Integration: The key to unlocking the potential of NetSuite

Transcription

1 Integration: The key to unlocking the potential of NetSuite By: Adam Arrowsmith, Integration Solutions Team Lead Implementing NetSuite properly is not just an IT project. In fact, most NetSuite implementations are also integration projects that require crossfunctional participation. Business leaders must clearly articulate the rules that dictate how the business should function as a result of the implementation, how cross-departmental workflows are to be implemented and what key business metrics will be used to determine success. Integration is an important element of a successful NetSuite implementation, and it can be complicated - but integration doesn t have to be difficult. So where do you start? Whether you ve been using NetSuite for some time or you are planning your NetSuite implementation, this whitepaper will help you identify some of the key integration touch points that must be properly implemented in order to fully maximize the return on your NetSuite investment. The best practices discussed below, when automated via a reliable cloud integration solution, will provide immediate and measurable results. In this whitepaper we ll go through the key touch points in several common integration scenarios to illustrate best practices. Thanks to Boomi s ease of use and rapid time-to-value, we were able to complete the project on an aggressive timeline and fully realize the value of NetSuite by streamlining back-office processes and enabling near real-time financial reporting. Ryan Pulley, Data Architect, Right Now Scenario 1: Order-to-Cash Integrating CRM Systems with NetSuite Order-to-cash processes are one of the most common and impactful business processes that can be automated as part of CRM integration projects because this process allows companies to expedite the accurate and reliable processing of orders to get cash in the door faster. Most businesses have multiple sources of orders including field sales, CSRs, and ecommerce or customer-facing portals. Savvy businesses automate the flow of orders into their CRM system from these sources and also share data from the CRM system out to various financial, ERP, and provisioning systems. The type of data that is usually shared from the CRM system includes customer and contact information, product catalogs and order details. By implementing the integration touch points described below, organizations have realized numerous benefits such as significant reductions in data errors, reduced days sales outstanding (DSO), and increased customer satisfaction. Customer master sync Item master sync Order transfer Invoice transfer Ensures customer and contact data is replicated and maintained in integrated applications. Ensures item data is replicated and maintained in integrated applications. Sends closed/won opportunities to NetSuite as sales orders or invoices. Transfers the final NetSuite invoices back to the CRM system for visibility and reporting, and keeps their statuses and balances up to date as payments and credits are applied in NetSuite. Rev Copyright 2011 Dell, Inc. All rights reserved.

2 Scenario 2: Information to Insight Integrating Business Intelligence with NetSuite The ability to analyze and make sense of an ever-increasing amount of data is critical to small and large companies alike. The value of business intelligence (BI) reports depends largely on the timeliness and accuracy of the information they provide. Integration enables high-value business intelligence by automatically extracting, transforming and importing data directly from NetSuite into BI reporting systems such as GoodData, PivotLink, Crystal Reports or a proprietary database. Sync customer master lists Sync transactions Sync custom fields Ensures that customer data is consistent across applications. Captures data to analyze and project sales and cash flow. Extracts and tracks custom objects and fields for reporting purposes. Scenario 3: Ecommerce to Cash Integrating Web Stores with NetSuite Integrating a third party web store or ecommerce site such as ebay or Varien/Magento directly with NetSuite ensures order accuracy, reduces order fulfillment time, and keeps the web store product catalog up to date. Businesses that sell directly to end consumers via the web will benefit from such an integration, which ultimately streamlines the process of converting ecommerce transactions to cash. Order Transfer Product catalog and inventory Order/shipment status transfer Transfers new customers, orders, and payments into NetSuite for accounting, sales, and customer services purposes. Keeps the web store s products, availability, and pricing up to date. Updates order and shipment status on the web store to provide visibility to the end customer. Scenario 4: Recurring Orders to Cash Integrating Billing Applications with NetSuite Many businesses use a stand-alone billing application solely for specialized processes such as the management of recurring subscription invoices. By integrating these types of billing applications such as Zuora and Aria - with NetSuite, invoices and supporting transactions will be holistically recorded for proper accounting, especially revenue recognition. Customer master sync Item master sync Subscription initiation Invoice transfer Accounts Receivable transaction transfer Ensures customer data is replicated and maintained in integrated applications. Ensures item data is replicated and maintained in integrated applications. Creates subscriptions and amendments from NetSuite to the billing application. Records recurring invoices generated by the billing application within NetSuite, with appropriate revenue recognition schedules. Syncs the invoices in both applications as payments, credits, refunds, and adjustments are applied to them. 2

