5 Features that make me like NetSuite as Application Consultant

The world we live in today becomes increasingly innovative and changes frequently. This world is full of information technology. We all carry this small computer with us every day, we manage our social platforms, we communicate via apps, IT is all around us. Buzzwords like big data, virtual reality, internet of things, digital transformation and artificial intelligence are hot. We cannot ignore that IT impacts our daily lives. 

When I started working almost a year ago, people around me where surprised to hear that I had become an application consultant. For me this was the perfect match as I was interested in how information technology could further help to innovate business processes. This blog will give you a brief look into my daily pleasures of being a NetSuite consultant.

Working with an application which adapts exceptionally well to this changing environment is enjoyable, as this can help improve daily business. As you might know, ERP systems tend to be not the most modern packages available. They are often complained at because for many companies these are old-fashioned systems. On the contrary, NetSuite is a modern business solution that finds it origins in the cloud. This leading integrated cloud business software suite provides organizations with a strong foundation for their business processes. NetSuite includes business accounting, ERP, CRM and e-commerce.

5 features that make me like NetSuite as Application Consultant

Intuitive system

I found Information technology interesting because of what it is capable of. Not because the actual programming is impressive to gaze at. NetSuite is a typical example of a system that is intuitive to work with. This is one of the many aspects I like about NetSuite. Deep IT background knowledge is not necessary anymore. For example, you are not even required to know the underlying structure of the database when building reports. You just need to know where to adjust the settings you need. It’s like changing your personal settings on any social platform. It does come in handy if you are curious how the system works. For me, this is where the fun comes in, I am getting excited when I discover how the module should work or found the root cause of an error. 

If it’s not required to have deep IT skills, what then is necessary?

Business knowledge and social skills, learning fast as business is changing rapidly. Networking and knowing what is going on at the different departments to be able to answer innovative business needs. As NetSuite consultant is it eligible to have basic knowledge about all business processes. Manufacturing, procurement, e-commerce and especially finance and accounting basics need to be in place.

Power of personalization

What I find pleasant about NetSuite is whenever we think of an innovation or improvement which would help our business, it can be done. This gives you the feeling that everything is possible within NetSuite, at least when this is a reasonable business-related improvement. 

Additionally, the use of NetSuite can also be compared to daily life managing. You can download additional modules, just like you download apps for your phone in the application store. This adds functionalities to your whishes on top of standard functionalities. Furthermore, personalization is possible within forms, fields, templates, dashboards and workflows. This enables us NetSuite consultants to add our own functionalities via a standard set up. For example, we can disable fields in certain situations or show buttons which have powers customized to specific user roles. Furthermore, even more valuable, we can create detailed reports showing the exact information business needs in a time frame of just a couple of minutes.  

 Global Search

Who doesn’t love Google? Whenever I want to know the meaning, functionality or location of certain things, I Google, both in daily and working life. NetSuite’s global search makes this same functionality possible within NetSuite. The global search bar is always present above the NetSuite menu. Moreover, NetSuite has provided us with a bunch of shortcuts that work within this global search. Thanks to these prefixes we can work even more efficient! My favorite is the wildcard, the % sign, which can be used for one, or multiple unknown characters. Instead of transaction number “INV-0000000234” I use “INV%234 in the global search. There are many more similar prefixes that save you a few extra clicks. 

SuiteAnswers

All NetSuite users have searchable access to a rich repository of articles to support and train you in the possibilities of NetSuite. SuiteAnswers is my ‘go to platform’ whenever I am looking for explanations or best practices about the use of NetSuite. SuiteAnswers offers solutions to problems other users have experienced before. I can honestly say that I make use of this platform every day. This makes my job as application consultant enjoyable because I can find solutions relatively fast. Since the search results are ranked and sorted by relevance. On top of this, there is the help function and the possibility to submit cases to NetSuite support center. We are spoiled to ask for further support whenever we need more assistance. These three sources of information; SuiteAnswers, the help function and the support center, give access to an overloading bucket of learning materials that help me administrate NetSuite.

 Globally oriented

NetSuite Oneworld is implemented across multiple subsidiaries, working for a European company this means working for multiple countries. Therefore, administrating NetSuite is challenging as we need to bring multiple subsidiaries together in global business processes, while at the same time adhere to specific country-level issues. Therefore, new innovations which influence multiple subsidiaries also needs to be approved by these subsidiaries. This is how I as application consultant need to communicate internationally with colleagues or business managers from different countries. I found it interesting to learn how different business owners from other cultures look at these solutions or changes.