An ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) software is implemented in a company to make the everyday process of a company easy to plan, execute, and track. An ERP is that piece of software that once implemented, would be used by almost every employee in every day-to-day activity. Hence, it is of critical importance to choose the correct ERP for your company such as Odoo ERP.

Odoo has been gaining a lot of popularity lately because of the huge benefits it provides to an organization. Odoo ERP has grown to become the most used OpenERP across the globe which gave rise to a lot of Odoo Development Company. There are tons of reasons why Odoo ERP might be a perfect fit for your business and here are just a few of them.

Odoo ERP is Open Source

The greatest strength that Odoo has over other ERPs is that it is Open-Source. Being Open-Source allows Odoo to be fully customized and edited without needing to hire an Odoo Service Provider. You can create custom functionalities and add, remove, modify any feature that is specific to your business.

Despite being open-source, Odoo ERP has a large community and hence you can find support any time you need. Thanks to the large Odoo community: 

New features are constantly added

ERP is made easy-to-use

Application is made robust and bug-free

Cost-Effective

The second factor that creates a lot of Odoo fans is that it is cost-effective. Whether you are an Entrepreneur, an SME, or a fully-grown company, you won’t have to worry about paying the recurring monthly charge of an ERP. There are no hidden costs or restrictions when it comes to using the ERP.

Odoo is free to use and implement, the only cost that you will incur is the cost of the server on that you would require run Odoo company wide. If you require custom features developed, the only additional cost would be to hire an Odoo Development Company and get your customized features designed and developed.

Modular Structure

The structure of Odoo is very powerful as it supports the plug-and-play feature. This means that Odoo doesn’t come pre-built with tons of functionalities that you are never going to use. Every functionality is divided into smaller parts known as a module that you can use as per your needs.

The Core Modules of Odoo ERP are: -

• Accounting and Finance
• CRM
• Order Management
• Manufacturing
• Warehouse Management
• HR Management
• POS
• Website and E-Commerce
• Project Management

Of course, there are many other modules to choose from. The no. of modules for Odoo is more than 3000 in the App Store. Not only are there various modules, but there are also many apps and plugins as well that you can integrate into the modules.

Simply select a module that you want to implement, edit it according to your needs and integrate it into the existing workflow seamlessly. This is why it is very easy to scale your business by implementing Odoo ERP. If you don’t know which processes might be best for your business, you can always get help from an Odoo Consultant.

Fully Customizable

Odoo ERP is open-source, which means that you are free to modify the source code in any way that you wish. You can customize the look-and-feel of the ERP, create custom modules and functionalities which are specific to your company.

The reason why everyone loves Odoo is that you can customize Odoo to the needs of your company, instead of customizing your company to the needs of Odoo ERP. Any Odoo Service Provider would tell you that their clients love it how Odoo just fits right into the existing company processes. If you don’t like the colors of the ERP, or the flow of the modules or even the way modules are arranged, you are free to edit everything!

Summary

Odoo ERP is a very powerful ERP for your business. It fully adapts to the existing company workflow and can enhance and automate most of the business processes. If you are looking for an ERP to implement in your company, Odoo is an option that you should check first.

To summarize, the 4 things that make Odoo ERP a perfect fit for your business are: -

1. OpenERP - Provides a large community, reliable and robust code.
2. Cost-Effective - Implement at zero cost
3. Modular - Plug-and-plug structure. Don’t need unnecessary workflows
4. Fully Customizable - Edit the code and make it adapt to your company

If you are interested in getting a customized Odoo solution developed for your company, you can reach out to us at - sales@kanakinfosystems.com

Caret IT team also expertise in the development of the new 3rd party APIs and web services. Odoo Magento Integration, Amazon, FedEx, UPS Integration Services.

Ever since its invention, Odoo has made an impactful impression in the market. With over 300 million users, it is known for providing easy access to its applications to global companies. Their applications have helped many firms to grow and flourish in their respective industries.

And if you are a business which has adopted Odoo to manage their business and is looking to expand then we know that you might come across a dilemma.

A dilemma between hiring Odoo developer/freelancers or an Odoo development company for the same.

This blog is going to get you out of this pickle by listing out some of the factors to consider before choosing between Odoo Freelancers and an Odoo development company.

7 Factors to help you make a decision:

Project Size

The project size and scope may vary based on your requirements. And if the scope of the project is massive, then you will need a whole team working towards a common goal for complex requirements.

So, ideally, hiring Odoo freelancers for small projects would be cost-effective providing you with the quality results. But if the project carries a lot of importance & has a wide scope, then going with a proper Odoo development company would be perfect.

Process

Every company has a way of working and a process for different projects.

So, if you with Odoo freelancers, then there might be a scenario where you will need to manage and look into every small aspect of the development process. Wherein, with a suitable Odoo development firm, you can rely on them and can get desired results without much supervision from your side.

Hence, if your firm likes to follow a set of rules and a proper process, then go with a proper development firm.

Quality

When it comes to freelancers, they work on multiple projects simultaneously and hence they try to finish the work as soon as possible. On the other hand, any Odoo development company try to build healthy and long-term relationships with clients. Therefore, the Odoo company would develop and work on your project with a keen focus on each and every detail.

One can say that choosing the development firm ensures quality and on-time results with extended relationships.

Cost

There is a clear gap between quality and quantity. Just like that, when you opt for a freelance developer, it might be cost-effective. But as a result, you can expect some discrepancies in the results as they work individually. On the other hand, with any development firm, you will find a fair difference in the quality of outputs. In the end, it always stays up to you. You can always go with both the options as per your requirements.