3 Scenario 5: Leads to Sales Integrating Marketing Automation with NetSuite CRM Marketing automation applications such as Marketo, Eloqua and VerticalResponse are often used to help manage and track campaigns and other lead generation activities. By integrating these types of applications with NetSuite, business processes can be automated and essential visibility and insight can be gained into the interactions that prospects and customers have with your company. The integration of marketing automation applications with CRM / sales automation systems enables optimized customer relationships, demand generation and lead management, and results in revenue growth. Marketing campaigns to CRM Web activity to CRM Search Engine Marketing (SEM) to CRM Lead scoring to CRM Tracks closed sales back to marketing spend and reports on campaign effectiveness. Records a prospect s web activities prior to becoming a named lead in CRM. Tracks SEM results all the way through to closed/won sales. Maximizes the effectiveness of the sales team by prioritizing sales ready leads. Scenario 6: Customer Feedback to Action Integrating a Case or Bug Management Tool with NetSuite From gaining visibility into customer complaints and potential product/ process improvements to identifying upsell opportunities, the sharing of information between customer service, account management, and sales personnel is essential to their ability to improve customer satisfaction and grow company revenue. The integration of case or bug management tools such as RightNow, Jira and Parature with NetSuite brings this benefit to life. Customer master transfer Support case transfer Trigger escalation workflow Ensures customer data is replicated to the support application, including information such as entitlements for the customer service personnel to reference when interacting with customers. Transfers support incidents into NetSuite to provide visibility to sales reps and account managers, who can then act accordingly. Notifies the development team of escalations and syncs status back to NetSuite to keep the customer as well as the sales or customer service rep informed. 3

4 Scenario 7: Orders to Fulfillment Integrating a Warehouse Management System with NetSuite Warehouse and shipping are some of the most critical and data-intensive operational areas for a manufacturing or logistics company. Timely access to quality data within Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) such as Red Prairie is crucial to maintaining efficiencies and meeting delivery commitments; this is assured with integration to NetSuite. Order transfer Fulfillment/receipt transfers Inventory sync Carrier integration Benefits Automates the transfer of Sales and Purchase Orders between NetSuite accounting and the WMS to ensure accuracy and eliminate duplicate entries. Tracks order status to close out open orders within NetSuite and to provide order status visibility to end customers. Keeps inventory levels up to date for more accurate reporting and forecasting. Notifies common carriers like UPS, USPS, FedEx and DHL of shipments and allows for the printing of shipping labels. Scenario 8: Back to the Future Integrating Proprietary or Legacy Applications with NetSuite Companies of all sizes have some proprietary or legacy applications that are critical to their business, and that they cannot replace. These applications may require connectivity via databases, web services, or flat files (CSV). And although accounting is a competency of NetSuite, some businesses rely on legacy accounting systems like Oracle Financials or SAP for corporate roll-up but want to leverage NetSuite s capabilities in other areas of the business. When integrating proprietary or legacy applications with NetSuite, regardless of the reason, the following best practices are recommended. Exchange master- and transaction-data files with legacy systems Trigger back-end business processes based on NetSuite user actions Sync accounting data including Customers, Product Catalog, Invoices, Payments, and other transactions Benefits Leverages existing IT investments and enables reporting. Automates processes such as customer account provisioning, feature activation, and approval work flow. Provides a single view of customers and their activity. 4

5 Conclusion NetSuite is a powerful ERP suite that often serves as the business hub for an organization. Integrating NetSuite with other business applications yields a number of compelling benefits, including: Allows for a single, 360-degree view of customers and their activity Improves data quality by reducing manual data re-entry & its inherent risks Transfers data bi-directionally to keep multiple systems in sync Automates business processes for greater efficiency Maximizes your NetSuite investment while leveraging the existing application infrastructure In order to fully unlock the true potential of a NetSuite investment, businesses should implement carefully-designed and tightly-integrated business processes between the front and back offices, and between cloud and conventional systems. Additionally, a successful NetSuite implementation requires more than the input of an IT Department; strong business leadership and active cross-functional participation is the best way to assure a positive outcome. The integration of key business applications is no longer a luxury reserved for Fortune 500 companies; it s an imperative for any business that wants to compete and thrive in today s fast-paced marketplace. The days of application integration being a time-consuming and expensive process are behind us as well. While application integration has its complexities, it doesn t have to be difficult or cost-prohibitive. Cloud-based platforms have changed the old paradigm by allowing for the easy integration of applications, resulting in a faster time to market, greater data integrity and a competitive edge from which companies of all sizes can benefit. About Dell Boomi Dell Boomi, a business unit of Dell (NASDAQ: DELL), is the first integration solution built in the cloud. Dell Boomi is changing the way people think about integration. By building our data and application integration platform in the cloud, we ve created a fundamentally different approach: Integration is now easy. We allow organizations of all sizes to quickly connect any combination of cloud and on-premise applications. By automating business processes and providing real-time visibility to information across every application, people can make faster, more informed business decisions. For More Information Contact your account executive to learn more about Dell Boomi, or visit Dell Boomi Offices 801 Cassatt Road Suite 120 Berwyn, PA United States Jackson Street Third Floor San Francisco, CA United States