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INTEGRATING NETSUITEAND SALESFORCE ISGREAT FOR THE HEALTHOF YOUR BUSINESS
CONTENTSA PLAIN CASE FOR INTEGRATION.4WHAT USERS CAN LOOK FORWARD TO.5ALIGNING DATA, CONNECTING PROCESSES.6ADVANCING WORKFORCE TRANSFORMATIONS.8PLANNING ON INTEGRATION BENEFITS.9HOW SIKICH PERFORMS INTEGRATIONS.10FROM THE INTEGRATION FRONTLINES.11TAKING THE NEXT STEP.122Sikich eBook: Integrating NetSuite and Salesforce is Great for the Health of Your Business877.279.1900 [email protected]
INTEGRATING NETSUITE ANDSALESFORCE INSTEAD OF RUNNINGTHEM AS TWO DISPARATE SYSTEMSCAN ENHANCE YOUR COMPANY’SABILITY TO MAKE DECISIONS ANDMANAGE GROWTH, AND GENERATESUBSTANTIAL COST SAVINGSAND EFFICIENCIES.If the integration project is performed well, it can also help many peoplemake a greater contribution to the business. Additionally, you cantake advantage of it to align processes, making them faster and moreproductive. Sikich knows how to complete such integrations to meetyour goals, within your schedule and budget.3Sikich eBook: Integrating NetSuite and Salesforce is Great for the Health of Your Business877.279.1900 [email protected]
A PLAIN CASE FOR INTEGRATIONMany companies deploy two leading, well-proven cloud solutions to runcritical aspects of their business. They use NetSuite as the enterpriseresource planning (ERP) platform to manage financial processes andother operations. They rely on Salesforce as the customer relationshipmanagement (CRM) application to take care of their most importantrelationships. Salesforce CRM supports sales, marketing, services, andthe management of customer accounts.The Sikich teams include both a NetSuite and a Salesforce practice. Wehave implemented and configured NetSuite and Salesforce for hundredsof companies across a great variety of industries. When we see that anorganization runs NetSuite and Salesforce as disparate systems, wealmost always recommend integrating them. That means many handoffsbetween individuals and at various stages of processes can truly connectinstead of being disjointed. Data flows freely and is visible to people whocustomarily only have access to either system.NETSUITE CUSTOMERS169 CLIENTSFollowing an integration, you can automate important transitions. Forinstance, an order in Salesforce can trigger an invoicing task in NetSuite,which can in turn send a confirmation to Salesforce once that stepis complete. For many Sikich clients, order management, invoicing,and access to data are the three main motivators for a NetSuite andSalesforce integration.SALESFORCE CUSTOMERS1000 CLIENTS4Sikich eBook: Integrating NetSuite and Salesforce is Great for the Health of Your Business877.279.1900 [email protected]
WHAT USERS CAN LOOK FORWARD TOTwo outcomes tend to happen practically immediately afterthe integration.One, you can eliminate the error-prone, redundant data entry thatforced employees to spend time unproductively. They can now do morevaluable work that is a much better use of their skills.Two, reporting and analytics become more meaningful, accurate, andprompt. Executives and managers can think, plan, and act based on thecomplete, close-to-real-time data. They can respond to changing businessconditions sooner, with greater assurance. Many requests for assistance inretrieving information and creating reports are no longer necessary. The ITteam members or other experts who used to provide help by proving dataaccess and reporting can be more productive.Very often, the integration noticeably benefits Salesforce users first. Inmany companies, only a relatively small group of executives and financemanagers can get into NetSuite to access ERP data, whereas a largercommunity of sales, marketing, and service execs and managers useSalesforce CRM and the information that resides in it. An integration of5Sikich eBook: Integrating NetSuite and Salesforce is Great for the Health of Your BusinessNetSuite and Salesforce could entail, for example, that sales executivescan see how their team’s results and performance data reflect in thecorporate finance system and what they mean in terms of the company’sstrategic goals and metrics. Or, service managers could reviewmanufacturing and engineering information in NetSuite to understandfeature and version details of customers’ industrial equipment.As data visibility also extends in the other direction, finance managersmay now be able to review CRM data related to customers, contracts,bookings, and other elements of the business. With an earlier view offinancial events, they can make more accurate forecasts. They will have abetter understanding of the financial trends that are about to impact thecompany, such as margins, account performance, revenue projections,collectability, or outstanding and aging balances. Any action or decisionby them can be more proactive and timely, unhampered by ambiguitybecause of doubts regarding the quality and integrity of the data.Sikich consultants often create optimized dashboards, where businessdecision-makers and planners can see the data that matters to them in aconvenient, meaningful format.877.279.1900 [email protected]
