20 Things You Didn’t Know about Odoo
What do you know about Odoo, the open-source company that exists for the sole purpose of helping businesses grow with software management? Whether you have used Odoo yourself in the past, or you are just hearing the name for the first time, there are a lot of interesting things to learn about this company. Below are 20 things you may not know. After you have finished reading, you might have a whole new perspective about the company that is making so many waves throughout the business world.
1. Their unique name reflects their heritage
If you think that Odoo is a unique sounding name, it’s likely because they chose the name to reflect their Belgium-based company’s heritage. Of course, there are other benefits as well. The name is so unique that it almost instantly becomes easy to remember. In fact, the name itself has become one of the company’s best marketing strategies.
2. They specialize in all kinds of business software
Are you looking for something that will help you better manage your inventory? Perhaps you have your inventory and check, yet your customer service software is a mess. On the other hand, you might be struggling with human resources information. One of the things that sets this company apart from much of its competition is that it has software programs that can help with all of these things. Instead of purchasing multiple software programs from a number of different companies, you have the option of purchasing just one program from these individuals that can help you manage virtually every aspect of your business, no matter how obscure you might initially think it could be. Chances are, they have something that can help you.
3. They have a drive to see small businesses succeed
Clearly, this is a company that wants to see businesses of all sizes succeed. That said, they know that the backbone of virtually any economy involves small businesses that don’t have hundreds of thousands of dollars to throw at any single endeavor. As such, they work diligently to help businesses of this size succeed because they know how important it is for the local economies of each region for the smaller businesses to be able to achieve their goals. Big business is nice, but it’s not always about big business. The truth is, they have a rather unique philosophy, one that adheres to the possibility that there wouldn’t be any big business if it weren’t for the multiple successes of smaller businesses across the globe.
4. Millions of businesses are already using it
This company has proven to be wildly popular with businesses. In fact, they currently have more than seven million customers using their software. That is a huge number, to say the least. However, it also serves as a testament to both the success of Odoo and their commitment to help small businesses succeed. After all, you don’t get seven million users without doing a few things right. The fact that they have achieved this goal speaks volumes about their commitment to business, but more importantly, to the individuals behind it. For them, success is not just a business deal. It is all about the people.
5. The company has made millions of dollars using the open source format
Presently, the company uses an open source format, as previously mentioned. Their system is set up so that 80% of their services are available to any business owner who wants them, completely free of charge. Beyond that, they charge a small fee to gain access to the remaining 20% of their services. Customers do not have to pay the extra fee in order to gain full access, provided they can get everything that they need via the free software that is provided. For those businesses that can benefit from the extra services provided, it’s definitely worth paying the fee.
6. The company actively works with its customers
This is a company that actively works with its customers to help them improve their experience. In fact, they have an entire staff of individuals whose job it is to provide customer support in whatever ways that it’s needed. This involves everything from technical support to questions about financial issues and virtually everything in between.
7. They are also working to improve with each passing day
Regardless of how good a company is, there is always room for improvement. The day that any company starts to believe that nothing can be improved upon is the day that they are truly in trouble. This is a company that knows there are always things to be improved upon. They don’t spend time singing their own praises or resting on their laurels. Instead, they create products that are effective in the real world and then diligently work to provide both better products and better services overtime.
8. They have been proven to offer effective software
As a result of their efforts, they have been offering effective software for some time now. That said, they are always working to improve the software, both to keep up with the ever-changing world of business and to provide more positive customer service experiences across all fronts.
9. They offer comprehensive training for new employees
There may be a wealth of information out there about their products and what it is like to use them, but what about information concerning what it’s like to work for them? After all, they’re constantly hiring new employees to help them keep up with their massive demands for products and services. According to most reports, the company provides a positive work environment with plenty of training for new hires. Because this company is a startup that specializes in technology, they tend to attract a lot of individuals that share a similar mindset. However, the company has proven to be quite diligent in training new hires in order to ensure that the best services can be provided to their customers.
