Salesforce vs. NetSuite

When people research new tech tools and platforms to use, Salesforce and NetSuite are two options they’ll almost certainly come across. Here’s what individuals should know about these products to make confident decisions about using them.

Team Collaboration

Tech platforms must help employees get work done by pooling their efforts — especially with more team members working remotely or across various locations. When comparing these two products for their collaboration potential, Salesforce has more built-in features.

For example, users can create specific groups for teams, projects or other needs. They can then share content, receive suggestions from employees or launch polls. Salesforce also lets people work together on sales opportunities and marketing campaigns.

NetSuite’s collaborative features mostly come from how it allows people to connect other products to the platform. Wrike, Microsoft Teams and DocuSign are a few of the many products people can set up to work with NetSuite. When people know they can use NetSuite with other products they know well, it’s easier for their productivity to stay high.

Scope of Functionality

Most people define Salesforce as a customer relationship management (CRM) product, whereas NetSuite centers on enterprise resource planning (ERP). Salesforce’s website clarifies that it does not have an ERP component. In contrast, NetSuite has a dedicated page describing its ERP functionality.

As its name suggests, customer relationship management focuses on all the ways a customer interacts with a business. Enterprise resource planning is more extensive, giving people access to oversight and management capabilities for all the assets they need to keep a company operating successfully. 

A best practice for evaluating any ERP solution is to identify what functionality is vital to operations across departments and which features are merely nice to have. However, that advice could easily extend to Salesforce or any other CRM platform, too. People should ideally create a list of their must-have features and ones they’re willing to compromise on if necessary. Doing so will help them make more confident decisions.

Productivity and Automation

Salesforce and NetSuite have numerous features helping people make the most of their time, including automation. For example, Salesforce has Einstein Automate. It’s a workflow solution that allows employees to build triggers and specifications of the desired responses to those actions.

Einstein Automate is a low-code tool enabling point-and-click workflow creation — and people can even build automated processes related to data outside of Salesforce. These features save time and let workers reduce the number of manual tasks they have to do.

NetSuite users can try SuiteFlow, which works similarly to what Salesforce offers. When people set it up, they can create various flexible triggers based on their schedules or user-driven events. Relevant users will also get notifications within NetSuite or their email inboxes when any processes need manual intervention. Those real-time updates prevent errors from potentially interfering with someone’s productivity.

Connecting operational data with workflow events and optimizing repeated tasks is also possible through SuiteFlow. Then, people throughout the organization can become more efficient.

If users have issues with individuals frequently filling out forms incorrectly and interfering with data integrity, NetSuite has a solution for that, too. People can set up form-based parameters that catch errors and won’t let form submissions happen unless they meet specific criteria. This tool helps people make the most of their work because they don’t need to go back and correct mistakes later.

Is Salesforce or NetSuite Better?

There’s no universal answer regarding whether a person should choose NetSuite or Salesforce. Making the right decision requires taking the time to understand what each product can do and how the specific features would support an individual or company-wide workflow. 

Similar to how Salesforce offers complimentary trials, NetSuite provides product tours. Resources like those can reduce the learning curve associated with getting to know any new platform and help people envision how the solution would make life easier for them.

Finally, people should come up with lists of questions to ask salespeople before making a final decision. Making those queries as specific as possible to a person’s business and needs will make the responses most relevant and helpful.

Utilizing Salesforce vs. NetSuite

When using one or the other, it’s essential to compare what each product can do versus company necessities. As workers get to know these products through direct experience, it’ll become clearer whether one aligns better with their needs and expectations.

In any case, remember it usually takes time to learn the tricks and tips that help employees have the best possible outcomes. If they find they don’t like one of them as much as they’d hoped, time and patience may change their mind.