ALIGNING DATA,CONNECTING PROCESSESIt is not uncommon for NetSuite and Salesforce users towork with conflicting sets of data. Because of recordingerrors, process disconnects, conceptual inconsistencies,and other flaws and inefficiencies associated with keepingCRM and ERP separate, the two operational areas caneventually fall out of sync. In some organizations, appsand customizations created by NetSuite and Salesforcemanagers for their versatile, extensible solutions maydeliver valuable functionality to users, but also complicatethe technology environment.Before we integrate NetSuite and Salesforce, we reviewthese process mismatches with our clients and definemore efficient ways to enable users, or there is a risk thatthe technology environment will become more complexand harder to manage. As one important step, we helpcompanies cleanse their data and perform qualityassurance to verify that information is accurate andconsistent—before we pursue the integration.74% OF CUSTOMERS EXPECTCOMPANIES TO USE EXISTINGTECHNOLOGIES IN NEW WAYS TOCREATE BETTER EXPERIENCESSalesforce State of the Connected Customer Report 20206Sikich eBook: Integrating NetSuite and Salesforce is Great for the Health of Your Business877.279.1900 [email protected]
CLOSING PROCESS GAPSWe encourage clients to identify the reasons why data in CRM and ERPdiverged. These could be timing issues: a transaction is recorded inSalesforce first, and in NetSuite later. Sometimes, business practices maynot fully align. For instance, the definition of a customer may not be thesame in NetSuite and Salesforce. Before we integrate the two solutionsand deliver a single, connected system of record and engagement, weneed to bridge process disconnects and address inefficiencies thatmay be impacting operations. Not doing so would be irresponsible onour part, because we would contribute to worsening inefficiencies andincreasing operational costs.73% OF SALES TEAMS SAYTHAT COLLABORATING ACROSSDEPARTMENTS IS ABSOLUTELYCRUCIAL T0 THEIR OVERALLSALES PROCESS40 Sales Stats You’ll Want to Share - Salesforce Blog7Sikich eBook: Integrating NetSuite and Salesforce is Great for the Health of Your BusinessDepending on our findings and clients’ preferences, this can take theform of a Sikich Business Process Alignment (BPA) or become a smaller,more tactical effort. The advantage of a BPA is that you can draw onthe organizational change management expertise of the Sikich team torefine workflows and process handoffs. That may also involve updatingaccountabilities and challenging people to think creatively abouttheir roles.MANAGING FOR THE RIGHT KIND OF CHANGEOur consultants have the empathy and industry expertise to makechange management painless and productive. We know how to assistyou in obtaining buy-in from all stakeholders and bringing about theorganizational and cultural alignments without which the value of theintegration will be limited. We also can help business stakeholdersnegotiate and collaborate with IT when, as sometimes happens, the ITgroup has not previously been involved with Salesforce.877.279.1900 [email protected]
ADVANCING WORKFORCETRANSFORMATIONWhen we help companies align data and processesand then integrate NetSuite and Salesforce, some jobsmay become more enjoyable and interesting when itis no longer necessary to perform duplicate data entryor research and resolve data discrepancies and errors.You may be able to transition finance team membersand others who played supporting or clerical roles intobusiness analyst positions, giving them a more strategicfunction that makes better use of their talent andexperience. Similarly, following an integration NetSuite andSalesforce administrators may be able to use their skills toaccomplish more for the organization, at a higher level.When businesses become aware of the positive impactof empowering people who are no longer occupied bybasic data management tasks, they may want to provideskills development and training opportunities for themto continue their professional growth. Thus, a NetSuiteand Salesforce integration can open a path for workforcetransformation with a relatively minor investment.EMPLOYEES WHO WORKFOR FIRMS THAT MAKE APPSAVAILABLE AND HIGHLYACCESSIBLE SPEND 17% LESSTIME ON MANUAL PROCESSESReport: The Impact of a Digitally Empowered Workforce8Sikich eBook: Integrating NetSuite and Salesforce is Great for the Health of Your Business877.279.1900 [email protected]
