NXTurn

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the Director of Marketing at Bailey International, which is a manufacturer and distributor of mobile hydraulic products.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NXTurn?

Because we provide our products to individual customers and businesses, we have to be diverse in how we market to different channels. We needed a website that could satisfy those requirements and include an e-commerce component.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

NXTurn converted our site away from a very old version of NetSuite Site Builder. We moved to the latest version of NetSuite SuiteCommerce Advanced. NXTurn provided us with a wealth of functionalities that were not present on our previous website. I’m specifically thinking of the ability for the marketing staff to manage content on the website. I previously needed a developer's help to post a banner ad. Now, for the same task, I can have that banner posted in seconds. It gives us the ability to be flexible and nimble in our marketing strategies moving forward. We've also enhanced the search capabilities for our customers. Visitors to the site can now enter the size and type of cylinder they're looking for, and the search returns all of our products that fit those specifications.

What is the team composition?

We work with one project manager and two lead developers. I am sure there is a larger development team, as well.

How did you come to work with NXTurn?

When you are looking for a website provider that specializes in NetSuite SuiteCommerce Advanced, the pool of available resources becomes quite limited. What set NXTurn apart was the fact that they’re highly decorated veterans in that space. During the RFP process, their proposal was far more detailed than we expected.

How much have you invested with them?

Our budget for this project was about $60,000, and we’ve spent a little less than that at this point.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in May 2018. Development began in June, and the website launched in the middle of August. We have ongoing work as we are retaining NXTurn to maintain our website and introduce enhancements as we move forward.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We braced for a marked decrease in sales because we understand that completely changing the platform tends to disrupt any SEO efforts. However, we have actually experienced an exponential growth in sales since the launch, and we have received overwhelmingly positive feedback. I couldn’t be more pleased, our customers couldn’t be more pleased, and the proof is in the bank account.

How did NXTurn perform from a project management standpoint?

We met with the NXTurn team in Las Vegas in April 2018 before we signed the contract. That allowed us to meet face-to-face, but much of the project itself was accomplished remotely. We achieved this through emails, weekly calls, and Workfront—their primary project management tool. They kept everybody on task and the project moving forward. It was one of the most well-organized and well-managed projects I’ve ever seen in my career.

What did you find most impressive about them?

We spoke with several other companies about this site, and a lot of vendors sent canned proposals during the RFP process. They swapped in our name to a generic letter. NXTurn, though, made us feel like we would be a priority.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. Honestly, I couldn’t be happier.

Any advice for potential customers?

It’s important to be open-minded and listen to them. NXTurn is able to offer solutions you may not have thought of. Even the CMO knows NetSuite at a developer level, so they know what they’re doing.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the NetSuite administrator for a wholesale manufacturer of product. We use this tool for all of our financial tasks, inventory management, CRM, and customer service. Most of our employees work with this platform. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NXTurn?

NXTurn was the partner that first implemented NetSuite. They helped my company start using it before I started working here. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

After implementing NetSuite, NXTurn provided training for our internal staff members. We started with a basic setup. In 2013, we acquired another company and had multiple subsidiaries, so we converted to a OneWorld account.  NXTurn supported that migration process. We don't have any in-house resources for scripting, so they conduct that work as well.

We still use their team for all of our customizations and records. They're currently helping us improve internal business processes. We've requested advice based on their experience with other clients and the types of software those customers use. NXTurn has provided valuable feedback on complex aspects of these integrations. 

What is the team composition? 

For day-to-day outreach, we work with one member of their team. Moon (Senior Technical Consultant, NXTurn) managed our NetSuite migrations. She knows the financial side of our account very well and is typically our primary point of contact. We work with 3-4 other teammates, including a web specialist and another consultant. 

How did you come to work with NXTurn?

My company hired NXTurn because they had resources local to Houston where our corporate office is based. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spend about $20,000-$40,000 per year on their consulting services. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We went live on NetSuite in June 2011, so NXTurn must have come onboard sometime before then. We have an ongoing engagement. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The customizations NXTurn completed have significantly improved our business processes and cut down the time spent on manual entry. The scripts they've programmed empower members of our team to focus on the more critical aspects of their roles rather than simple, repetitive tasks. NXTurn is keenly familiar with our account at this point, which makes them a valuable partner.

How did NXTurn perform from a project management standpoint?

