In a previous article, we broke down what to look for in a NetSuite ERP consultant. We covered experience, certifications, and what separates the pros from the rest of the field.
Now we're answering some of the most common questions about NetSuite consulting we’ve seen pop up across Reddit, Quora, user forums, and even during discovery calls. If you’re trying to figure out what NetSuite consulting firms like ScaleNorth do or whether it makes sense to bring one in, this NetSuite Consulting FAQ guide should help.
NetSuite consultants help teams implement, optimize, customize, and clean up their NetSuite ERP system. They take the guesswork out of setting things up and make sure the platform works for your business, not the other way around. They handle a litany of tasks, including configuration, reporting, dashboard setup, integration with third-party technology, automation and workflows, custom scripting, training, support, and more. If you're live on NetSuite but struggling, a seasoned NetSuite consultant can step in to clean things up. If you’re not live yet, they build your system the right way from the start.
At ScaleNorth, our team of NetSuite experts focuses on ensuring the setup aligns with how you run your business, making it easier for teams to get work done.
A functional consultant is the person who takes your business needs and turns them into working solutions in NetSuite. They lead your discovery calls, build workflows, test everything, and train your team. They're not necessarily developers, but they work closely with technical resources to make sure nothing gets lost in translation. Most of ScaleNorth’s functional consultants have worked in finance, ops, or supply chain before, so they’ve been in your shoes. That prepares them to ask better questions and build cleaner systems.
If this sounds like the kind of work you enjoy, we’d love to meet you. ScaleNorth is always looking for experienced NetSuite functional consultants who can listen, solve problems, and work closely with clients. If you have a proven track record with NetSuite, we encourage you to review our careers page.
First and foremost, it’s important to note that there are consultants ranging from your technically savvy nephew to white-glove, highly experienced consultants who are members of a major NetSuite consulting firm. Rates will vary drastically depending on who you work with and what you're trying to get done. You’ll likely get a lower rate per hour when going with a freelancer or smaller, less experienced teams. Large-scale, full-service ERP consulting firms offer more structure and experience and typically command a higher premium rate.
Note, just looking at the rate can be quite misleading. For example, a NetSuite consultant with multiple NetSuite certifications, a CPA license, and 8 years of experience can accomplish significantly more in that 1 hour than a more junior consultant. Not all billable hours are created equal, and it would be ill-advised to put the health of your most mission-critical software in the hands of a less-experienced team.
Further, more established teams like ScaleNorth, one of the largest NetSuite practices globally, boast a collective knowledge share of over 275 NetSuite experts. No matter how unique your situation, niche, or industry is, we likely have subject-matter experts who have solved similar challenges before. This significantly improves project success and efficiency compared to the small consultancy that needs to figure out these solutions from scratch.
Most people get started by working at a company that already uses NetSuite. After learning the system hands-on, they move into consulting roles. Certifications are valuable, and NetSuite has extensive resources for studying, preparing, and obtaining certification. However, real project experience is significantly more valuable for expanding your skillset.
You need to know how to ask the right questions, understand how businesses run, and be comfortable solving problems quickly. A good NetSuite consultant can blend technical know-how with business acumen, understanding the underlying strategies behind a business’s ERP configuration.
Going live on NetSuite is only one milestone on a much longer journey. Processes change, businesses grow and adapt, new product lines and entities appear. As this journey continues, you’ll need an ERP consultant to help manage your NetSuite instance to fit these new requirements, optimize existing processes, and scale the platform to fit your unique needs. That means helping you streamline messy processes, create new reports, saved searches, and dashboards, or troubleshoot outdated ones, automate repetitive work, integrate new software, and more. Further, great NetSuite ERP consultants don’t just build what you ask for; they take a proactive approach within your organization.
They can serve as strategic advisors, challenge your setup, and build innovation roadmaps to unlock functionality and efficiency you didn’t even know were possible. That’s exactly how we operate at ScaleNorth. Our experts have dealt with hundreds of NetSuite instances across countless industries and business structures. Rather than just being reactive, we can provide deep consultative advice on solutions that may further empower your business.
There are plenty of benefits to hiring NetSuite consultants. At a high level, these include better user adoption, streamlined operations and reduced manual labor, improved reporting and business intelligence, enhanced controls, improved financial performance, greater ability to react to market shifts, and more.
You move faster, you make fewer mistakes, and you get more out of the platform.
As one of the largest NetSuite practices globally, we have an extremely deep bench of NetSuite consultants and CPAs who have seen it all and done it all. We offer full-stack NetSuite managed services, NetSuite support, and NetSuite optimization services that break down bottlenecks and help your business scale to new heights. With over half of our staff being CPAs, we understand the financial and business strategy side of things, as well as the technical know-how. This gives you a partner that doesn’t just fix things when they break, but one that can serve as a strategic advisor in your growth.
Furthermore, users of ScaleNorth’s NetSuite Managed Services program gain access to the ScaleNorth Platform, a suite of accelerators built on NetSuite to streamline and automate the most time-consuming and repetitive tasks.
Managed services give you quick access to NetSuite experts on an ongoing basis without hiring full-time staff. Similar to a subscription model, your team of NetSuite consultants will work with your business on an ongoing basis, ensuring that you always have access to a dedicated team. This includes help with reporting, dashboards, optimizations, integrations, new user setup, workflow changes, release testing, general admin tasks, and anything else NetSuite-related.
A NetSuite Managed Services Program offers multiple benefits over ad hoc consulting. Over time, your dedicated team will learn and understand your business configuration, strategies, existing scripts, and more. This makes them much more efficient at delivering value. Plus, when you need immediate assistance, you can simply pick up the phone or send an email to your team for a prompt response. No waiting around for support tickets.
Picking the right NetSuite consultant is not a task to take lightly. It affects how quickly you see value, how well your team uses the system, and how effectively your business ultimately performs. You need a setup that fits how your business works, not one that forces your team to adjust to it.
If you’re considering switching your system to NetSuite or planning to get the most out of your NetSuite instance, we’re here to help. ScaleNorth has a team of CPAs, finance pros, and consultants who’ve handled practically every NetSuite situation under the sun. We build it right, support you after go-live, and make sure the system works for your team.
