Modern finance and accounting departments are confronting an era of unprecedented disruption. They’re under constant pressure to close books faster, maintain real-time visibility into cash flow, and handle ever-increasing volumes of data. But many businesses still rely on Excel spreadsheets, manual data entry, and lengthy approval chains—a model that struggles to keep pace with rapidly changing market and operational demands. In a recent webinar, ONE Pacific partnered with Workato to showcase how low-code/no-code automation can alleviate these pressures, with a specific focus on the NetSuite ecosystem. By weaving Workato into NetSuite-centric workflows, organizations can reduce busywork, minimize errors, and empower their finance teams to focus on strategic, high-value activities rather than day-to-day grunt work.
This post compliments that webinar, diving deep into how finance automation has evolved, the specific advantages of NetSuite and Workato integrations, and the live scenarios demonstrated during the session. The overarching goal is to illustrate how a thoughtful blend of cloud ERP, user-friendly automation, and secure data flows can liberate finance from repetitive tasks—and position the function as a strategic partner to the rest of the enterprise.
(Check out the full video below)
The Shifting Landscape of Finance
Finance and accounting have traditionally been tied to monthly or quarterly cycles. Tasks such as invoice processing, reconciliations, data consolidation, and transaction auditing often eat up a significant portion of the month. One of the webinar’s key observations is that this approach might have worked in simpler times, but modern organizations need to move at a much faster clip. Not only do executives want real-time reporting, but regulatory requirements often demand instant traceability of financial data. With more data sources coming into play—e-commerce platforms, subscription billing systems, logistics dashboards—finance teams can quickly drown in spreadsheets and email-based approvals.
NetSuite has become one of the most popular cloud ERPs in this environment precisely because it offers real-time data access, intuitive role-based dashboards, and easy scalability. Yet even NetSuite can’t, on its own, eliminate all manual effort. Each unique business has specific processes, approval flows, and data-sharing protocols that fall outside an ERP’s standard modules. That’s where solutions like Workato play an essential role. Workato’s platform connects NetSuite to other apps—like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Salesforce, Jira, or Shopify—through “recipes” that non-technical users can configure. When properly implemented, these automations ensure data moves seamlessly between systems, eliminating the need for an accountant or operations specialist to manually copy-and-paste records.
The Benefits of Automating Finance Processes
In the webinar, we discussed several. Primary is the simple matter of time saved. One major technology company cited in the session managed to automate 70 percent of its accounts payable processes by relying on well-defined rules and electronic workflows. For smaller enterprises, the story is just as compelling. They don’t have the luxury of large finance teams, so scaling manual processes becomes untenable as transaction volumes grow. By automating repetitive tasks and data syncing, an organization can effectively handle more volume without increasing headcount.
Second is improved accuracy and data consistency. Manual entries are error-prone, especially in periods of rush or when teams are distributed across different offices or time zones. Pulling data from an e-commerce platform, for example, and then keying it into NetSuite, opens the door to mismatched numbers, missing records, or neglected refunds. Once an automation “recipe” is set up, the same data that appears in Shopify can land in NetSuite with no keystrokes in between—virtually eliminating input mistakes.
Third is the speed and transparency of financial cycles. Because Workato can handle triggers such as “order created” or “invoice approved,” it’s possible to alert key users instantly. This eliminates the dreaded scenario where finance waits several days for a sales team to finalize a contract or a manager to approve an invoice. Instead, the relevant collaborator gets a message in Slack or Teams, clicks approve (or reject), and the NetSuite status updates immediately. This near-real-time handoff translates into faster monthly closes, quicker reconciliations, and a more agile finance team overall.
No-Code/Low-Code: Why It Matters
Traditional integration projects often require specialized developers or months of coding. Yet in finance, speed is of the essence, and budgets may not allow for large-scale IT expansions. Low-code/no-code platforms, exemplified by Workato, are designed so that individuals without deep programming knowledge can drag and drop fields, define if-then statements, and set triggers and actions in plain English. This democratization of automation means finance and operations teams—who know the data and processes best—can orchestrate their own solutions.
Once you deploy an automation platform like Workato, the incremental cost for each additional workflow goes down significantly. In other words, the first few recipes might replace the most painful manual steps in accounts receivable or procure-to-pay. Soon after, the same tool can handle tasks in HR, marketing, or even IT support, all with minimal extra complexity. The more you automate, the smoother—and cheaper—subsequent automations become.
Moreover, many business users appreciate the immediacy of seeing changes in NetSuite the moment something is updated in a complementary system. If you’re running multiple e-commerce storefronts, for example, you can unify all data flows into NetSuite in one “source of truth” environment. Rather than building (and rebuilding) custom code for each storefront, you can set up Workato connectors that reference SKU fields, customer details, or discount rules with a few clicks. From there, the system handles the rest, and finance sees an accurate reflection of all commerce activity within the ERP.
Examples from the Webinar
Here's a few of the real-world use cases discussed in the video:
- Creating a Customer Record via Slack
In this example, with a brief Slack command such as “/onepac create customer” Workato then prompted for details (company name, contact info, estimate of annual revenue). After the user submits, the platform auto-created or updated the matching customer record in both Salesforce (for the sales team’s CRM data) and NetSuite (for financial records). This consolidation of tasks ensures that no one has to enter data twice, and both finance and sales get immediate visibility. - Approvals and Ticket Updates in Microsoft Team
Another scenario showcased an approval workflow for, say, an invoice or a high-value purchase. Once the invoice hits a threshold, a message appears in Microsoft Teams requesting a manager to “Approve” or “Reject.” Upon clicking one of these buttons, NetSuite’s status changes accordingly in real time. This reduces the friction of emailing PDFs or waiting on a signature, especially when finance staff may be spread across multiple offices. - Connecting Jira Tickets to Slack
We demonstrated how an update in Jira (such as a ticket going from “In Progress” to “Resolved”) automatically notifies the relevant stakeholder in Slack, who can then mark it done in one click. While this is often viewed as an IT support scenario, the same principle applies to finance teams addressing internal requests for budget changes, expense reimbursements, or supplier issues. Everything flows behind the scenes into the NetSuite environment so that up-to-date statuses are always accessible.
