial and ongoing costs
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Access to nearby skilled talent
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