Enhancing Your NetSuite Experience with Dashboard Tiles

When you are driving a car, you can look down at the dashboard to know the speed you are driving at, the gas left, and any other thing that may require your attention. This concept is replicated into ERPs but for businesses. NetSuite dashboards give you a quick glimpse of what is going on in a business with some cool NetSuite dashboard tiles, giving you the important bits of information under one umbrella. You can say that NetSuite dashboard is like a speed dial, you can just jump on it for any emergency, navigate the problem and make a decision or correction accordingly. It saves a lot of time, big time. 

If you are a new NetSuite user, NetSuite dashboard tiles can be your best buddy. Instead of having to dig a plethora of information about your business, opening multiple tabs, and going through the guides and handbook, these NetSuite dashboard tiles can help you find what you need instantly. 

You can take a quick glimpse of the current sales figure, any outstanding invoice, or maybe the inventory levels. Without getting overwhelmed by a tonne of information, you can see what is important. Totally like a cheat code sheet of GTA, right?

Now let’s dig deeper and see the capabilities of NetSuite dashboard and why you should know how to use it. 

What is a NetSuite Dashboard?

Imagine NetSuite as your giant business toolbox. A dashboard is like a handy organizer tray inside that toolbox to keep the most needed things at your fingertips. NetSuite dashboards use these building blocks called portlets. You can think of the dashboard tiles of NetSuite as mini-tools. These portlets show you data, like sales figures or inventory levels, shortcuts and reminders. They may help you jump quickly to different areas in NetSuite. The best part is there are many different portlets to choose from. You can customize your dashboard to your liking and to show exactly what is more important. This way, it becomes easier to understand what’s going on in your business without having to navigate along multiple apps.

Types of NetSuite Dashboard Tiles

Not all NetSuite dashboard tiles are created equally. There are three basic styles, each meant to provide information in a unique way. Let’s look at what each one offers to assist you personalize your dashboard for optimum business insight:

1. Static Tile:

Static NetSuite dashboard tile is your go-to for displaying a single, straightforward piece of information. Think of it as a digital sticky note that reminds you of a vital metric, such as your current sales objective or total inventory.

2. Reminder Tile:

Do you need a nudge to stay on track? NetSuite dashboard tiles are miniature alarm clocks. They can show you approaching deadlines, expired tasks, and anything else you need to remember to keep your business running properly.

3. Scorecard Tile: 

This NetSuite dashboard tile serves as your mini-analysis center. It can display several data points relating to a given topic, such as sales performance or customer happiness. Consider it a little report that allows you to observe how different metrics have trended over time and compare them side by side. This provides you with a more full picture of what is happening in your organization.

What are NetSuite Dashboard Roles?

NetSuite allows you to construct bespoke dashboards for most tabs, so don’t try to fit everything onto a single Home page dashboard. With so much information at our fingertips, it is critical that we provide our end users with the concentration they require to perform their duties effectively and efficiently in the system. If feasible, limit the number of portlets on each dashboard to 5 or 6, and use the various dashboard layout choices to avoid scrolling up and down. Consider how successful Apple has been with their simple designs and straightforward interfaces. Always aim for simplicity. 

System performance is also an important factor to consider. If your dashboard has a lot of portlets that need to be refreshed from large data sets, the website will take some time to load and refresh. Not appropriate for accessing real-time info.

Maintain focus. Dashboards should be tailored to the needs of a specific user role. Ideally, each user position will have their own set of dashboards that are published; not everyone in the firm should be using the same set of dashboards.

NetSuite Dashboard Customization Using Portlets 

A portlet is a visual plug-in that can be added to your NetSuite dashboard and configured to display certain data. It gives you a brief overview of your organization, and the portlet options allow you to tailor your view. The Personalize Dashboard panel displays what you want to add to your dashboard’s tabs. You can incorporate them into Standard Content, Custom Portlets, Report Snapshots, and Trend Graphs. The Currently Used tab lists the portlets you are currently using.

Let’s see how we can build a customized NetSuite dashboard using portlets.

1. Head to your NetSuite home page and find the “Dashboard” section.
2. Click on the “Personalize Dashboard” button. This opens a panel on the right side of your screen filled with customization options.
3. This panel displays various portlet options under different tabs like “Standard Content” and “SuiteApps” (if applicable). These represent the building blocks for your dashboard.
4. Think about the key information you want to see at a glance.  
5. Simply drag and drop the desired portlet from the panel onto your dashboard layout. You can arrange them however you like for optimal viewing.
6. Many portlets allow further customization. Click the “Set Up” link on the portlet’s title bar to configure the data displayed and its visual presentation.
7. Once you’ve arranged and configured your portlets, click the “Save” button to lock in your customized dashboard.