I'm pleased with NXTurn’s level of availability, communication, and documentation. They typically respond to us very quickly and are transparent about their progress and capabilities. If they need more time for a specific task, they'll tell us beforehand and provide an updated timeline estimate. We appreciate how upfront they are. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

NXTurn always comes up with creative solutions to our problems. They have a strong network within their company of talented people with varied areas of knowledge and expertise. If my point of contact can't answer a question, she'll ask her team and get back to me with the best response. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the VP of operations and COO of Technologent, a $450 million-dollar computer reseller. We design, sell and implement products like hardware, software, and professional services for Fortune 500 companies. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NXTurn?

When we were switching from Salesforce to NetSuite, I looked up Julie (Executive Director and CFO, NXTurn) who I knew from a previous engagement to help us with that conversion. The initial person we worked with had caused us many problems, so I contacted her team at NXTurn to resolve them. 

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We've done many customizations over the number of years we've worked together. They helped us tie a professional service third-party program into NetSuite. When that proved ineffective, they transitioned back to OneWorld, better software for multi-currency sales throughout the world. We consistently rely on NXTurn to help us with scripts or difficult issues we encounter while implementing new programs. They provide useful professional services like hour and project tracking.

What is the team composition? 

Julie (Executive Director and CFO, NXTurn) is the primary person I interface with when I need to talk through higher levels of our goals. A NetSuite administrator from NXTurn also works with many of our team members. 

How did you come to work with NXTurn?

I had worked with Julie (Executive Director and CFO, NXTurn) previously when she was with another company.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent less than $200,000 on their services. We have competent staff in-house, and NXTurn assists them when they need help. Everything we do together is project based, and they're very reasonable in their billing.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working together since June 2010, and our engagement is ongoing. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Most importantly, NXTurn made NetSuite work properly. All the work they've done for us has been outstanding. NXTurn excels at accounting and finance. Our controller relies heavily on their help for revamping as we've reorganized and added branches around the world. 

How did NXTurn perform from a project management standpoint?

Their level of communication and availability when we worked together was fantastic. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

We appreciated how well they corresponded with us. Overall, their knowledge of the systems we work with is outstanding. NXTurn has a keen ability to create tools for us that will get the job done.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I have no suggestions. NXTurn does everything I want and more. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

NXTurn has the right expertise and information to lead a project along successfully. They’ll definitely be able to help new clients out. 

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the IT manager at Yuneec, a drone retail company. We distribute to vendors, sell on our e-commerce site, and provide support and repairs. We also provide training for vendors who sell the drones.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NXTurn?

We needed help with NetSuite implementation. We were migrating from different systems and manual databases. We wanted to integrate every department into one system.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

I worked closely with NXTurn to get everything set up for implementation. They provided all the team training materials to help our employees understand the system. They customized it to meet our business needs. They customized many forms, and a lot of workflows and scripting were required for our business process to streamline better.

They also helped with the integration of our voice system, RingCentral. When a customer calls, NetSuite looks for the number. If it’s there, it pulls up the customer record and a case so the agent can automatically see the notes and documentation. That made things easier.

What is the team composition?

I worked with a project manager and one other person.

How did you come to work with NXTurn?

They were already hired prior to when I came on board.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $400,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from October 2016–March 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

They made everything extremely smooth and were on top of things to meet our deadlines. Once the goal was met, they took the time to train people, which was useful. They made sure the customizations were correct. They doublechecked and tested everything. The NetSuite team fixed things without testing, but NXTurn took the time to test before they provided a final product to us.

NXTurn was easier to work with and knew more about the system than the NetSuite support team. The support we had throughout the process had the biggest impact. They were always available.

How did NXTurn perform from a project management standpoint?

They were responsive. They worked remotely and on site to help with anything that we needed. We used phone and email. I could call them at any time if I had any issues.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The support they provide, their knowledge of the system, and their understanding of the business needs allows them to support a company and provide a good final product. They fit in perfectly with the business process.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They provided good support, but if they had a larger team, they’d probably be able to stand out even more.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the vice president of finance for a company working in the oilfield sector. We provide fresh water hauling for fracking, chemicals, power generation, and various other lines of business. Our primary lines of business are well boring, power generation, and water.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NXTurn?

