Battle of the Titans: Salesforce vs. NetSuite

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a software which helps businesses manage customer data and customer interaction, access business information, automate sales, marketing and customer support, and also manage employee, vendor and partner relationships.

Salesforce vs NetSuite is a significant comparison when it comes to choosing the perfect CRM software that suits your requirements and preferences. Both these software have benefits and unique features which need to be studied and analyzed before a particular system is selected.

9 Key Capabilities of Customer Relationship Management Systems

Selecting the right CRM cloud software can be a daunting task for any company. The primary goal of CRM systems is to integrate and automate sales, marketing, and customer support. Some of the main capabilities to focus while selecting a perfect CRM include:

1. Sales Force Automation (SFA)

   This process is meant to prevent duplication efforts between a salesperson and the customer. A CRM system can help achieve this by automatically tracking all contact and follow-ups between both sides.

2. Marketing Automation

   This process can automate repetitive tasks to enhance marketing efforts to customers at different points in the lifecycle. As sales prospects come in to the system, the system might automatically send them marketing materials typically via e-mail or social media.

3. Customer Support

   These capabilities include case and ticket management, customer portals, time tracking and knowledge management. Various software tools that integrate with the agent's desktop tools can handle customer requests in order to cut down the time of calls and simplify customer service processes.

4. Contact Management

   This allows you to organize your contacts into groups and into any context that you see fit. These are contact-centric databases that provide a fully integrated approach to tracking all the information and communication activities linked to contacts.

5. Call Center Software

   This software is used by sales and customer service agents to manage inbound and outbound services. Other features of such software include real-time metrics, history reporting, agent and team voicemail, business tolls integrations, automatic call distributor, etc.

6. Geo-location Technology

   Some systems include technology that can create geographic marketing campaigns based on customers' physical locations. This technology can also be used as a networking or contact management tool in order to find sales prospects based on location.

7. Social CRM

   Integrates social media networks and data with CRM tools to manage customer interactions, monitor brand mentions, and analyze social media data to engage prospects and customers.

8. Web Self-service

   Web-based self-service software allows customers online troubleshooting guides, articles and other resources that address common problems.

9. Lead/Opportunity Management

   This software automates the sales process and provides users a high-level view into the status of active opportunities in the pipeline.

NetSuite CRM vs. Salesforce CRM - 8 Key Differences

There have been a lot of comparisons between various CRM systems. Here we have picked two of the best CRM systems available today, and have listed a detailed comparison between Salesforce and NetSuite CRM:

1. Customization Options

   • NetSuite: NetSuite provides great customization options of the business processes with its toolkit, SuiteScript. Built on the JavaScript standards, SuiteScript is capable of customizing very complex business processes as well as it automatically retains and manages the customizations when the upgrades are made.
   • Salesforce: Salesforce has a dashboard tab that features only graphics derived from the saved searches and is not the home page for its users. An administrator is required to give permissions and definitions for everything.

2. Integration

   • NetSuite: NetSuite doesn't need to be integrated with an integrated application in order to have a 360 view. It provides a built-in order management and the user can see detailed back-office information.
   • Salesforce: Integration with accounting is very complex and seems simple only when marketing collateral is concerned. The integration is limited and the user is not able to see all the information of the back-office.

3. Business System Options

   • NetSuite: Gives a complete view of the customer data as well as interactions about sales, services, marketing, back-office information, as well as a complete e-commerce visibility.
   • Salesforce: Does not support a 360 view of the customer. Sales and service representatives can't get a view of the invoices, tracking status, order status, e-commerce transactions and a number of other essential things.

4. Cost

   • NetSuite: NetSuite is more expensive as compared to Salesforce. It is subscription based software and it does not provide a free trial.
   • Salesforce: Salesforce CRM is a cheaper option for companies when compared to NetSuite CRM. This is a subscription based service which also provides a free trial.

5. Mobility

   • It's important to be able to access any cloud-based CRM from anywhere and from any device such as a phone, desktop, tablet, etc. NetSuite and Salesforce enhance productivity with mobile access to their cloud software. Sales teams are able to get work done from anywhere using any of their devices.

6. Ease of Implementation

   • NetSuite: When it comes to ease of implementation, sales teams find NetSuite to be more efficient because it is easier to integrate, it has a more user-friendly interface, and it provides a true all-inclusive cloud solution.
   • Salesforce: This is more of an enterprise solution in which integration can be a bit more complex. The capabilities of Salesforce are not as extensive as compared to NetSuite, making it inefficient.

7. Innovation

   • Innovation is an important aspect of any CRM. It is important to look at the track record and decide which solution is likely to be around for a long term. Comparing Salesforce and NetSuite, both a have a similar development cycle. They've both been around for some time and are managed by stable companies.

8. Support

   • NetSuite: Provides phone support for all types of plans and can be purchased through premium support plans. Online case submission is included in fee for support plans. Users have access to help website, knowledge base and online community.
   • Salesforce: Worldwide phone support can be purchased. Online case submission with two-day response time is included in the subscription fee. Content for improving user adoption and access to a dedicated success representative can be purchased.

Conclusion: Which is Better - NetSuite or Salesforce

According to the aforesaid comparisons between the features of NetSuite and Salesforce, it can be concluded that NetSuite provides some amazing intricate options leading to a better customization of the business system as well as a much more convenient and simple integration of the functionalities.

When it comes to a small company which does not have enough resources to spend a lot on a CRM system, Salesforce can be an ideal option. Salesforce provides a free trail for customers who can try the system for a small period of time. The subscription is also pretty reasonable as compared to NetSuite.

Salesforce vs Netsuite: Let Us Help You Take the Right Decision!

Though NetSuite has a definite edge over other CRM systems in the market, working with advanced features such as NetSuite integration needs more than just hiring resources. Flatworld Solutions has the in-depth knowledge of various CRM systems and its deployment. Depending on your company size and business requirement we can devise a plan and help you decide which CRM can prove to be ideal for your firm.

If you need any help in selecting the right CRM system, feel free to get in touch with us and we will be more than happy to help you.