One of my favorite features within NetSuite is the saved search function, which gives me the ability to create any type of custom data set that I can dream up. As a marketer, these infinitely-customizable reports provide endless opportunities for email segmentation, outbound sales efforts, or targeted promotions. As a manager, they provide me with a bevy of options for solving repetitive problems and saving time for my staff. Lastly, as the office “NetSuite wizard,” they are my go-to tool for answering any questions that other departments bring my way – from “how many orders did we ship to California last month?” to “what’s our gross profit margin on drop shipments?,” if there’s data to be found, there’s a saved search that can find it.
If you’re already familiar with NetSuite’s saved searches, then you’ve undoubtedly used them to create an array of data sets and reports to meet specific needs within your organization. If you’ve not yet experienced the power of saved searches yourself, then you’re missing out on an extremely versatile way to segment data for a variety of applications. Whether you’re an experienced saved search guru or are just discovering them for the first time, this list of a few of my favorite saved searches will help you find inspiring new ways for incorporating them into your business processes.
1) In-Stock Product Display
If your business sells physical products – particularly those that have variations like size or color – then you have probably had to make substitution suggestions when customers place orders for out-of-stock items. Using a saved item search can make this process fast and easy, especially when you harness the power of filters on the search results page. To begin, set the search criteria to display only items that have an “Available” quantity greater than 0. If necessary, add additional criteria like “Product Type” to provide further segmentation of the data (which is especially useful for organizations that sell products across vastly different product categories). Add the “Available” quantity to the results tab, then configure filters that will allow you to limit the results based on product variations; if you’re working with matrix items, then you can use the matrix option fields as filters. The next time a customer asks what products are in stock and available to ship immediately, you can pull up your search and quickly provide them with a list of options, filtering as desired to find the closest match to their needs.
2) Fraud Prevention
Even with the built-in verification system that is part of the credit card approval process within NetSuite, there are cases in which it makes sense to have an order pass through an additional level of review prior to release. For some businesses, these suspicious transactions may be easy to spot manually, with simple criteria like shipping destination or order value. For other organizations, the criteria may be more complex, with specific combinations of two or three fields that cause an order to require review. Use a saved transaction search that examines your target fields, then configure the email option to send the resulting records on entry into the search. This will automatically notify your desired staff members any time an order that meets the specified criteria is created so that they can review it before it is shipped.
3) Website Maintenance
From time to time, you may have a need to temporarily remove products from your website due to stocking issues or other factors. Since purchasing and web maintenance are generally performed by two separate departments, products can sometimes fall through the cracks when they finally come back into stock, remaining hidden from your website visitors despite having inventory in your warehouse. To keep an eye out for these inactive items, create a saved item search that has criteria of “Display in Web Store” is false and “Available” is greater than 0. Set it to display as a dashboard reminder and/or configure an email that is automatically sent when a new record is found to be alerted any time an item needs to be reactivated in your web store.
4) Product Upselling
Many products lines have complimentary accessory items or consumable supplies that are intended to be purchased in conjunction with one another. Representatives taking orders over the phone can effectively talk customers through all of the available options, but how do you identify orders with upselling opportunities that were placed online? Try creating one or more saved transaction searches that find web orders with a specific item but not the related items. Set the search to trigger an automatic email to a member of your sales staff every time a new record is found so that they can contact the customer and ensure that they have all of the required accessories before their order ships. This handy search will quickly identify upselling opportunities that have a high probability of converting without any extra effort from your employees.