Due to our merger, we became one entity in July 2017. We started rolling out our initiatives and preparing the migration of the power generation and water hauling areas. We started an aggressive process of redefining our subsidiaries in that month. We hired NXTurn to make a complete assessment. We needed them to migrate our data, streamline our current processes, and develop different structures for implementing NetSuite.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

They first conducted an analysis of our goals and compared them to how the system was being utilized. Their team determined what conflicts we would have, as we migrated data from one system to another. We brought over the best practices for the power generation portion, which was different because it mostly involves rental equipment. There were a lot of different rules to be implemented, such as utilization and how we were to monitor the billing and submissions of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange). Some of the smaller entities we acquired were on QuickBooks, Sage, other programs. NXTurn worked to move the data from those programs to the NetSuite platform.

We had another consultant helping us with the documentation, NXTurn performed the initial stages to determine if those processes would work with the new NetSuite enhancements.

From the time of starting out, the project continues to evolve with additional enhancements. We're involving more migrations and gap analyses, as we bring in other companies or break out divisions.

We currently hold two-hour sessions twice per week, for discussions on updates. They continue to provide streamlining or training whenever NXTurn rolls out something new.

What is the team composition?

We primarily deal with an account manager and with a programming manager. There is also a project manager that works to create the project definitions and manages the project list and timelines.

How did you come to work with NXTurn?

They were already the provider of services for one of the legacy companies. They’d been involved since the early stages of implementation.

How much have you invested with them?

We invested $500,000–$1,000,000 thus far.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with NXTurn in July 2017, and we have an ongoing engagement.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

NXTurn’s work is a tremendously positive impact on our business thus far. We would not be where we are today without them. They provide the internal resources we don't have. NXTurn is an excellent mediator bringing us up-to-speed on knowledge of the system, making our processes more efficient, and effectively training our staff.

They help bring our IT group together and also introduces us to new providers. Through them, we find other professionals that can help facilitate our transition and make us more proficient.

How did NXTurn perform from a project management standpoint?

We're in constant communication, and I have an excellent rapport with my account manager. He is always on-target, and we conduct scheduled calls. I never have to wait for them. If anything, they’re probably waiting on me most of the time. They connect well with our team members, and they make sure that I’m in the loop whenever. NXTurn performs with the utmost professionalism.

What did you find most impressive about them?

I appreciate their ability to stay on target. For having such a lean team, they’re able to keep us moving in the right direction. Other consultants tend to bring us a lot of fluff, but our contacts from NXTurn are in-tune with the fact that our goal is to speed things up and be lean. They serve those purposes extremely well.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We don’t have enough visibility to the top of their leaders, such as their CEO. This may not be necessary, but other consultants usually have someone from the marketing or sales check on the project. It’s not necessary, but an occasional high-level conversation would give us the opportunity to tell their internal management team that they’re doing a good job. I don’t get any feedback from their upper echelon.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP finance for a private equity-funded energy firm. My responsibilities include HR, accounting, and IT services.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NXTurn?

As part of our fourth acquisition, we acquired a company that effectively quadrupled our size. Prior, they had already implemented a NetSuite enterprise resource planning (ERP) system with NXTurn. We hired the vendor to implement the same solution for our whole team.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We transitioned from QuickBooks to NetSuite in an accelerated six-week implementation timeline. Although there wasn’t a ton of customization—our team had chartered accounts and geographic structure—NXTurn did copy the previous integration’s structure and ported it to our company. Post-implementation, the team trained our accounting team at the district and regional levels over a two-day period; they also trained our corporate level and did ad hoc web-based refreshers over a six-month period. In addition, training extended to new employees in that six-month window.

What is the team composition?

Our primary and secondary leads were our main points of contact. They had a team working behind the scenes.

How did you come to work with NXTurn?

We hired NXTurn without considering alternatives. The decision was based on their previous NetSuite implementation, which was appropriate for our business.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $100,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with them in September 2017 and the implementation went live that November. Since then, we’ve been rolling through further updates and customizations.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The NetSuite implementation and financial analysis enabled us to absorb the acquisition and update our system in a rapid timeframe. We could never have run a company this size without our old technology.

How did NXTurn perform from a project management standpoint?

They were great during the initial six-week period. However, their availability became inconsistent as transitioned to project mode. Similarly, the initial documentation was solid, but that even tapered off as we rolled into a more long-term relationship.

What did you find most impressive about them?

First, we didn’t have to explain our business repeatedly to them. Second, they met our hard timeline, which we accelerated to an unusual pace for the ERP space.