PLANNING ON INTEGRATION BENEFITSAs you think about the potential operational advantages and costbenefits of a NetSuite and Salesforce integration, you should take intoaccount the inefficiencies of redundant data entry and the ambiguitiesof unreliable, inconsistent information. The savings in cost and time aregenerally not difficult to project and verify—and they can be substantial.Harder to quantify will be the opportunity costs associated with slow orpoorly informed decision-making and business management, but youmay be able to gather feedback from your users to documentsuch liabilities.BOOSTING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCEImprovements in the customer experience may result when, subsequentto a NetSuite and Salesforce integration, employees in your sales andservice groups can be more responsive and provide answers or resolveissues more efficiently and reliably than they did before. They willprobably reflect in your metrics for customer satisfaction and retention,customer lifetime value, Net Promoter Score, and similar values.ENHANCED SCALABILITYOnce you align roles and processes and integrate CRM and ERP systems,your operation may become greatly more scalable. For many of ourclients that means they can more easily manage their growth, acquiremore customers, manage more transactions, expand their portfolio ofproducts and services, or generate more revenue at better margins.They can move faster and with greater agility in response to strategic ormarket changes. Their infrastructure costs and other overhead may bea fraction of what they have been with the previous, disparate softwaresystems, missing process handoffs, and inefficiencies.9Sikich eBook: Integrating NetSuite and Salesforce is Great for the Health of Your BusinessEASIER, MORE MEANINGFUL COMPLIANCE AUDITSEspecially for public companies or organizations that need to followdemanding regulatory mandates, integrating NetSuite and Salesforce canmake compliance simpler and less risky. External and internal auditorswill find it easier to test contracts and activities such as invoicing orhow a company recognizes revenue. Instead of just testing transactionsin NetSuite ERP, they may also be able to test processes that begin inSalesforce CRM and eventually impact financial documents and data inNetSuite. With a greater range of testing and a higher level of auditorconfidence, compliance audits can become more meaningful and reliable.877.279.1900 [email protected]
HOW SIKICH PERFORMS INTEGRATIONSBusiness user needs should determine what exactly a NetSuite and Salesforce integration looks like andhow it should deliver unimpeded data flows and information access. Both NetSuite and Salesforce havetheir respective strengths, and Sikich experts know how to build on them when we perform an integrationproject. We use a variety of proven tools, together with our own development resources, to realize theseintegrations. Many excellent middleware software products can be helpful in achieving this, and the bestchoice usually depends on which one fits a client’s requirements and goals most closely.FAST PROJECT PACE INCLUDES INTEGRATION AND COMPLEMENTARY WORKMANY CLIENTS THINKFURTHER WHEN THEYSEE THE IMPROVEMENTSTHEY CAN REALIZEAS A RESULT OF THEINTEGRATION10From beginning to end, a NetSuite and Salesforce integration project performed by Sikich usually takesclose to four months. That time includes our research, fact finding, and a BPA in addition to the actualintegration and handoff to you. Many clients think further when they see the improvements they canrealize as a result of the integration. They begin to wonder about the advantages of connecting otherapplications to NetSuite and Salesforce. Within the same four-month period, Sikich often performsadditional integrations of business systems that become more valuable connected than stand-alone.Many times, our consultants also build Salesforce Communities within the scope of an integrationproject, making it possible for clients to securely share content and collaborate with customers andtrading partners.PROVEN APPROACHES AND BEST PRACTICESAt Sikich, we feel strongly about repeatable, streamlined processes that keep our clients’ projects ontrack and their costs within planned budgets. We approach NetSuite and Salesforce integrations withsound methodologies and manage them to achieve the results you want to see. You can rely on Sikich toperform a successful integration project and take care of your other technology needs with equal success,no matter whether you are concerned about infrastructure, client computing, cybersecurity, or the bestpossible cloud strategy. Once we know your business and understand your objectives, we will alwaysshare our insight internally and apply learnings to subsequent efforts on your behalf. Sikich also offersbusiness consulting and advisory services that can augment our work on your technology systems.Sikich eBook: Integrating NetSuite and Salesforce is Great for the Health of Your Business877.279.1900 [email protected]
