Why Integrating CRM and ERP Systems Is Essential Customer data and financial data are two sides of the same business process. Imagine your company handles sales in Salesforce and finance in NetSuite without integration. A new order entered in Salesforce doesn’t appear automatically in NetSuite, so finance has to wait for emails or manual entry to create the invoice. Without integration, Sales and Finance teams must rely on manual communication through tools like Slack or Teams to keep both platforms aligned. This creates more chances for errors, delays, and miscommunication. Inventory updates are slowed down, pricing mistakes can occur, and the sales team wastes time chasing payment status. Salesforce and NetSuite are two of the most widely used systems for managing customers and finances. Salesforce is a leading customer relationship management (CRM) platform used by more than 150,000 companies, while NetSuite, owned by Oracle, is a top enterprise resource planning (ERP) system serving over 40,000 businesses worldwide. than 150,000 companies than 150,000 companies over 40,000 businesses worldwide over 40,000 businesses worldwide An effective integration ensures that when a sales order is entered, it appears in NetSuite for finance, and payment and invoice updates are visible in Salesforce. This keeps both teams on the same page. A study published on ResearchGate found that 78% of respondents experienced significant improvements in customer satisfaction and loyalty after integrating ERP and CRM systems. ResearchGate ResearchGate In the next section, we’ll look at what NetSuite Salesforce integration is and why it is important. NetSuite Salesforce integration NetSuite Salesforce integration What Is Salesforce NetSuite Integration? Salesforce NetSuite integration means the two systems can exchange data automatically, so information entered in one system appears correctly in the other. This eliminates manual data entry, prevents manual errors, and ensures that records stay consistent. Main Goals: Main Goals: Sync customer records: Accounts and contacts are the same in both Salesforce and NetSuite. This ensures that sales and finance teams are always working with the latest customer information.
Link sales and financial data: Opportunities in Salesforce connect with orders and invoices in NetSuite. This allows finance to track revenue and sales to see how deals progress financially.
Share financial updates: Payments, balances, and credits are visible to both sales and finance teams. Everyone has a clear view of outstanding invoices and payment history. Sync customer records: Accounts and contacts are the same in both Salesforce and NetSuite. This ensures that sales and finance teams are always working with the latest customer information. Sync customer records: Link sales and financial data: Opportunities in Salesforce connect with orders and invoices in NetSuite. This allows finance to track revenue and sales to see how deals progress financially. Link sales and financial data: Share financial updates: Payments, balances, and credits are visible to both sales and finance teams. Everyone has a clear view of outstanding invoices and payment history. Share financial updates: Example Workflows: Example Workflows: Sales orders: When a deal is closed in Salesforce, the order appears in NetSuite without retyping. This speeds up order processing and reduces errors.
Renewals: Subscription renewals recorded in NetSuite sync back to Salesforce for the sales team. This keeps the sales team informed and ready to follow up with customers.
Accounts receivable: When finance updates invoice payments, the sales team can see the status directly in Salesforce. This prevents confusion about which invoices have been paid. Sales orders: When a deal is closed in Salesforce, the order appears in NetSuite without retyping. This speeds up order processing and reduces errors. Sales orders: Renewals: Subscription renewals recorded in NetSuite sync back to Salesforce for the sales team. This keeps the sales team informed and ready to follow up with customers. Renewals: Accounts receivable: When finance updates invoice payments, the sales team can see the status directly in Salesforce. This prevents confusion about which invoices have been paid. Accounts receivable: Apps like Breadwinner can help integrate Salesforce and NetSuite without custom coding, making it easier to set up automatic syncing of customer and financial data. Breadwinner Breadwinner Why Do You Need This Integration NetSuite ERP to Salesforce integration helps companies reduce errors and make better decisions. Here are the main benefits of connecting sales and finance systems: Faster sales-to-cash cycle. Once an opportunity closes in Salesforce, the order appears in NetSuite immediately. This reduces delays in generating invoices and receiving payments, helping the company get cash faster.
Fewer errors from manual entry. Automated syncing eliminates the need to retype information between systems. This prevents typos, missing fields, and mismatched data, saving time for both sales and finance teams.
Better alignment between finance and sales. Both teams see the same numbers in real time. Sales knows which invoices are paid, and finance knows which deals are closing, reducing misunderstandings and improving collaboration.
