I’m a NetSuite developer, and as some of you may know, NetSuite is an ERP from Oracle that I consider somewhat niche and closed—though it has been growing steadily over the years.
In the NetSuite ecosystem, there are Partners who implement and support businesses using NetSuite. During my evenings, I’ve been working on a support widget to help streamline their processes. The widget automatically gathers relevant data to make it easier for Partners to reproduce and troubleshoot reported issues, as users often struggle to provide adequate information when submitting tickets.
Here’s how it works:
For NetSuite customers: Submitting support tickets becomes easier, avoiding repetitive emails and manual data collection.
For Partners: They get all the information they need to troubleshoot efficiently, and their billing process for support services is automated.
However, I’m now questioning if this was a bad idea. I feel like I’ve been developing in a vacuum without validating whether there’s even a demand for this.
Currently, the widget works with Slack and Trello, but I could ditch Trello and use NetSuite’s native support cases instead (Maybe that would have been a better choice from the start). I could also extend support to other messaging platforms beyond Slack. That said, I’ve paused development for now until I can validate the idea and get real world data.
Any feedback or advice is greatly appreciated. Have you encountered a similar challenge of validating an idea like this? Should I pivot, or just move on?
Here's a sample of the widget, it's pretty simple and I'm using a random logo, I don't even have a name for the product yet.
In the NetSuite ecosystem, there are Partners who implement and support businesses using NetSuite. During my evenings, I’ve been working on a support widget to help streamline their processes. The widget automatically gathers relevant data to make it easier for Partners to reproduce and troubleshoot reported issues, as users often struggle to provide adequate information when submitting tickets.
Here’s how it works:
- When a support ticket is submitted, the Partner receives a Trello card and a Slack notification with a direct link to the ticket and any attached files.
- Users can view and respond to their tickets directly within NetSuite, and Partners can reply as well.
- I’ve also integrated Stripe to automate billing: on the 1st of each month, an Invoice is created in the Partner’s account and a corresponding Bill is created in the customer’s account. Stripe charges the customer, and if the payment is successful, both the Invoice and Bill are marked as fully paid. This eliminates manual billing efforts for both parties.
For NetSuite customers: Submitting support tickets becomes easier, avoiding repetitive emails and manual data collection.
For Partners: They get all the information they need to troubleshoot efficiently, and their billing process for support services is automated.
However, I’m now questioning if this was a bad idea. I feel like I’ve been developing in a vacuum without validating whether there’s even a demand for this.
Currently, the widget works with Slack and Trello, but I could ditch Trello and use NetSuite’s native support cases instead (Maybe that would have been a better choice from the start). I could also extend support to other messaging platforms beyond Slack. That said, I’ve paused development for now until I can validate the idea and get real world data.
Any feedback or advice is greatly appreciated. Have you encountered a similar challenge of validating an idea like this? Should I pivot, or just move on?
Here's a sample of the widget, it's pretty simple and I'm using a random logo, I don't even have a name for the product yet.
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