The life of a NetSuite administrator is often fast-paced and filled with stressful moments. The critical business data they are responsible for can be a burden for people who lack the skills and personality to thrive in such conditions. 

NetSuite’s rising status in the ERP community has however, caused for impressive growth in the number of companies looking to hire NetSuite administrators and pay them handsomely as well, even into the six figures. 

So how do you know if you have the skills and abilities to take on this challenge and get that 6 figure salary? Well, we came up with a list of both the hard and soft skills a NetSuite administrator would need to possess to be considered a rockstar in the NetSuite community. 

See how you match up, and maybe you can be on your way to becoming a Rockstar NetSuite Admin!

NetSuite Administrators Hard Skills 

Perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of the NetSuite platform is grasping the breadth of its capabilities. It can do so much that it is not easy for one brain to fit all those possibilities. NetSuite was designed to be operated by a team, but you would be surprised to find how many NetSuite administrators are juggling multiple roles for their company. 

A rockstar NetSuite administrator would need to have a balanced set of the following skills, allowing them to be a wild card on any team, plugging any skills gap the team lacks.

NetSuite Functional

How can NetSuite’s native tools, functionality, and features be best implemented to solve day-to-day business challenges for the company? 

Being fully knowledgeable of the platforms abilities, limitations, and how to navigate it, is a cornerstone of being successful with the platform. This is not a hard thing for many to learn, but it most certainly takes time, and there are few shortcuts. 

The only way to attain these skills is through an extensive amount of training and/or accumulating experience over time with the platform. Spending a lot of time with Suite Answers articles can also help!

NetSuite Technical

How can the use of custom objects, scripts, and integrations with third-party applications be used to improve business process efficiency? 

A rockstar NetSuite admin should be familiar enough with both Suitescript 1.0 and 2.0 to create simple scripts, understand how to deploy them, and troubleshoot minor technical issues.

As long as businesses use a best of breed SaaS approach, NetSuite admins are going to have to understand integrations. Determining if integrations are needed, finding the tools to get them done efficiently, and maintaining them can all fall on the shoulders of a NetSuite admin. 

Having a background in IT really helps with this skill set. Working knowledge of Javascript, an understanding of object-oriented programming concepts, and relational databases are all great prerequisites for a technical career in NetSuite. 

A Business Process Guru

How can we use NetSuite to improve how we do business?

Netsuite’s ERP core functionality covers accounting, payroll, order management, purchasing, project management, and with add-ons cover CRM, eCommerce, Analytics/Reporting, and other parts of business. Each of these facets of business has its own evolving set of KPI’s, best practices, and theories behind them. NetSuite is just a tool to help you get where you’re going. If you lack the business acumen to tell you where to go, NetSuite will be of little help. 

NetSuite’s flexibility allows for it to be configured in limitless ways, but ideal configurations marry the technical and functional capabilities of NetSuite to more efficient processes and actionable insights for the business. But, it takes a rockstar to make the marriage complete. Finding that ideal configuration in the unlimited options NetSuite presents, requires extensive knowledge of the business, industry, and vertical.

CPA

How do we ensure accurate financial record-keeping, reporting, and compliance?

No one wants to get audited. Having a NetSuite admin who understands the ramifications of poor bookkeeping and lack of organization can save your business headache and resources down the line. 

A certified CPA or staff accountant is usually watching the financials, but an admin with some bookkeeping understanding can be the first line of defense for transaction mishaps, faulty financial reporting, and even being audited. 

NetSuite Administrators Soft Skills

Coachable

A coachable person is someone who doesn’t let their thoughts and opinions get in the way of someone else’s more experienced advice. With NetSuite, it can be easy to not know what you don’t know, and you’ll need to be open to help from people who have been there before.

Dedicated

 All NetSuite Admins need a steady diet of training. Advancements in any of the four areas a NetSuite admin operates in could mean more efficient use of NetSuite and employer resources. So even seasoned NetSuite rockstars will find themselves out of the loop if there is not a rigorous amount of dedication to self-improvement.

Patient

 New admins can feel the weight of the world dropping on them if they have no prior experience in any of the functional, technical, or business aspects of NetSuite. Furthermore, acquiring all that knowledge is a tedious process and doesn’t happen overnight. Usually, this combination of frustration and helplessness leads to burnout and poor performance in the long run if not met with the proper expectations and resources.

Do not forget that admins also have to help other NetSuite users, so patience with regards to less technical or NetSuite-knowledgeable users is also required. 

Organized

Staying organized is a must for a NetSuite admin. Much of the value of NetSuite is clearer insights into your business. A disorganized NetSuite admin can wipe away that value easily. Staying organized with NetSuite can refer to several things but keeping notes is a great way to stay out of your own way.

Other recommendations include deploying a consistent naming system for files and objects saved in NetSuite as well using third-party programs to track processes and other important documentation.

You can also look into a change-management system to help keep you organized and avoid unnecessary clutter. A popular change management system for NetSuite and eMerge Technologies partner is StrongPoint.IO

Natural Problem-Solver

If solving mysteries comes naturally to you, then you might be ready for a career in NetSuite. As I mentioned, bringing together the 4 functional skill sets required to properly administer NetSuite takes time and training. If you haven’t received the right training for the situation at hand, which is common due to the number of situations an admin can find themselves in, you will have to rely on your problem-solving skills to resolve the situation.

A good tip here is to keep all of your go-to NetSuite resources organized and close by. So if you need to reference one quickly, it can be done. NetSuite rockstar’s are always able to find their way through the toughest situations, there is always some way!

Conclusion

So how do you add up? Are you the wild-card, able to be dropped into any NetSuite environment and contribute right away? Or are you still dependent on other members of the team to get things done? If you’re part of the latter, I would suggest more dedication to the skills you’re lacking in order to remain a valuable member of any NetSuite team

If you think I left any skills or personality traits out, please comment them below and let me know why you think it’s important for a NetSuite rockstar to have!