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Pienaar, who was hugely influential in kicking Ulster to victory over Munster in the quarter-final and Edinburgh in the semis, knows their best Heineken Cup effort since 1999 should give his side some extra confidence next time out.
"It has given us a little bit of belief that we can be one of the top sides in Europe," said Piennar, whose team picked up wins over Leicester Tigers and ASM Clermont Auvergne in the pool stages.
"This will give us belief that we can do it next year as we have beaten a couple of good sides along the way to get to a final.
"As a team we have the belief that we are good enough to play those sides and beat them.
"That wasn't the way we wanted to end it… but we have improved a lot in the last two years and there is a lot to look forward to."
Ulster's search for a second successive Heineken Cup Final will be led by Mark Anscombe next season after the New Zealander was chosen to take over from Brian McLaughlin as head coach.
Pienaar admits that the former Auckland boss will have a tough act to follow thanks to McLaughlin's Heineken Cup efforts and his relationship with the players but the 28-year-old is hopeful the 2012/13 season can be an even better one for the Belfast-based province.
With star names like Tommy Bowe having already been signed for next season, Pienaar is confident of progress, although he admits that consistency is an issue that needs to be addressed if Ulster are to challenge on two fronts next term.
"Brian has had a fantastic run and it is sad to see him go - I think he is loved by everyone in Ulster. It's a new start for us and hopefully Mark Anscombe is going to bring some fresh ideas from New Zealand," added Pienaar.
"I don't think too many things will change in the way we play. Hopefully he can bring some of his experience from New Zealand and just add more to what we have already got here.
"With guys like Tommy Bowe returning it will add depth to the squad and that is something we need. If you look at Leinster and Munster, they can send a younger team down to Connacht or wherever and still get a result and that is something we need to look at.
"It's important we get a good start next season and I think we need to improve on our Rabo performances as they weren't as good as last year and it was disappointing not to be in the play-offs. Obviously it was great to get to a Heineken Cup Final but it mustn't be a one-off.
"We need to be in the play-offs of both competitions every season - that is the bar that Brian has set and we would like to continue that."