Improved forecasting. With financial and sales data combined in Salesforce, reports and dashboards reflect the current business situation. Management can make decisions based on accurate, up-to-date information rather than outdated or incomplete data. Faster sales-to-cash cycle. Once an opportunity closes in Salesforce, the order appears in NetSuite immediately. This reduces delays in generating invoices and receiving payments, helping the company get cash faster. Faster sales-to-cash cycle. Fewer errors from manual entry. Automated syncing eliminates the need to retype information between systems. This prevents typos, missing fields, and mismatched data, saving time for both sales and finance teams. Fewer errors from manual entry. Better alignment between finance and sales. Both teams see the same numbers in real time. Sales knows which invoices are paid, and finance knows which deals are closing, reducing misunderstandings and improving collaboration. Better alignment between finance and sales. Improved forecasting. With financial and sales data combined in Salesforce, reports and dashboards reflect the current business situation. Management can make decisions based on accurate, up-to-date information rather than outdated or incomplete data. Improved forecasting. Now, let’s look at a before-and-after comparison to see how integrating Salesforce and NetSuite changes daily processes. Salesforce NetSuite Integration Methods So, how Salesforce is integrated with NetSuite? There are several ways to connect Salesforce and NetSuite. Each approach works better for different business needs and levels of technical expertise. Native Connectors Some basic tools are included with Salesforce or NetSuite that allow limited integration. They can handle simple syncing of accounts, contacts, or orders, but they often lack flexibility for more complex workflows or custom business rules. Third-Party Apps Apps are built for faster deployment. They come with prebuilt mappings for common objects such as accounts, contacts, orders, and invoices, making it easier to set up integration without coding. They also provide ongoing support, handle updates to both systems automatically, reduce errors from manual entry, and often include dashboards or reporting features to monitor integration health. Custom REST API Integration For larger organizations with unique requirements, building a Salesforce NetSuite integration using REST API is an option. This method allows full control over which data flows between Salesforce and NetSuite and how it is handled. However, it requires development work and ongoing maintenance to ensure the integration continues to work as business needs change. How to Integrate Salesforce with NetSuite (Step-by-Step) Before starting the integration, it’s important to prepare your systems and plan your approach. Ensuring that everything is ready will reduce errors and make the NetSuite Salesforce automation smoother. Here’s a checklist to follow: Check system editions. Make sure both your Salesforce and NetSuite editions support API access, which is required for integration.
Confirm permissions. You need administrator-level access in both Salesforce and NetSuite to install apps, configure settings, and map fields.
Identify data to sync. Decide which objects and fields you want to map, such as Account Name in Salesforce ↔ Customer Name in NetSuite, or Opportunity ↔ Sales Order.
Plan data structure. Review your current data in both systems to avoid duplicates and ensure consistent naming conventions.
Prepare a test environment, such as a Sandbox in Salesforce
Prepare test records. Create sample accounts, opportunities, or orders that can be used to test the integration before going live.
Document workflow requirements. Note which processes should trigger updates between Salesforce and NetSuite, such as invoicing, renewals, or payment updates. Check system editions. Make sure both your Salesforce and NetSuite editions support API access, which is required for integration. Check system editions. Confirm permissions. You need administrator-level access in both Salesforce and NetSuite to install apps, configure settings, and map fields. Confirm permissions. Identify data to sync. Decide which objects and fields you want to map, such as Account Name in Salesforce ↔ Customer Name in NetSuite, or Opportunity ↔ Sales Order. Identify data to sync. Plan data structure. Review your current data in both systems to avoid duplicates and ensure consistent naming conventions. Plan data structure. Prepare a test environment, such as a Sandbox in Salesforce Prepare a test environment Prepare test records. Create sample accounts, opportunities, or orders that can be used to test the integration before going live. Prepare test records. Document workflow requirements. Note which processes should trigger updates between Salesforce and NetSuite, such as invoicing, renewals, or payment updates. Document workflow requirements. Now that you have prepared for the integration, let’s look at how to do it. For our example, we researched among the best AppExchange apps for NetSuite integration and found the Breadwinner for NetSuite, a turnkey integration. This means it comes prebuilt with the necessary mappings and settings, so you don’t need to create custom connections from scratch. Its simple configuration lets you get started quickly and reduces setup time compared with other connectors. Step 1: Install the connector Step 1: Install the connector Choose and install a connector from AppExchange and follow the installation wizard that walks you through the steps. Step 2: Authenticate Salesforce and NetSuite Step 2: Authenticate Salesforce and NetSuite Log in with admin accounts to allow the systems to talk securely. Step 3: Map objects Step 3: Map objects Decide which records sync. Common mappings: Salesforce Accounts ↔ NetSuite Customers
Salesforce Opportunities ↔ NetSuite Sales Orders
Salesforce Products ↔ NetSuite Items Salesforce Accounts ↔ NetSuite Customers Salesforce Opportunities ↔ NetSuite Sales Orders Salesforce Products ↔ NetSuite Items Step 4: Test with sample data Step 4: Test with sample data Sync a few records to confirm they appear correctly in both systems. Step 5: Move to production Step 5: Move to production Once testing is successful, roll out the integration for all users. For detailed steps and guides, you can check Breadwinner’s support documentation. Breadwinner’s support documentation Breadwinner’s support documentation NetSuite Salesforce Integration Benefits Integrating Salesforce with NetSuite gives teams a complete picture of customers, orders, and finances in one place. With accurate and up-to-date data, businesses can reduce errors, make faster decisions, and improve overall efficiency. Here are the main benefits: 1. Unified customer and finance view: Each customer has a single record that combines sales and financial history. Sales and finance teams can see orders, invoices, payments, and credits in one place, reducing confusion and improving communication. 1. Unified customer and finance view: 2. Faster invoicing and cash flow: When a sales order is created in Salesforce, it automatically appears in NetSuite for billing. This speeds up invoice generation and payment collection, helping the company manage cash flow more efficiently. 2. Faster invoicing and cash flow: Real-time reporting inside Salesforce: Financial data from NetSuite is visible directly in Salesforce dashboards and reports. Management and sales teams can track revenue, outstanding invoices, and overall financial performance without switching systems.