10. They offer a lot of flexibility for their employees
Another thing that makes this company stand out as the fact that they provide a great deal of flexibility for their employees. Obviously, this is something that most employees enjoy. While there are a few people out there that enjoy having a more rigid schedule, many people thoroughly enjoy having the opportunity to more or less set their own schedules and dictate their own level of success. The company believes that by empowering employees to create their own success, they are creating the most positive environment possible because they’re not tying people down with strict schedules and tons of rules.
11. They believe in creating the right culture within the workplace
Part of the reason that they give people so much freedom is because they believe in creating a positive culture in the workplace. To that end, they believe that this is best accomplished by giving people an opportunity to enjoy what they do for a living as opposed to feeling like they are nothing more than objects to be controlled by someone else. They want people to be happy at work because they figured out a long time ago that happy people tend to perform better than individuals who are absolutely miserable.
12. They also give their employees a chance to spread their wings
Another thing that makes the company unique is that they give their employees an opportunity to learn new things and take up leadership positions when other companies might not choose to do that. Odoo is constantly working on new things and they’re always adding new clients. As such, they have an almost perfect environment to help other people develop their own leadership skills through working on projects that are theirs and theirs alone.
13. Their software is fast
One of the many things that business owners love so much about Odoo is that their software is fast. Most small businesses don’t have time to mess around with something that takes forever to get anything done. Fortunately for them, that is not the case with Odoo. By using their software, it’s possible to get virtually everything done from inputting new inventory to doing payroll and it can all be done in a fraction of the time that it takes most other software programs to do the same thing.
14. They offer products that can be tailored to fit each user
While their products are not custom-designed, they can be tailored to fit each user. One of the beautiful things about the software products offered by Odoo is that they are not so specialized that they can only be used for one or two types of businesses. Instead, the software itself can be downloaded and then tailored to fit the particular business that is in question. This can be accomplished in a number of different ways, putting the business owner in charge of how best to achieve their goals.
15. Their software can be integrated with software from other companies
One of the ways that they accomplish the goal of making their software customizable is the fact that it can be integrated with software from other companies. At first, it might seem counterproductive to allow their customers to use their products with products from their direct competitors but in reality, it creates a system that puts each business owner in the driver’s seat and makes it as easy as possible to accomplish the goals they want by using the software. The truth is, it’s a good option for customer service and the result of pure marketing genius.
16. Their software is constantly evolving
As you might have already guessed by now, their software is constantly evolving. It has to be in order to stay current so that it can remain relevant for its customers. The good news is that they don’t constantly charge their existing customers exorbitant fees for each update that comes through. In fact, the software is readily available to their existing customers without any additional fees whatsoever in most cases.
17. They offer help with software transitions
For those customers who are using software made by a competitor and who wish to transition fully to software made by o do, It’s relatively easy to do. In fact, Odoo makes it a point to offer full support to those customers who are transitioning from one software program to another, all with the goal of making that transition easier. For the most part, the software that they offer is relatively self-explanatory. When customers do have a problem, they have options available to them, such as getting support from one of Odoo’s well trained employees.
18. They are constantly expanding
In addition to having a number of software programs available, they are also tirelessly expanding to create additional products for more businesses. The goal is to eventually offer something for almost everyone, regardless of how big or small the business might be.
19. They have more than 40 applications available in their core software
One of the things that really sets Odoo apart from virtually everyone else is that they have more than 40 applications available in their core software package. As a result, Many business owners never have the need to use anything beyond their core system. However, for those businesses who do require more options, there are plenty of products available through Odoo to get the job done.
20. Their system can be scaled to fit your needs
Last but certainly not least, their system can be scaled to fit the needs of virtually any business. In short, the same system that can be used for a small business operated by only one or two people can also be used for much larger businesses that have more complicated needs. This is truly one of the things that makes Odoo so unique. They have the same products available to everyone and those products can then be scaled to fit that particular customer’s exact needs.