Smart companies today are paying more attention to their customers, partners and employees and, knowing that these resources are both finite and in high demand, building stronger bonds with them. Concurrently, these organizations are also managing the current supply chain turbulence, localizing their operations and finding innovative ways to attract and retain new associates.
“Companies are learning how to work smarter,” said Marie-Anick Paquin, account manager and strategic advisor with Createch, a Canadian technology consulting firm and NetSuite partner. “For many, this means replacing their paper- and spreadsheet-based business systems with a unified enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform that automates those manual processes.”
NetSuite and Createch help organizations leverage ERP to work smarter, simplify their processes and stand out in the competitive marketplace. Many companies choose NetSuite to replace their current systems, which lack some important features like demand planning, real-time inventory visibility, customizable reporting and key performance indicator (KPI) tracking, all of which can be added with user-friendly tools that don’t require an IT developer background.
Once in place, NetSuite also helps companies:
- Manage supply chain turbulence. Port congestion, container shortages and ongoing logistics delays continue to wreak havoc on the world’s supply chains. These realities are directly impacting companies of all sizes and making it more difficult than ever to manage with spreadsheets, disparate software systems and email communications. For example, supply chain visibility is virtually impossible to attain when all manufacturing, distribution and logistics data is stored on multiple spreadsheets, computers and devices. With a cloud-based ERP to work from, the same company can more readily track inventory, develop accurate forecasts and predict future demand. It can also sense disruptions before they occur and take the necessary actions. “Understanding and addressing supply chain events require good, actionable data that’s not available on any spreadsheet,” said Paquin, “and you need to be able to advise customers on delayed shipments, and help them shift to a different source of supply or otherwise manage the volatility.”
- Leverage the localization trend. Largely driven by the pandemic, companies are experimenting with more “buy it where you make it” and “make it where you sell it” strategies as part of a larger localization trend. This not only shortens the length of their supply chains and reduces vulnerability, but it also meets customer demand for more locally sourced and produced goods. Using cloud ERP, companies can effectively “bring back” or set up their local networks, find new suppliers and collaborate with them, and track their end-to-end supply chains. With NetSuite’s SuiteCommerce platform, they can establish a strong ecommerce presence that not only addresses customer demand for localization, but also offers an online shopping experience similar to that of a much larger e-tailer (e.g., Amazon, Walmart or Wayfair).
- Manage stringent supplier compliance requirements. Manufacturers and distributors that are working with large retailers have to follow the rules of the road laid out by those customers. For instance, in late 2020, Walmart sent a memo to its suppliers announcing that in early 2021, vendors who didn’t complete 98 percent of the company’s orders on time and in full would be fined 3 percent of the order’s cost.1 Complying with these often stringent rules is difficult for companies that rely on spreadsheets, phone calls and disparate applications to manage their operations. “Big retailers want the data or reporting for compliance, so in order to work with these customers you have to be able to provide that,” said Paquin. For example, Createch recently worked with a distributor that had to set aside stock for Costco and report on that inventory on a regular basis. By implementing NetSuite, that company now has all of the reporting capabilities it needs to provide accurate and timely data to its large retail customers.
- Attract and retain employees. NetSuite also helps companies level the playing field when it comes to finding, hiring and retaining employees. With the current labor shortage not expected to wane anytime soon, companies need tools and solutions that their associates want to use. Younger recruits, in particular, grew up using the most current technology platforms and expect to be able to transfer that knowledge over to the workplace. They also want technology that’s flexible and adaptable, and doesn’t have to be heavily customized in order to add an extra field to a form or a new report to their dashboards. Available anytime and anywhere in the cloud, NetSuite also supports the remote work trend. “People are turning down job offers because they can’t work remotely,” said Paquin, “or because the employer’s systems are outdated and not enjoyable to use on a daily basis.”
A Reliable Partner in Your Corner
As companies continue to adapt their business management software and move away from spreadsheets, they are looking for flexible and scalable solutions for managing inventory, generating real-time reports and controlling costs. They also want NetSuite’s built-in, powerful customer relationship management (CRM) and business intelligence (BI) tools.
“We want NetSuite to be the last ERP that a company needs thanks to the fact that the system continuously evolves with the two upgrades per year,” said Paquin, “and because NetSuite can serve small and large size organizations.”
Createch gets its customers up and running on NetSuite quickly and then supports them post-sale, and all with the goal of getting companies as “autonomous as possible” to ensure overall system and user experience satisfaction.
Helping Companies Achieve Their Goals
Working with Createch as their implementation partner, companies are using NetSuite to achieve the goals outlined above… and more. “We understand what organizations are going through right now and what they need to do to start working smarter,” said Paquin. “We’re not just configurators; we're also business analysts and a one-stop-shop for any company that wants to use NetSuite to address their current challenges and future-proof their operations.” Contact us now to kickstart your project!
