A reliable CRM software is necessary for small businesses to manage various functionalities such as customer leads, document management, sales representation, and report development. There are many CRM systems available for small businesses, such as salesforce CRM and NetSuite ERP. Deciding on the CRM system to use can be confusing since most offer different functionalities; hence businesses must develop their daily functions and activities checklists and benchmark against the performance and the features provided by the CRM systems. Comparing these two software gives your business an advantage to make the right decisions. Here is a broad comparison of Salesforce CRM and NetSuite ERP and how they match the needs of small businesses.
Dashboard management and reporting
NetSuite real-time dashboards enables the business to track sales goals and key performance indicators. It enables the business to track sales forecasts, sales quotas and provide other analysis functionalities for marketing benchmarking. It also enables the business to track customer acquisition and visitors to the website hence improving the businesses understanding of its customers.
Salesforce implementation enables businesses to customize and build market reports for analysis. The drag and drop tools enables the business to assess and measure metrics for team performance, email data, collaboration details, and opportunity management.
Netsuite CRM wins this category due to more marketing management functionalities.
Landing Pages and Web Forms
NetSuite CRM enables the users to create a landing page, and reusable templates using the drag and drop feature. The webforms enable the business to generate real-time leads and ensure these leads are delivered to the right sales representative.
Sales cloud does not provide landing pages nor webforms. These capabilities are available in the salesforce marketing cloud; hence, the business must spend more capital to access these functionalities.
Netsuite CRM wins this category.
Charts and Visualization
Netsuite ERP implementation does not include in-built charts capabilities for businesses; instead, the users have to integrate it with the analytics dashboard in the Suite App.
On the other hand, Salesforce offers different charts to facilitate visualization, hence enabling and understanding key business metrics.
Salesforce wins due to extensive chart availability.
Marketing Automation
Netsuite allows businesses to track and analyze marketing campaigns developed using direct mails and other marketing channels and programs. It allows the business to segment the processes, hence facilitating personalized marketing. It has inbuilt templates to ease the content creation process. Database management enables businesses to personalize large email campaigns to individual customers.
Salesforce cloud does not support marketing automation. It allows the business to integrate the Sales Engage add-ons to personalize marketing information to customers using the mobile app or desktop client. It allows the tracking of campaign performance using the interactive graphical dashboard. It also offers additional features such as the library of marketing-approved templates, real-time alerts, and prospects to facilitate marketing.
NetSuite wins in this category.
Integrations
NetSuite ERP system allows users to integrate other third-party applications using the Suite Cloud technology platform. It enables the users to create a customized mobile application and build websites to facilitate business processes.
Salesforce integrates virtual ERP software, accounting software, social media, document management systems, and ITSM. These software are critical for running small businesses to facilitate data exchange and aligned workflow.
Salesforce wins due to its flexible integration capabilities.
Artificial Intelligence
Currently, in 2021, Netsuite CRM does not offer artificial intelligence capabilities that small businesses may seek. This is a frustration if the business was looking forward to expanding into artificial intelligence in the future. However, Netsuite promises a future upgrade by introducing machine learning and artificial intelligence in its cloud business ensuite.
Salesforce offers AI-supported CRM assistants and offers small businesses the opportunity to analyze data and sales insights using Einstein. Einstein voice assistant provides small businesses with capabilities to manage dashboard needs with minimum effort.
In this category, Salesforce is a better fit for small businesses.
Managing orders, invoices, and quotes
NetSuite CRM enables small businesses to convert quotes to approved sales into orders using the quote-to-order, cash, and fulfillment features. In the process, it streamlines sales processes and provides a recommendation to guide the purchase decisions. It also provides additional online approvals and workflows to enable the start-ups’ management order activities. According to FMT Consultants, Netsuite is engineered to streamline mission-critical processes.
Salesforce cloud provides in-built quote features and enables businesses to generate forms and PDF forms for all the transactions. However, it needs additional features such as CPQ add-ons to process quote-to-cash functionality.
Based on these functionalities, Netsuite CRM wins.
Sales Performance Management
Netsuite enables businesses to rely on the probability-based forecasting feature to predict future demands, product orders, and opportunities. It enables businesses to calculate projected amounts, close probabilities, and generate accurate forecasts to help demand management.
Salesforce enables businesses to track sales representatives’ performance using real-time leaderboards. It enables smart real-time supply chain decision-making based on team performance forecasting. The Einstein AI enables start-ups to offer collaborative and predictive forecasting to help businesses forecast accurately and track the supply chain process.
Salesforce CRM wins.
E-mail Integration
Email integration is necessary for services such as email marketing and customer communication. It facilitates communication between businesses and necessary stakeholders. Netsuite ERP system requires the businesses to integrate other third-party applications such as Outlook and Gmail functionality to use the email integration.
Salesforce cloud integrates Gmail and Outlook and allows the business to sync email inbox with the program. It also allows the user to integrate other functionalities such as mobile devices and calendars. The salesforce inbox enables the business to streamline tasks and pipeline data functionality using the in-built AI capabilities and Salesforce inbox.
Salesforce wins.
Mobile Access
NetSuite ERP implementation enables businesses to customize their functionality and access to information. The NetSuite CRM offers businesses customizable mobile apps compatible with Android and iOS to perform important information such as leads management and generating quotes from anywhere. NetSuite ERP system also comes with the Suite Phone browser to provide additional functionality using any windows, Android, or Apple device as long as they install the app.
Salesforce implementation gives sales representatives the ability to use the mobile app to manage their daily sales, access the dashboard, attend sales conference calls, handle sales and collaborate with the sales team. There are other custom branded apps named “my Salesforce,” which enables the business to access CRM data, manage deals and track sales accounts.
This is tie, although Netsuite has additional features of the Suite Phone browser.
Management Of Other Stakeholders
Every business has other partners such as suppliers and other co-owners or other businesses within the supply chain. NetSuite for small businesses facilitates joint lead management, marketing campaigns, sales forecasting, and other functions. By delivering real-time data, it enables the business to support partner marketing strategies and campaigns.
Salesforce CRM enables the business to track key performance indicators, co-create accounts plans and customize channel programs. It also enables businesses to generate personalized cross-channel experiences for the partner life cycle.
NetSuite wins since it offers more features.
Document Management
NetSuite offers a separate system for document management to ensure the documents are organized, updated and the information is traceable whenever needed.
Salesforce comes with an in-built document management system that enables sales and marketing teams to collaborate and manage business activities such as contract and proposal generation. It comes with a library that provides restricted and controlled access to documents, guaranteeing document safety and security. It has an in-built drag and drop functionality to move multiple documents.
Salesforce wins due to having safety and built in document management system.
Final verdict
Salesforce has features that make it stand out for small businesses. It allows the business to monitor activities closely using user-friendly and relevant features. It meets small businesses’ needs for accounts management, contracts, lead management, collaboration artificial intelligence needs, document management, sales performance management, etc.
Netsuite ERP is more suitable for large businesses since it has NetSuite contract manufacturing, market automation, landing pages, web forms, mobile access, and a dashboard. These features are more suitable for large businesses with capital, a large workforce, and already streamlined channels.