Better compliance and audit readiness: Integration ensures that all transactions are recorded accurately in both systems. This creates a clear audit trail, reduces duplicate entries, and makes it easier to meet compliance requirements. Real-time reporting inside Salesforce: Financial data from NetSuite is visible directly in Salesforce dashboards and reports. Management and sales teams can track revenue, outstanding invoices, and overall financial performance without switching systems. Real-time reporting inside Salesforce: Better compliance and audit readiness: Integration ensures that all transactions are recorded accurately in both systems. This creates a clear audit trail, reduces duplicate entries, and makes it easier to meet compliance requirements. Better compliance and audit readiness: Challenges and Common Pitfalls of NetSuite and Salesforce Integration Even with the right integration tool, connecting Salesforce and NetSuite can bring challenges. Understanding these issues in advance helps you plan properly and avoid errors that could affect data accuracy, reporting, and team productivity. Challenge #1: Duplicate records Challenge #1: Duplicate records If customer names or account details differ between Salesforce and NetSuite, the integration may create duplicate records. Solution: Standardize customer data in both systems before syncing. Use consistent naming conventions and clean up duplicates in advance. Solution: Challenge #2: Field mismatches Challenge #2: Field mismatches A field in Salesforce may not match the field type or format in NetSuite, which can cause errors or failed syncs. Solution: Carefully map each field during setup, making sure data types align and required fields are filled in both systems. Solution: Challenge #3: Multi-currency and tax code handling Challenge #3: Multi-currency and tax code handling Businesses operating in multiple countries may face issues with exchange rates and tax codes, leading to incorrect financial data. Solution: Configure currency conversion rules and tax settings in both systems, and test them with sample transactions before going live. Solution: Challenge #4: Security considerations Challenge #4: Security considerations Integration may expose sensitive financial data if permissions are not properly configured. Solution: Review user roles and access controls in both Salesforce and NetSuite to ensure only authorized users can view or edit financial information. Solution: Best Practices for Long-Term Success Getting the integration live is just the start. To keep it working smoothly, you’ll need to maintain it and adapt as your business grows. Regular data sync audits: Review synced records on a set schedule to catch errors or mismatches before they cause issues.
Train both finance and sales teams: Make sure each team understands how data flows between systems and where to find the information they need.
Plan for scaling: Test the integration with higher data volumes so it’s ready to handle future growth without delays.
Monitor API usage and performance: Track limits, response times, and error logs to stay ahead of sync slowdowns or failures. Regular data sync audits: Review synced records on a set schedule to catch errors or mismatches before they cause issues. Regular data sync audits: Train both finance and sales teams: Make sure each team understands how data flows between systems and where to find the information they need. Train both finance and sales teams: Plan for scaling: Test the integration with higher data volumes so it’s ready to handle future growth without delays. Plan for scaling: Monitor API usage and performance: Track limits, response times, and error logs to stay ahead of sync slowdowns or failures. Monitor API usage and performance: Bringing Sales and Finance Together Integration between NetSuite and Salesforce removes barriers between sales and finance. It saves time, reduces mistakes, and gives leaders a clear view of revenue and cash flow across both systems. But success takes more than installing a connector. Careful planning, field mapping, and ongoing monitoring are key to avoiding duplicate records, handling multi-currency, and keeping data secure. With regular audits, team training, and attention to scaling, you’ll ensure the integration stays reliable as your business grows. AppExchange solutions like Breadwinner make this process easier by offering a purpose-built integration that handles syncing, permissions, and performance at scale. With the right setup and the right tool, your teams can spend less time on manual data entry and more time focusing on customers. Breadwinner Breadwinner

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