FROM THE INTEGRATION FRONTLINESNetSuite and Salesforce integrations are one of our more in-demandengagements. One is in progress at almost any time. Here are twoscenarios from our recent experience.RAPID ROUTE TO REVENUEWe worked with a high-tech manufacturing and servicesorganization that wanted to streamline a needlesslycomplex order-to-cash process. Once we integrated thecompany’s NetSuite and Salesforce, things became easier.Today, account reps perform the initial pricing andquoting in Salesforce. Based on the opportunityinformation, Salesforce automatically begins designinga project. Finalized pricing and resourcing take place inNetSuite, and flow into Salesforce to support the finalcontract negotiations.Once the customer signs an agreement, this is firstrecorded in Salesforce, and the information flowsinto NetSuite for revenue recognition and automatedbilling. In turn, payment information and project statusupdates from NetSuite are reflected in Salesforce to giveeverybody full visibility.11Sikich eBook: Integrating NetSuite and Salesforce is Great for the Health of Your BusinessFULL VISIBILITY WITHOUT UNPRODUCTIVETIMEIn another project, we performed an integration tohelp a distribution company manage inventory levelsand subscription invoicing more easily. Managers wereresigned to their disconnected systems and relied onspreadsheets to see their data.In Salesforce, the reps can now create new quotes fromupsell opportunities and new leads. They considercustomers’ inventory levels as well as channel partnersales. We created free-flowing data streams betweenSalesforce and NetSuite for several important areas: Subscription start and end dates Renewals Inventory demand Upsell proposals Field-service requirements Shipping statusPeople promptly found it easier to review information.They no longer need to spend time searching fordata in multiple systems in order to keep theirspreadsheets updated.877.279.1900 [email protected]
TAKING THE NEXT STEPAfter Sikich has completed your NetSuite and Salesforceintegration, your team can continue to manage thetechnology environment. Alternatively, you can contractwith us to do so, or we can provide support for specificconcerns. We have performed many NetSuite andSalesforce deployments and integrations, gaining a wealthof expertise that is not commonly present in corporateIT teams. We can make modifications in data flows orprocesses supported by the integrated solutions withoutneedless complications and unwanted side effects.Clients often request us to provide more strategic,longer-term guidance for their technology planning andacquisitions. Many of them contract with Sikich for ITmanaged services or collaborate with a Sikich virtual CIO(vCIO).If you want to find out more or want to pursue anintegration of NetSuite and Salesforce: Contact us at [email protected] or call us at 877.279.1900to talk with our solution experts. Learn about Sikich CRM and ERP services. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.12Sikich eBook: Integrating NetSuite and Salesforce is Great for the Health of Your Business877.279.1900 [email protected]
1415 W. Diehl Rd., Suite 400Naperville, IL 60563sikich.com/technologyABOUT SIKICHSikich is a leading professional-services firm that is among the top 1 percent of allenterprise resource planning solution partners in the world and ranks as one of theUnited States’ Top 30 CPA Firms. Sikich is also ranked as number 9 in the country’s top100 technology providers. To every project, Sikich ERP and CRM experts contribute morethan 35 years of team experience and an outstanding track record with a success rateof 97 percent. Sikich partners with the industry leaders, including Microsoft, NetSuite,Salesforce, and SonicWALL. Sikich is a Salesforce Gold Partner, Microsoft Gold andMicrosoft Dynamics Inner Circle Partner focused on delivering technology solutions fortangible business improvement and organizational excellence.To learn more about Sikich, go to www.sikich.com/technologyor contact [email protected] eBook: Integrating NetSuite and Salesforce is Great for the Health of Your Business877.279.1900 [email protected]
critical aspects of their business. They use NetSuite as the enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform to manage financial processes and other operations. They rely on Salesforce as the customer relationship management (CRM) application to take care of their most important relationships
