Signs Your Startup is Underutilizing NetSuite Post-Implementation 

When properly utilized, NetSuite is a powerful tool that streamlines operations, enhances financial visibility, and empowers startups and growth-stage companies to successfully scale toward the next stage of their lifecycle. 

However, in order to ensure a maximization in value, the NetSuite implementation must be constantly analyzed, optimized, and viewed as a continuous journey – not abandoned after initial go-live. 

As experts in helping growing businesses embrace the full potential of NetSuite, we’ve outlined some of the most common signs a company is underutilizing NetSuite alongside some steps organizations can take to optimize NetSuite and ensure a realization in value. 

What are the signs a startup or growth-stage company is underutilizing NetSuite post-implementation?  

From low user adoption to fragmented, time-consuming processes, there are many signs a startup or growth-stage company might be underutilizing NetSuite post-implementation. These types of emerging businesses face many challenges when implementing the platform, whether due to their ever-evolving needs or a lack of in-house expertise and resources.  

For more information, head to our blog: NetSuite Implementation for Emerging Growth Businesses: Challenges & Tips to Avoid. 

Signs your NetSuite configuration isn’t being fully utilized: 

1. Your NetSuite configuration includes only a small subset of NetSuite’s wide-ranging tools and applications and/or hasn’t been customized to suit your individual needs and goals. 
2. You are still relying on manual processes for tasks that could be automated, such as data entry, financial reporting, or inventory management. 
3. You haven’t integrated NetSuite with your company’s CRM, e-commerce platforms, or third-party systems. 
4. You have low user engagement, which signals your employees might not have received the training they need to understand how to properly utilize the platform. 
5. You are unable to make reliable decisions based on real-time insights due to data that is inaccurate, inconsistent, or outdated. 
6. Your startup or growth-stage company has recently gone under a period of rapid growth or a strategic transformation and your current configuration isn’t suited for your evolving needs. 

How do you ensure maximum utilization and optimization of your NetSuite configuration? 

Optimizing NetSuite for maximum potential is a multi-step process that requires a careful analysis of configuration inconsistencies, availability of in-house expertise and resources to successfully execute the optimization, and a clear roadmap for both current and future company goals. 

As such, it can often be more beneficial in terms of time and outcome to outsource the optimization to a trusted team of NetSuite experts to ensure you receive the expertise you need to leverage, implement, and optimize NetSuite tools and applications that work in unison with modern best practices for finance, accounting, and other operations. 

Tips and steps to optimize NetSuite and get more value out of your configuration: 

1. Conduct an assessment of your current NetSuite configuration to identify inconsistencies and areas for improvement. 
2. Define clear objectives and KPIs for each optimization (e.g. automation of manual data entry). 
3. Review and rework workflows and customizations to streamline efficiency and eliminate operational complexity (e.g. setting up automatic order approvals). 
4. Implement best practices for data migration and management and set up a cadence for regular data cleaning to ensure real-time visibility. 
5. Review and/or set up integrations with third-party applications to reduce data silos and ensure availability and consistency of important information. 
6. Regularly monitor and evaluate the performance of your NetSuite configuration alongside your user engagement levels to provide your teams with the resources and training they need to successfully utilize the platform. 
7. Stay up to date on the latest NetSuite features and applications your company can implement for future growth and efficiency.  

Final Thoughts on NetSuite Optimization for Startups and Growth-Stage Companies 

When a startup or growth-stage company has taken the time to customize NetSuite to suit their individual needs and goals while ensuring a continuous optimization of the configuration post-go-live, NetSuite becomes a powerful tool that they can leverage to gain more visibility, drive operational efficiency, and develop a clearer path toward growth and scale.  

Oftentimes, this process is best outsourced to a trusted partner – and Bridgepoint Consulting’s FiT for NetSuite team is here to help. 

From assessing your current configuration to identify inconsistencies and ensuring all users are properly trained to implementing advanced analytical tools that enhance the finance and accounting functions, our NetSuite financial experts are here to help you develop a tailored, efficient, and scalable operational environment, boost overall productivity, and maximize the value of your NetSuite investment.