Are there any areas they could improve?

Understandably, we’re not the team’s first priority when they get busy. It’d be nice to have a backup resource for immediate response when our usual contacts are unavailable.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the VP of Mission First Tactical, a manufacturer-distributor into the wholesale and big-box market.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with NXTurn?

After using NetSuite for 10 years, we wanted to replace our outdated website.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We didn’t’ have a dealer locator functionality. NXTurn worked on that database and the backend while incorporating our designs into the rebuild. My creative team built the skin for the look and feel we wanted–a more modern design with easier navigation and an improved sitemap.

What is the team dynamic?

We worked with a project manager.

How did you come to work with NXTurn?

I asked my IT department to find a competent company well-versed in NetSuite. We cared more about accuracy and timeliness than cost. NXTurn was their ultimate recommendation.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $45,000 in total.

What is the status of this engagement?

The partnership started in December 2016 and worked ceased in October 2017.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Describe the impact this engagement has had on your business.

Currently, the website isn’t live because they never completed development. We collaborated on the design aspect without issue, but a billing discrepancy arose when we nearly had a working prototype. We realized our total bills–$45,000–exceeded the initial $35,000 quote and were still piling up. Our team approached NXTurn but they said insisted on that amount for work requested, even though we hadn’t discussed the difference.

How was project management handled?

They used Basecamp to lead work and manage resources. The project manager watched the teams communicate, but should have stepped in more actively. Conversations about increased costs never took place.

Is there anything that the vendor did well or that you would consider a strength?

They were pretty good at following instructions, but we didn't appreciate the manner in which they handled the rest of the business. Their unwillingness to discuss anything was aggravating.

In what specific areas can they improve?

The team needs to communicate billing and timelines more clearly.

What advice do you have for clients with similar needs to yours?

I would tell them to work with somebody else.

Company Responses

Mission First Tactical (MFT) engaged NXTurn for a project with an estimated budget of $35,250.00 in January of 2017. This project is not a fixed bid and was invoiced per hourly rate with at least one (1) invoice per month as record and recognition of hours and services performed. These invoices were supplied detailing all work and associated hours with over 180 project correspondences regarding day-to-day progress and access to staged environments. MFT was participatory and providing feedback within our project management tool (Basecamp) and was made aware when additional work was required. MFT never questioned costs during the aforementioned communications.  NXTurn attempted specific billing/invoicing discussion starting in July of 2017 to review project costs without success. NXTurn continued to attempt discussions regarding invoicing an additional 13 times with eight (8) outstanding unpaid invoices. The inability to contact a billing contact at MFT continued until September 28, 2017, when MFT was made aware the project is complete and ready for launch. At this time MFT announced their dissatisfaction claiming they were never informed of the costs and disputed the nature of the work.  We at NXTurn attempted to resolve outstanding invoices, even offering a break in total costs. We are committed to excellence in delivery and dismayed by this situation.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

We’re a startup eCommerce company focused on the kindergarten through 12th grade space. We operate several hundred eCommerce properties for schools. We do that via leveraging the Magento enterprise front-end and a NetSuite backend that is responsible for all of our order management, financial CRM, and ERP functions.

What is your position in the company?

I’m the chief operating officer.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe the business challenges that you were attempting to address when you initiated the project with NXTurn?

One of the keys to our capacity to scale is the ability not to touch everyone that comes across our front-end systems. In general, as we run more and more websites, our goal is to run thousands of storefronts for people, we need to do that without scaling to thousands of people. This is accomplished by automating the majority of the process.

We’ve done a lot of custom configuration of our Magento front-end and we needed a lot of custom-type data structures brought to NetSuite in order to manage the business effectively . The relationship with NXTurn was brought about after some failed attempts with other solution partners. We collaborated with them to build a custom connector between Magento and NetSuite, and to configure NetSuite to receive the data in a way that it could be manipulated effectively.

What were the objective parameters that you were attempting to attain through this integration between NetSuite and Magento?

We didn’t dial in an objective per se, but if I were to look at cost to deliver, I would use that as a potential metric, or the number of touches I have per order. It used to take us 17 steps to take an order and bring it to fulfillment. That’s since been reduced to only a few steps. At the end of the day, I’ve got human resources that I need to scale through the use of technology.

SOLUTION

Could you describe the scope of this project in terms of its components? Did it involve custom design, development, training, or support?

