When “one size fits all” doesn’t fit
"We started implementing NetSuite in Q3 of 2023. We are live but, it's not doing things we need. Is NetSuite bad for our type of business?"
I'm surprised how often I get this question. There are some specific situations where NetSuite isn't a fit for Accounting and Operations, but generally I'm a huge advocate for NetSuite as the platform for medium enterprise. It's outstanding out of the box, and it supports tremendous expansion to support the needs of operations, sales, and finance teams.
NetSuite's standard product and implementation is geared towards "Financial First" or "SuiteSuccess." Get Accounting on NetSuite to start delivering value as soon as possible. Many of the vertical specific editions also deliver substantial Operations capability. This is a pre-configured offering of configuration and functions that is oriented by industry The best software products are geared towards delivering a significant amount of value with minimal risk to the customer as quickly as possible and with the least amount of effort as possible. By this standard, NetSuite's initial implementation is outstanding.
The problem with your implementation is that it might be finished according to the "quick win" standard, but it may not be complete enough to take over for all of the disparate tools it was bought to replace. You'll know this is happening if your business process owners are complaining that with NetSuite you've taken a step backwards or the old way was faster, more accurate, or superior to the new way.
Congratulations! People and Process harmony isn't as far away as you think, and you've passed the milestone of "Implementation." You are ready for Optimization, and this is where incremental value can be found at every turn from your initial investment in technology. It's time to start identifying the largest opportunities to eliminate any struggles to get work done and automate. Then leverage NetSuite Native solutions and other Software Development Network solutions in the ecosystem that are enabled with data & automation solutions like Celigo to automate your workflow.