Domain Expertise

When you need a fully customized solution, development firms have the advantage of having different sets of expert developers. Whether you want to develop an integrated solution, or customized software, with development firms you have an added benefit of working with a team with various areas of expertise.

Safety

Safety and confidentiality of your project and other details are of utmost important. And organizations have strict policies regarding this. All the members working in the firm are bound to follow the practices to make sure that no sensitive information leaks out.

Support

When your development partner completes the project, it doesn’t end there. Furthermore, you will need support and maintenance from time-to-time. In the instances of any urgent queries, it is worth the extra charges to leverage the extended support for the project from an Odoo development company.

Where to look for an Odoo Developer or an Odoo Development Company?

One can say that hiring a company would ensure real-time results. But for most of the start-ups, the cost is going to be an obstacle. For such instances, you can hire Odoo developer from India. At present, many startups outsource their development needs to India as it an affordable solution.

This development model is cost-effective serving you with quality results. You can leverage the benefits of the largest group of technical and professional talent. As you choose to go with the official Odoo partners the work, you would get is up to the mark.

You can also ensure timely delivery with official Odoo partners. Most reputed Indian development firms will have dedicated teams working on Odoo projects. Which leads to timely delivery within the pre-decided budget.

If you want to hire Odoo developer from India, you can discuss the above-mentioned aspects with them and try to finalize possible ways based on their reply to start the development process. This way, you can get a clear understanding of your development partner to build a long-term relationship.

A qualified Odoo developer will make the most out of the resources offered by Odoo. It will make your process streamlined and more productive. You should opt for a developer or development company that has enough resources to render you the best possible solutions. You would also need support and maintenance services for regular updates. Hence, it is wise to take time and select a developer that helps you to align the work process on a long-term base.

Final Thoughts

There is a different workflow for every type of organization. It’s all about recognizing the difference between the individual freelance and organization services to choose the one that suits your needs.

You can be a business owner that sells to customers (B2C) or one that sells to other business (B2B). The thing to focus on is that your customers, no matter who they are, should have easy access to your products. The obvious solution is building a web store. Perhaps you already have a web store.

Your web store is just like a brick and mortar store in terms of maintenance. Keeping your e-commerce store up-to-date with latest technologies is very important and here’s why:

According to Forrester Research, by 2020, – which is only next year – the US will have 12.1% of all B2B sales, via e-commerce. Therefore, it is necessary that your store stays relevant in the ever-growing competition. To figure out all the measures you need to take, you should know the various differences between B2B and B2C business models and website requirements.

 When you have a B2B web store, its aesthetic needs to be different from a B2C one:

• You will need to provide bulk selling options rather than single unit options
• You need to come through on your word, in terms of delivery, quality etc.

This is not to say that you don’t have to do that on a retail store, but that a B2B relationship can make or break your business.

B2B deals go through multiple levels of approval, while a B2C customer will make a purchase if they find what they are looking for. When a B2B customer buys your products, if you throw in extra benefits like free shipping or a bundle of accessories for that product, you can be looking at a long-term contract with them. B2C customers will buy once and with a good offer maybe come back to your store, but there is no contract with them or a permanent relationship.

While building a web store, you have to keep all of these things in mind. So how do you go about it? The first thing to do is pick out the platform you want to build your store on. There are multiple options, offering a variation of services and tools. One of the best platforms out there is Odoo. Let me help you explore why.

Building an e-store on the Odoo platform is a no-brainer. It provides a host of benefits and customization options. Whether you are starting from scratch or switching over from another platform, there are a number of Odoo development services and providers in the market. But before giving your business to any of the service providers, make sure they are official Odoo Ready partners, which makes them a premium provider of Odoo development services. These providers know the ins and outs of the platform in detail & know what they are doing. If you are looking to hire Odoo developers then make sure they can work dynamically and help you develop your web presence in multiple ways.

Below are some of the ways any good Odoo developing company can help you with:

Website development: 

Store development:

When the concept of e-commerce started, geography was no longer a limiting factor for businesses. You can have a much wider customer base with an e-store. With Odoo, you can design an excellent online store, so that you can reach out to customers much more easily, no matter where they are based. With an internet store, there is also the challenge of keeping your customer on your website. If the design of your e-store is as beautiful and functional as a brick and mortar store, your customers are bound to stay, and, come back.

App development: 

The future is app focused. Everyone has heard this and is trying to work towards it. Mobiles are the most accessible internet devices. So putting your e-store on that platform is the next step for your business. An Odoo app will reflect your web store. Mobile applications provide a much better experience on the smaller screens when compared with navigating the webpage on a similar screen.

Theme development:

A theme is how you arrange things, what color everything will be, the flow of products, etc. It is a décor term. Although, that doesn’t mean it is unimportant. Décor determines the mood of a shop. Similarly, a web store theme determines the look and feel of your e-commerce store. You should carefully consider what your store represents and then choose the right theme for you. There are multiple Odoo themes to choose from, for both the frontend and the backend of your store.

Module development:

Every platform will be missing something or the other. A web store, however, cannot miss anything in order to be fully effective. However, there is a simple solution to this. You can add different elements according to your requirement and customize your Odoo based store, as you want to! This is also your way to stand out from other stores, by adding something additional for your customers.

Integration:

Lastly, you have to think about what you can do to make your business run smoothly and the backend more efficient. You can integrate a Customer Relationship Management module, an accounting module, as well as other apps to it.

Although having enough B2C development platforms, the B2B market needs customized and dedicated B2B software to rationalize the complexities and provide ground-up technological B2B solution. The best way to go about this is to hire Odoo developers who can work for your store’s needs. At the end of the day, the solution should help you run your business smoothly and be financially beneficially.