Each of these examples highlighted the same essential point: once a user-friendly automation tool is in place, it becomes trivial to spin up new workflows. You can decide to unify multiple e-commerce storefronts (Shopify, Magento, Amazon) into NetSuite for inventory and fulfillment, or you can link your ERP to a big data warehouse to feed real-time analytics. The repetitive coding of field mappings and authentication is all handled by the Workato platform, leaving end-users to define what the business logic should look like.
Deeper Value for Modern Finance
While the immediate impact of automation is often measured in hours saved or manual tasks eliminated, the ripple effects run deeper. Finance teams that replace drudgery with automation can focus on more strategic functions, such as:
- Crafting data-driven forecasts and “what-if” scenarios in NetSuite’s planning modules.
- Collaborating with sales to refine discount strategies, leveraging real-time data integration with CRM.
- Monitoring supplier performance in real time so that procurement decisions can factor in lead times or shipping costs without guesswork.
- Embedding advanced analytics—predictive models, anomaly detection—because the underlying dataset is reliably captured in NetSuite or an associated data repository.
It also fosters a stronger sense of ownership and engagement among finance staff. When employees no longer have to chase missing documents or key in endless rows of figures, they can flex their analytical muscles. This, in turn, drives retention, reduces burnout, and creates a more positive environment where finance is a partner rather than a bottleneck.
Orchestrating an Automation Workshop
For businesses unsure of where to start, the presenters recommended running an “automation workshop.” This means gathering the key stakeholders in finance, IT, and operations to identify the biggest pain points and the processes that are most ripe for automation. Often, these are tasks that require:
- Handling large volumes of structured data (e.g., e-commerce transactions).
- Repetitive steps with no real complexity beyond a few if-then conditions (e.g., approvals under a certain dollar threshold).
- Dependencies on multiple systems, each with different logins or data formats.
- Ongoing frustration and potential for errors (like daily reconciliation of payments).
Once you identify two or three prime targets, you spin up a pilot using a no-code approach. That might mean automating something small—like creating a new vendor in NetSuite whenever a supply request is approved in Teams—but the quick success typically spurs further adoption.
Security and Scalability
Workato, NetSuite, and related automation platforms also address a critical concern: data security. On-premise solutions or ad-hoc scripts can be vulnerable to errors, lack robust encryption, or fail to track changes systematically. Modern cloud platforms, however, incorporate security at multiple layers—authentication, data encryption, role-based access, and thorough logging. This means that every automated action leaves a clear audit trail, which is essential for compliance initiatives like SOX or GDPR. It also enables finance managers to see who triggered which processes, whether an approval was properly documented, and how data flows across each step.
In terms of scalability, once your automations prove successful in one region or department, you can replicate them elsewhere. A growing multinational might start with NetSuite for headquarters, integrate a single e-commerce store, then gradually roll out the same pattern to multiple stores across Europe, Asia, or North America. The underlying recipes can be cloned and adapted with minimal friction, ensuring consistent best practices worldwide.
Looking Ahead
With no-code automation, there’s no need to wait weeks for IT to prioritize an integration project. Instead, finance professionals can directly design and refine automations that suit their exact pain points. By doing so, they reduce the risk of miscommunication and keep improvement cycles nimble. This approach echoes a broader shift in enterprise technology: business units want autonomy over daily tools and processes, while IT oversees governance and security at a broader level. Workato’s architecture supports exactly that model, enabling finance to create robust data flows within the guardrails that IT sets.
As market dynamics continue to evolve—from supply chain disruptions to new e-commerce models—organizations with agile finance operations will be better positioned to adapt. NetSuite provides the centralized, real-time ERP foundation, while Workato extends that foundation to interact with any number of third-party applications and micro-services. Combined, they offer a way to unify data across the enterprise, speed up approvals, remove data silos, and deliver a consistent view to all stakeholders.
Conclusion and Next Steps
The transformation of finance from a back-office cost center to a strategic hub is well underway. Cloud ERP platforms like NetSuite address many of the fundamental data and reporting needs, but the actual day-to-day friction often stems from clunky manual tasks. With no-code/low-code automation in place, these gaps shrink dramatically. Instead of shuffling spreadsheets and emailing invoices back and forth, finance can refine predictive models, explore deeper analytics, and respond in near-real time to changing business conditions.
For companies ready to accelerate this transition, the key lies in identifying the low-hanging fruit—painful yet rule-driven processes that can be automated quickly. A short pilot project typically proves the value and motivates the organization to automate further. As that momentum builds, it is not uncommon for an enterprise to automate large swaths of its procure-to-pay, order-to-cash, and record-to-report cycles, freeing talented employees for the more meaningful and engaging aspects of finance.
In short, NetSuite plus Workato opens doors to a leaner, more responsive finance department. Hours spent on data entry or chasing approvals become hours invested in forecasting and strategic planning. The result is a modern finance function capable of delivering real-time insights, ensuring data integrity, and maintaining the flexibility needed to thrive in a complex business environment.
If your organization is grappling with manual workflows and seeking new efficiencies, it might be time to explore a workshop or proof-of-concept. Leverage our expertise —experienced in both NetSuite and Workato—to guide you through practical automations. You’ll likely discover that the journey from repetitive tasks to continuous, data-driven improvement is far simpler and more attainable than it once seemed.
Contact us today to discuss how Workato can advance your business goals.