There was light scripting and design in terms of the configuration and how the data maps. Both of our platforms, NetSuite and Magento, have APIs, so it’s basically configuring the system so that the mappings properly work and that the data comes over correctly. That did require light scripting, and not much training necessarily. It was really just configuring the mappings.

Do you currently have a retainer in place with them for ongoing support?

I suppose we do. With the connector, the way that they monetize their work is an upfront setup fee, and then a monthly fee to run and maintain the connector. So, the fee covers not only the actual function, but also the support and maintenance that goes with it.

Why did you select Magento and NetSuite as your preferred solutions?

Magento was decided upon many years ago when the company was started, because we didn’t have extensive resources. Magento had a community edition that was free, and it was also the leading open source eCommerce platform in the market. That’s why we chose Magento.

NetSuite was a fairly recent decision. We launched it almost 18 months ago. That was a real undertaking, when I joined the company, because it was very clear that without enterprise systems on the back-end, we would be completely unable to scale the business. So we did quite a bit of work looking at various other providers. We ultimately chose NetSuite because of its robust functionality and its overall scalability.

How did you select NXTurn as your solution partner?

We had been working with a Magento developer that knew NXTurn, and they made the introduction. I wasn’t aware of NXTurn until that happened. We had been working with another solution partner that had been recommended to us by NetSuite. It turned out to be a very poor experience for us. When we met NXTurn a year or so ago, they were just solid, ethical, capable guys who got things done.

What components of the project were you directly involved with in terms of contributing expertise in-house?

We are a fairly thin and light organization. We had some Magento expertise that they didn’t have, which we certainly contributed. We knew very little about NetSuite and how to utilize it effectively. NXTurn were the experts in that arena, and we collaborated with them closely as we integrated the two systems. Our teams worked very well together.

Could you give me a sense of the size of this project in monetary terms?

I’d like to say it was approximately $130,000.

When was this project completed?

We actually have another project ongoing right now. We’re continually developing it, but the basic implementation was completed back in June.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, are there any metrics or statistics that you could share with me that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work they’ve provided for you?

Well, my orders come across my connector, so other than that, not really. It’s the kind of thing where when the water comes out from the faucet, it works. The water is definitely coming out of the faucet. It sounds so simple when I describe it that way, but I assure you that the process was quite complex and cumbersome.

In retrospect, do you feel that your selection of NetSuite as your ERP and CRM backend was the correct choice?

Absolutely. I’m a huge fan of NetSuite. I think it’s a great platform. It’s not perfect by any means. There are a lot of things I wish it could do more easily, effectively, or without extra module costs, but it’s a far cry better than anything else I’ve seen out there. I do have issues with NetSuite’s professional services capabilities. I think that’s a weak spot for their company still. But, in terms of the platform itself, I’m excited.

Are there any areas that you feel NXTurn could improve upon or that you might do differently as a client before approaching this kind of project?

No. I think they’re a professional services firm. All PS firms have pretty similar challenges. I think that as long as the buyer of professional services understands what those are, it doesn’t matter what the firm is, you need to know what to look out for.

In general, those are things like utilization and manpower because their job is people. Trying to keep people fully utilized and not oversold is difficult, right? You really have to understand that in their type of market, there’s going to be times where they do oversell and there would be times when they’re undersold, and they’ve got more capability than you might need at that point. It’s just a matter of working inside that framework.

BACKGROUND

Could you briefly describe your company?

We’re a relatively small, privately held manufacturer and distributor of dietary supplements---basically food products. We sell them to health food, fitness, and vitamin stores throughout the United States. We’re bringing in roughly $5 million in annual revenues.  

What is your position in the company?

I’m the chief financial officer. I’m also one of the three members of the board of directors. And I’m the treasurer and the secretary.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

Could you describe to me the business challenges that you were attempting to address when you initiated the project with NXTurn?

What happened here is this company was on NetSuite through the beginning of 2012. An independent consultant took them off and put them on QuickBooks. Remember that this is a manufacturer. Not only did the consultant put them on QuickBooks, there was no inventory system within QuickBooks. The module was left out. From an enterprise perspective, the finance platform that was in QuickBooks was not integrated with our Salesforce logistics or CRM. I’m not really an IT professional. I’m not versed in all of the details, but it was very clear to me that QuickBooks was not the right answer. The company had maintained the original instance of NetSuite. I was able to get firsthand experience and I was able to touch NetSuite---the software---firsthand. And I had some kind of epiphany. It was like, “When did you guys get off of this? Why didn’t you just fix it and stay with NetSuite?”

