NetSuite Demonstrates Its Customer Focus

Running a software company is hard work. Maintaining a commitment to your customers at Internet speed is even harder.

NetSuite demonstrated today that they know how to do both when they responded to a thorny customer issue.

NetSuite is a powerful CRM/ERP application based on Oracle technology. In addition to its broad core functionality, NetSuite is very easily extended and customized to include all sorts of data. In fact, you can even build entirely new databases and applications in NetSuite leveraging NetSuite's hosting, application and database architecture.

Talk about Web 2.0!!! An Oracle 9i-based application infrastructure with web services and messaging gateways from $299 per month (with the NetSuite Limited licence package) -- something had to give. So last month NetSuite introduced charges for large databases. It didn't go over so well ...

At Skyytek, we are not only the largest and most successful NetSuite VAR. We are also a long-standing customer. We joined others in NetSuite's user group criticizing the policy, the limits set and the charges. Within a few days, NetSuite management intervened, explained the policy and agreed with the user community. They had overstepped. The limits were too low. They increased the limits -- 5-Fold!!!

There are two amazing things about this.

Firstly, NetSuite senior management read the user group - religiously. From professional services to customer support to product management and development, it is not at all unusual to get direct responses from executives responsible for entire divisions of NetSuite to particular users on very specific issues. It is really a very amazing commitment to customer service.

Secondly, it shows a willingness to admit mistakes and respond effectively. THAT may just be NetSuite's greatest asset. No software company can satisfy all of its users all the time. There will be issues and requested enhancements. No matter how well planned, it will always look a little like 'Whack-a-mole' to the user base. A little goodwill goes a long way in keeping users happy.

Like I said, it's hard running a software company. And with a new release just months away, the folks at NetSuite have their hands full. But it's days like this that make me glad to work with this excellent product.