There’s a lot to think about when selecting a NetSuite integration partner, from the compatibility of your teams, to their level of experience. Not only will they be implementing ERP across your company, but they’ll also be providing training and support as employees adjust to their new workflows. With this in mind, it’s important to know what to look for as you consider your options. NetSuite integration partners like Entartes, for example, bring decades of experience to the table, plus providing their expertise in an array of technology solutions. In addition to experience, there are several other qualities to look for in a NetSuite integration partner – let’s explore them below.
They have an excellent reputation
Whether you’re concerned about staying on schedule, or finding an integration partner that’s willing to collaborate with your team members, you’ll be able to find out a lot about potential candidates by researching their reputation. Customer reviews are a great place to start, as they often provide specifics about the pros and cons of the integration service they used. You might find out that one company you were considering tends to go over budget, or that another caused friction with other team members. One or two negative reviews among many positive ones might not mean much, but if the reviews consistently mention the same thing, that's probably your sign to keep looking for a better candidate. Industry experts and competitors may also weigh in on integration partners, which is another valuable source of information. A top-notch integration partner won’t just provide the desired results; they’ll keep the project on a steady course the whole way through, from planning to post-deployment support.
They have industry-specific experience in NetSuite integrations
NetSuite can integrate with a wide variety of industries, so each integration will look different. When it comes to NetSuite implementations, it’s best if you can find an integration partner with specific experience in your industry. For instance, if you’re a retail clothing company, you might not be well served by a firm that specializes in integrations for software companies.
They have extensive experience working with NetSuite
This might seem like a no-brainer, but there are some integration partners who will offer to implement NetSuite, even though they don’t actually have any experience with it. They may have experience with a ton of other technologies, but that won’t do you much good.
NetSuite is a very complex and nuanced system that requires expert knowledge in order to be properly implemented. If you hire an integration partner without NetSuite experience, you’d be more likely to run into future issues. It could be that certain functionalities were lacking from day-to-day workflows, or that the end-user training was inadequate, or any number of problems. With an integration partner who knows NetSuite backwards and forwards, though, your ERP implementation should be both smooth and effective.
There’s no conflict in scope
Even though you may not be working with another firm that performs NetSuite integrations, you may be working with one that overlaps in scope with potential integration partners. How does this work? Well, the NetSuite space contains a lot of different players, all of whom offer their own combinations of services. There are freelance consultants, third-party app developers, Certified NetSuite partners, and more. If you’ve already hired one of these parties prior to hiring an integration partner, there could be some overlap in the services that they both provide.
If this turns out to be the case, it isn’t the end of the world. You just have to make sure that they’re both aware of the other, and establish clear outlines for their respective roles and responsibilities.
They offer data cleaning and data migration services
During a NetSuite integration, your data will have to be migrated to the new system. While this isn’t absolutely crucial, it’s a great opportunity to clean up your data. This not only elevates data quality, but it also prevents the compromise of data integrity with duplicated files or outdated information.
This is certainly a task that can be performed in-house, but it may also be offered by an integration partner. Since this doesn’t necessarily require a deep knowledge of NetSuite, finding an integration partner who doesn’t offer this service won’t necessarily be a deal-breaker. Even so, data cleaning and migration is still an integral part of the process, and it makes more sense for it to be done by the team that’s responsible for the integration as a whole.
They provide ongoing training and support
It’s easy to focus on deployment as the end goal, but there’s a lot of work to be done even after NetSuite has been deployed company-wide. Even though training will have already been provide to end users at that point, it’s likely that more will be required as they fully incorporate the system into their daily workflows. Any of your team members that have been working on the integration may be able to walk end users through the new features, but obviously the experts would be able to give a higher level of training.
In addition to training, ongoing support is also needed. No deployment is perfect, and there will be issues to work out here and there. Support from an integration partner could also include the option to keep customizing the software, as the need arises. It’s possible that significant tweaks will be called for, even after careful planning and deployment. In this case, you’d need the integration partner to make that happen.
They stick to a defined time frame
Each NetSuite integration is unique, but an integration partner with years of experience will be able to give a ballpark estimate on how long your integration will take – and they’ll be able to stick to it. There could be delays due to unforeseen circumstances, but they won’t stretch out the timeline through procrastination or inefficiency.
The takeaway
Committing to a NetSuite integration is a serious undertaking at any scale, and you deserve the right integration partner to guide your company to success.