NetSuite is clearly the enterprise solution that this company needed. Our finance is one thing but we also have a complete CRM package, and we have logistics. Everything is connected and stored in a Cloud. We don’t have to invest tremendously in the hardware. We had servers here to support the QuickBooks and a bunch of other processes. It was clearly the right answer for this company, but it needed to be done correctly. It needed to be implemented correctly, because in interviewing people around here, I could also tell that it wasn’t implemented properly in the original state years ago. Nobody received training on the solution. I’ve never implemented an enterprise wide system before, but those things are common practice. I think I learned that in college in 1977, which was garbage in, garbage out. You've got to train the staff. 

SOLUTION

How did you select NXTurn as your solution partner?

We looked at a couple solution providers, including NetSuite. Nobody here knows how to implement a system. It was a failure in a prior life. Therefore the only thing we could do or the right thing to do was to hire intelligent consultants to come in and take us by the hand and pull us through the process. Somebody here had a previous relationship with NXTurn. Once we spoke with them and had them explain their capabilities and approach, at that point, I didn’t really care how much it was going to cost. It was extremely expensive by the way, but I didn’t care what it was going to cost me. We were going to have NXTurn on our team. They really understand both our business and the software at the same time. I could tell they were going to get the job done correctly.

Could you describe the scope of the project in terms of components: did it include custom design, development, training, support, etc.?

NXTurn handled the complete implementation of our NetSuite solution. They even helped us design our manufacturing process from scratch. That’s big. It isn’t merely transferring our accounts receivable and our accounts payable data. We had to develop a complete manufacturing system to embed into the NetSuite production module. That really, really took a lot of time. That took almost four months, but it was done well and done correctly.

What components of the project did you directly contribute to with in-house expertise?

I was responsible for the oversight of the project. We don’t have an IT function here because we’re such a small company. We have twenty-two employees. We made sure that we had one person who was responsible for production. We also had a person responsible for logistics to make sure our warehousing materials were received and then shipped out to their respective customers. Last but not least, we had two sales associates ensure the sales integration with the logistics, general ledger, and CRM platform were properly developed and implemented. We basically formed these impromptu teams to oversee and monitor each component of the project. The entire process was very well organized and executed.

Could you give me a sense of the size of this initiative in monetary terms? 

The first phase cost us $60,000. Phase two will probably be the same amount. Combined, their services will cost us $120,000. If you include the licensing cost for our NetSuite software, then it’s closer to $300,000.

When was the first phase of the actual implementation completed?

We did the crossover on July 25th of 2013 and we went live the next day, July 26th.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

In terms of results, could you share any statistics or metrics that would demonstrate the effectiveness of the work that they provided?

Not really. The visibility that we have with NetSuite is so much grander in terms of our production. Beforehand, we only knew what our inventory was once a month, when we did our physical inventory at the end of the month. We only knew what our operating results were at that time. Now we have information in real time both in terms of our sales operations and our production. In retrospect, having worked with the functioning NetSuite solution, it’s been clear that we were operating with serious human error. We were able to identify those gaps in the process and rectify them, which was impossible before. That’s been the largest improvement by far.

When working with NXTurn, is there anything that you would consider unique or special about them compared to other solution providers you’ve worked with in the past?

I haven’t worked with any in the past. Like I said, I don’t have a lot of experience in this realm. It’s a relationship type of thing. It was very clear to me. For example, we actually talked to NetSuite. They have their own implementation team. That was a really underwhelming experience because there were too many people involved. I know it wasn’t going to be the most efficient route, even if it was their product. NXTurn is extremely organized and methodical. Everything was approached strategically and planned comprehensively. We had documentation to support every activity and every decision, and our own people monitored all of it.

In retrospect, are there any areas that you believe NXTurn could improve upon or that you would do differently as the client before approaching this type of implementation?

That’s a tough question. The answer is certainly no. I think that the thing about our implementation---it might be unique---is that we had a chance to evaluate it beforehand. I’ll use the expression, “fiddle with the knobs and switches” on our prior failed instance of NetSuite. If I didn’t have that, I think there would have been a lot more getting off track. Exposing ourselves to the platform before we retried its implementation probably made all the difference.