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Too often, teams end up with tech that doesn't serve their needs. When choosing a tool to unify business processes and centralize data, organizations can be drawn to both enterprise resource planning (ERP) software and customer relationship management (CRM) platforms. And while sometimes complementary, these two systems are hardly interchangeable.
Here, explore the different functionalities and use cases for NetSuite, a popular ERP tool, and Salesforce, a commonly used CRM platform. Learn how to select the best option for your team's needs.
What NetSuite and Salesforce are designed to do
NetSuite and Salesforce are competing products, likely to come up in searches for similar types of tools. But their core functionalities are distinct, starting with what each is designed to do.
NetSuite is a cloud-based ERP solution from Oracle that centralizes data and processes from business areas like finance, sales, and inventory in a single place, supporting cross-functional collaboration. The system also optimized daily tasks with workflow automations. In addition to its ERP capacities, NetSuite features CRM functionality and a workforce management system that guides payroll and HR processes.
Salesforce is solely a cloud-based CRM solution, known for its user-friendly interface and straightforward implementations. This CRM software helps teams manage marketing, sales, and customer service workflows, with a heavy focus on front-office tasks and external interactions. Used correctly, Salesforce can boost the efficiency of everyday work, improve lead tracking, and drive sales wins.
While the NetSuite CRM and Salesforce CRM may have comparable features, NetSuite is backed by enterprise-level data storage that supports deep reporting, back-office work, and inter-department collaboration. Salesforce, on the other hand, aims to drive quick, meaningful value with consumers.
NetSuite vs. Salesforce differences in specific business scenarios
NetSuite may have more ample functionality than Salesforce, but that doesn't inherently make it a superior tool. The best system for any given company is the one that supports its organizational objectives and streamlines daily work. Here's how the platforms support particular business scenarios.
- Companies needing one system to run finance, inventory, and billing: Companies that want more extensive business process coverage are well-suited for NetSuite, as this platform combines ERP, CRM, and additional functionalities, allowing teams to manage finance, inventory, billing, HR, and sales or marketing processes on a single platform.
- Sales-led organizations prioritizing pipeline management and forecasting: Salesforce is likely the stronger choice for organizations focused on front-office, high-consumer-impact tasks. This CRM system uses AI to support sales and marketing automation, helps teams perform sales forecasting, and provides optimal visibility into customer pipelines.
- Growing mid-market teams replacing spreadsheets and disconnected tools: Here, the right tool depends on what type of data and tools the organization wishes to centralize. If focusing on streamlining sales and marketing data and workflows, Salesforce is a stronger choice. But if needing to house a wide range of business functions (from HR to finance) under one digital roof, NetSuite may be best.
- Businesses planning to scale complexity over time: While implementation is likely to take longer, NetSuite is often the better option for companies hoping to scale (especially to the enterprise level), as they can keep all workflows and data in a central, all-in-one tool instead of running a mix of integrated systems.
- Organizations already committed to Oracle or Salesforce ecosystems: If an organization already uses Oracle products, adding NetSuite for its CRM functionality may be the best move, seeing as teams are already familiar with Oracle tools. This said, Salesforce does integrate with Oracle and can be a solid option for companies that want to quickly introduce marketing and sales automation into their workflows with a user-friendly tool.
Implementation and rollout considerations
Both NetSuite and Salesforce implementations face risks, which are often the result of poor planning, customization, and training. The following are a few system-specific considerations to ensure a successful process.
- Scope creep: Scope creep is especially likely with NetSuite, thanks to its wide range of functions and potential configurations. Organizations may be tempted to over-customize the tool, slowing down the implementation and complicating training—not to mention everyday use.
- Lack of adoption: Whether implementing NetSuite or Salesforce, inadequate training can lead to poor adoption, as teams revert to using legacy systems or obsolete workflows to avoid interacting with a new system that they don't feel comfortable navigating or can't see the value in.
- Inconsistent processes: Subpar training and configuration can also lead to inconsistent processes, either because the workflows programmed in the new tool aren't aligned or because end users regress to using outdated ones, often outside the recently-adopted system
How Scribe supports NetSuite and Salesforce rollouts
Whether implementing Net Suite or Salesforce, insufficient training and unplanned configurations can cost you. Use Scribe Capture to document existing processes and
support agile training with up-to-date workflow mapping. You’ll achieve better buy-in and faster time-to-value.
Here's how Scribe supports each phase of a software implementation.
- Pre-rollout: Document current workflows in easy-to-follow maps that guide configuration. Subject-matter experts execute as-is processes, and Scribe Capture documents them.
- During rollout: Scribe Capture automatically documents new processes in ERP or CRM software in user-friendly operational manuals that support asynchronous training at scale, without the need for intensive live sessions or constant support from external consultants. Scribe Capture also supports excellent change management, giving business leaders the guides they need to visibly demonstrate improvements to workflows in the new tool, driving end-user buy-in and confidence.
- Post-rollout: Encourage long-term adoption by using Scribe Capture to continually document shifting processes, giving teams reliable, up-to-date single sources of truth to use as a learning reference.
NetSuite vs. Salesforce comparison: Choosing correctly
Confidently choose the right tool for your organization with the following tips.
- Lead with business priorities, not feature checklists: Let business objectives guide your choice. For example, if you aim to boost consumer satisfaction by improving your sales and marketing workflows, then the Salesforce CRM is the way to go. However, if you hope to improve cross-functional collaboration at a large company, NetSuite is a savvier option.
- Decide on core business needs: Will your business benefit most from an ERP or CRM? This is one of the first questions you should ask, as the ERPs traditionally support back-office processes while CRMs focus on front-office ones.
- Expect tradeoffs: Salesforce is a targeted tool, wholly focused on lead management, customizable sales workflows, and marketing automations. As such, it's one of the most reputable CRM solutions on the market. Organizations that choose NetSuite will also gain access to a reliable CRM system, but the platform isn't primarily known for this functionality, which can imply a small trade-off. And those who opt for Salesforce will get a best-in-class CRM software but have to integrate it with third-party tools to recreate the robust suite of features that NetSuite has.
- Treat the decision as an operating model choice, not a software swap: Implementing enterprise software is meant to support and improve the way you work. So, choosing a CRM system, like Salesforce, or an EPR, like NetSuite, isn't a simple decision of whether to install new software to house certain business processes. Instead, it's a strategic decision to leverage software to boost efficiency, grow, and transform business results.
FAQs
Does NetSuite replace Salesforce?
Since NetSuite has a CRM solution among its comprehensive features, it can take over the core tasks that a dedicated CRM system, like Salesforce, does, such as marketing automation or certain analytics. That said, dedicated CRM software provides deeper support on these tasks, performing sales forecasting and providing insights on consumer behavior.
How does implementation complexity differ between Salesforce and NetSuite?
Yes. Salesforce is a plug-and-play tool that, while teams should intentionally implement and configure, does not require the extensive cross-functional data migration and dashboard customization that NetSuite does.
What are the shared features between NetSuite and Salesforce?
Both tools are cloud-based and offer customer relationship management features, but NetSuite offers enterprise resource planning features in addition to other business support ones, aiming to be an "all-in-one" solution.
What are the most common reasons NetSuite or Salesforce rollouts fail?
Poor planning, a lack of end-user involvement during implementation, and inadequate training are all reasons why the rollout of either of these pieces of software could fail.
