There are various sophisticated software solutions that provide work operations and customer relationship management. They are designed to make running a company far simpler – something that was not possible in the past. These software solutions have been very helpful in enabling companies to gain deeper insights, make operations more efficient and improve relationships with clients.
These solutions are feature-rich across many operational departments of an organisation. But when you are considering integrating one such solution into your organisation, it can be difficult to decide what would be the best fit. In this article, we will compare two incredibly popular pieces of business software; NetSuite and Salesforce.
There is plenty of common ground between the two options, but there are also a number of features that set them apart.
NetSuite vs Salesforce: Differences at a Glance
- NetSuite is generally seen as the number one cloud business software suite which includes Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) amongst other functionality. Salesforce, on the other hand, is a widely-used cloud-based software solution for CRM, and does not have ERP functionality.
- NetSuite’s pricing can seem somewhat mysterious as the details are not provided on their website. Because NetSuite is modular, pricing is calculated by NetSuite themselves, or a NetSuite Solution Provider based on the number of modules and users required. Salesforce, on the other hand, has a more transparent pricing structure that can be viewed on its website.
- NetSuite includes powerful accounting software, which Salesforce does not have.
- NetSuite comes equipped with a wide range of out-of-the-box tools. Salesforce has to be integrated with other applications to gain the same functionality as NetSuite.
- NetSuite has a very strong CRM solution that can be added as part of your subscription if you choose. Salesforce is a dedicated CRM solution that includes some powerful sales tools and other CRM-related capabilities.
What is Customer Relationship Management(CRM)?
CRM activities are aimed at creating and nurturing valuable relationships with customers and clients as well as potential leads. The role of CRM software has become fundamental to the work of organisations in streamlining relationships with customers and thus improving profitability. In a nutshell, a CRM system can help facilitate an equilibrium between market orientation and satisfying executives and other stakeholders.
It should be noted that, although NetSuite includes powerful CRM functionality, it isn’t regarded as a standalone CRM solution. The beauty of NetSuite is that CRM runs alongside its additionally functionality like ERP, Service Resource Planning (SRP) and Professional Service Automation (PSA).
Salesforce, on the other hand, has arguably a richer list of CRM features than NetSuite as this is the software’s sole function. It operates purely as a CRM solution and can be integrated with other systems as part of an all-around business management solution.
NetSuite CRM is suitable for small to medium size businesses (SMEs) who need CRM functionality, with good sales tools and marketing automation alongside customer and project management capabilities. Salesforce is arguably a better CRM for operating on a larger scale, so bigger businesses often integrate it with NetSuite or another ERP system to get the best results.
You can learn more about integrating NetSuite and SalesForce in our article – Does NetSuite integrate with Salesforce?.
NetSuite vs Salesforce: The Main Features and Capabilities
NetSuite
Oracle NetSuite is a cloud-based ERP system. It includes a wealth of tools and functions to track and manage finances, calculate tax and generate reports, organise and manage your human resources, gain insights and more into your supply chain, all in a single, centralised location. The analytics features work across boundaries between these departments for a unified overall perspective of the health of the company.
NetSuite natively also has CRM functionality. This includes a number of tools and resources for interacting with customers, collecting valuable data and automating marketing and communications to help create the best possible service for them. This integrates with the other features of the ERP so that its role is always viewed alongside the other departments of the organisation.
The goal of NetSuite is to optimise the disparate operations of your company and bring them all together in a centralised platform. From here, analytics and automation features are powerful ways to maximise revenue, make better use of employees’ time, keep up with all compliance obligations and much, much more.
You can learn more about some of the powerful features on offer in NetSuite in our article – Popular NetSuite Products.
Salesforce
Salesforce is purely a CRM solution. It is generally regarded as a superior platform to the CRM element of NetSuite, but it lacks all the additional functionality you get from an ERP. However, it is possible to integrate Salesforce with NetSuite to take advantage of the best of both solutions, but it will take some expert assistance to implement such a setup.
With Salesforce deployed in your organisation, you can get a holistic view of all your customers’ data and get rich insights from it. These insights help you understand how your customers engage with your brand and identify key behaviours and opportunities to offer an improved service both in general and for specific individuals/groups. The data and analytics enable you to make informed decisions about potential changes.
There are powerful, AI-driven automation features in Salesforce that can assist in certain time-consuming tasks like sharing files, responding to emails and messages and assisting customers with a chatbot. The customer data organisation is truly the most sophisticated you will find anywhere in the market, empowering various teams within your organisation to improve their performance and productivity.
Specific Features of NetSuite
Among NetSuite’s many features, it has some industry-leading capabilities that really set it apart from the competition:
Email Marketing
NetSuite is equipped with many tools to help with running your email marketing campaigns. Your email activity can be personalised, automated and analysed to achieve optimal results as you go.
Accounting Software
NetSuite has built-in accounting capabilities and can also be integrated with its partner accounting program. Features include things like synchronised billing, fixed assets management and real-time data reporting.
Supply Chain Management (SCM)
Among its many ERP tools, NetSuite offers facilities for managing different aspects of the supply chain. Manage, automate and optimise planning, execution, collaboration and more for an efficient supply chain.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
The NetSuite CRM solution includes some powerful customer service features. Things like case management, time tracking and a customer portal are all very useful, particularly for SMEs.
Professional Service Automation (PSA)
NetSuite offers exceptional project management functionality thanks to NetSuite PSA and NetSuite Service Resource Planning (SRP). All aspects of a project including things like time, expenses and more can be managed in one centralised system, ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget.
Specific Features of Salesforce
Some of the tools included in Salesforce make it clear why it has become a widely used CRM solution:
Marketing Cloud
The marketing tools in Salesforce are diverse and powerful. They include automation, email marketing, integration of digital advertising data and various studio tools for a complete solution.
Sales Cloud
With the Sales Cloud, you have some of the leading sales tools for enabling reps to close deals more effectively. One popular feature is Einstein AI, which lets users score leads through powerful AI to increase the chances of completing a sale further along the funnel. Management of leads and opportunities, sales collaboration, forecasting and contact management can also be used.
Service Cloud
This is aimed at providing the best possible customer service. Features include the knowledge base, case management, lightning service console and omnichannel routing.
Quip
This enables simpler communication and collaboration between different teams and departments. It facilitates the creation of shared documents, slides for presentations, collaborative spreadsheets and live-chat/live app functionality.
NetSuite vs Salesforce: which should you choose?
NetSuite is a far more comprehensive system for business management and its CRM solution will be more than enough for most businesses. The centralised platform for disparate departments across the organisation is so effective for gaining a unified perspective and accessing analytics and tools that are otherwise impossible. No serious business in the 21st century should be without an ERP system, and NetSuite is arguably one of the best cloud-based business solutions out there.
Salesforce is likely a better option purely for CRM, however. It will not work as a standalone business management solution, but it could be integrated with a third-party ERP like NetSuite for a powerful solution for larger, more complex organisations.
Why choose Eventura to deliver your NetSuite Project?
As an official NetSuite solution provider, we have successfully delivered countless NetSuite implementations. Our expert team of business analysts, developers, consultants, technicians and support staff can guide you through your entire project, from initial scoping through to implementation and on-going support.
We believe that NetSuite offers its customers a comprehensive suite of products that can digitally transform their businesses, replacing a range of disparate systems and softwares with one unified solution to business management.
If you would like to speak to one of our NetSuite experts, you can request a free call back here.