What is a Custom Portlet? 

NetSuite dashboard tiles are the building blocks that help you bring your personalized dashboard to life. What if the information you really need isn’t readily available in a pre-made tile? That’s where custom portlets do their part. Custom portlets use NetSuite’s SuiteScript to display information tailored to your specific needs. This could be anything from a dynamic sales chart based on a custom formula to a list of upcoming tasks assigned to a particular team member. 

By utilizing pre-built custom portlets, you can extend the functionality of your NetSuite dashboard tiles to encompass virtually any data point or process relevant to your business. In essence, custom portlets turn your dashboard into a truly dynamic command center, reflecting the unique information needs of your organization.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the pre-built portlet choices you can use as NetSuite dashboard tiles: 

Analytics:

These portlets are perhaps the most significant ones on your dashboard. They are the ones who provide you with immediate insight into how your business is performing. The Analytics portlet lets you view a workbook chart, pivot table, or table view. Many portlets can only be used once on a dashboard, however the Analytics portlet can be used up to ten times. 

In the portlet, click Set Up and choose a workbook visualization from the list. You can also specify layout settings for the displayed portlets, such as the portlet title and chart, pivot table, and table views.

Custom Search: 

NetSuite Administrators can configure the saved search and the number of results to display by choosing Set Up. Administrators can also change the headline of your portlet. You can decide whether to go down into search results within the portlet or on a different page. If you have enabled the Inline Editing option, you can choose whether or not to allow inline editing of search results. This dashboard portlet displays up to six saved search results. 

Goals: 

This portlet shows steps to take toward goals, as well as an overview of goals in progress. You can see your own goals that are starting soon, due soon, or overdue. You may also see how far your top three goals have come and how much time has passed. 

If you are assigned as a supervisor to at least one person in NetSuite, you can examine your direct reports’ goal information. You can see which goals need to be approved or reflected on, as well as which are past due. As a manager, you may also see the progress and time spent on your direct subordinates’ ongoing goals.

KPI:

KPIs are used to track progress toward a company goal. In practice, KPIs are created, disseminated, and monitored throughout a time period that corresponds to the underlying purpose.

KPIs are often reviewed at regular intervals to determine whether course corrections are necessary. During this process, you may want to reevaluate your KPI choices. After a target has been met, some KPIs may be terminated, changed, or renewed. Employee recognition, advancement, and financial incentives are usually dependent on KPIs.

Reminders: 

They display important activities, which are past due or have to be completed soon. In the portlet, click Set Up to select the sorts of reminders and the number of days in advance that they should be displayed. Click on a reminder to proceed to the page where action is required.

Benefits of NetSuite Dashboard Customization 

1. Get a clear and consolidated view of key performance indicators (KPIs) and critical business data, all on a single screen.
2. Gain real-time insights to make informed choices based on the most up-to-date information.
3. Save valuable time by having all the information you need readily available, eliminating the need to navigate through multiple reports and menus.
4. Customize your dashboard with the specific data points most relevant to your role and responsibilities.
5. Stay focused and on top of tasks with reminder tiles and quick access to frequently used areas.
6. Share customized dashboards with colleagues to foster better collaboration and understanding of key business metrics.

Conclusion

NetSuite dashboard tiles have the potential to transform how you and your end users interact with the system. One of the primary advantages of using a solution like NetSuite is the opportunity to customize the system to your individual company needs. Yet it is still uncommon to see customized and easy-to-navigate dashboards for businesses. 

You don’t have to start from scratch! You can utilize existing dashboard tiles in NetSuite. NetSuite dashboard tiles are an excellent approach to offer more engaging dashboard content, as they can flash when certain conditions are met. Similar to the highlighting functionality for reminders, but more visible. 

Folio3’s NetSuite implementation is the ultimate solution for all of your business challenges. Folio3 has comprehensive knowledge in all aspects of the NetSuite ecosystem as a long-term NetSuite partner. We understand the complexities of NetSuite deployments. We can assist you with the whole implementation process, from requirement identification to planning to actual performance. 
If you want to learn more about dashboard tiles in NetSuite, and are considering NetSuite for your business, get in touch with us and check out our resources at Folio3.