How to Use Odoo CRM (A Complete Guide)

Have you recently adopted Odoo CRM to manage your sales pipeline but need help prioritizing leads, tracking interactions, and following up promptly? Or are you about to use Odoo CRM to its full potential to enhance your business operations? 

This blog is for you if you need assistance with how to use Odoo CRM to streamline your sales process and customer relationship management.

As per the Statista reports, the global market for CRM software is forecast to grow by USD 57 billion in 2025. During this period, Odoo’s CRM has emerged as a popular and comprehensive solution, gaining traction as one of the fastest CRM systems adopted worldwide. Notably, in the open-source software category, Odoo ranks 13th globally and holds the 7th position specifically in India.

What is Odoo CRM? 

Odoo CRM is an open-source, customer-centric tool for all sales activity needs, such as customer and workflow management, pipeline, stages, and team collaboration. It provides businesses with a centralized platform to manage their sales channels, leads, and opportunities, monitor performance, seamlessly integrate, and automate entire business processes. Discover more insights in our Odoo CRM guide.

According to Forbes, Odoo is rated as 4.1* as an all-in-one platform for strong customer relationships. Using this Odoo CRM module of Odoo ERP, businesses focus on their respective needs instead of wasting time on cold sales deals.

The key features of Odoo CRM are:-

1. Sales pipeline management
2. Lead management
3. Customer information and reporting
4. Automated activities and follow-ups
5. Seamless integration
6. Customer segmentation

We have previously discussed the features of Odoo CRM in detail. Read our in-depth blog on Odoo CRM features to learn how they will enhance sales performance and improve lead conversion rates.

How to Use Odoo CRM- 8 Proven Steps

This Odoo CRM module is the perfect customer relationship management solution in today’s competitive marketplace. It allows businesses to find their leads in one place, which helps them manage their needs and make informed decisions. 

Follow the below steps to learn how to use Odoo CRM for unique sales processes.

Step 1: Installation of Odoo CRM module

How to use Odoo CRM: Start by installing the module.

• Log in to your Odoo ERP account. 
• Once logged in, navigate to the Apps section from the main dashboard.
• Search for CRM from the Search bar to find and operate the CRM module.
• If it is not installed in your Odoo environment, Install it.
• After that, you can access your Odoo CRM module from the dashboard.

Step 2: Start with the initial configuration

Configuration is crucial as it lays the foundation for using Odoo CRM effectively to meet specific business needs. By configuring, businesses enhance user adoption, improve data integrity, and drive better sales performance and customer relationship management.

• Go to your CRM dashboard>Configuration and select Settings. Here, you will find various options to customize your CRM experience.
• Enable features like Lead/opportunity management and Opportunity tracking to streamline the sales stages as per your business operations. (Choose the features according to your business-specific needs)
• Once features are enabled, click Save to apply all your changes.
• Also, define your sales team by navigating Odoo CRM>Sales>Teams. (Click on the Create button to set up a new team, enter a team name, and assign members and other details)
• Finally, Save this configuration to ensure your sales teams are ready for action.

Step 3: Sales pipeline and stages customization

Sales pipeline management and stage customization are essential to the effective use of Odoo CRM software. They allow businesses to tailor the sale process to their specific workflows and custom stages. Identifying areas of customization for better visibility into the sales process and more accurate progress tracking.

• Navigate to CRM>Sales>My pipeline. This will display the stages of your current sales. 
• Click on the +Stage option from the dashboard to add new stages according to your business operations.
• Here, assign a Sequence number for each stage so they appear in the correct order in the pipeline dashboard. 
• After that, use the Drag-and-drop functionality to arrange them according to your workflow.

We have discussed how customization transforms your sales operations. For an in-depth look at the customizable option available, check out our blog on Odoo CRM customization and see how it enhances sales performance and improves overall customer satisfaction.

Step 4: Lead management

A process in Odoo CRM that streamlines the identification, tracking, and nurturing of potential clients. Effective lead management enhances the efficiency of sales activities and fosters better customer relationship management.

• Go to Odoo CRM>Leads. (It will display the entire leads added within your dashboard)
• Click on the Create button to add a new lead.
• Fill in Essential details. (assign leads, contact information, address, salespersons, sales team, priority, and probability of lead conversion)
• Doing so will create a new lead in your dashboard. If you need to convert a lead into an opportunity for further tracking, open the lead record and click on the Convert to Opportunity button.

Step 5: Managing opportunity

By managing opportunity features in Odoo CRM, businesses enhance sales performance and contribute to sustainable revenue growth. It helps track and organize sales opportunities through a customizable pipeline by ensuring each opportunity is monitored at every stage.

• Once you have opportunities created from leads, it’s time to manage them effectively.
• Navigate to Odoo CRM>Sales>My pipeline.
• Click on the opportunity card and update its details. (expected revenue, probability, and other required details)
• Here, use the Activities section to ensure timely follow-ups in each opportunity record.

Step 6: Utilize reporting and analytics

Odoo CRM provides in-depth reporting and analytics for making data-driven decisions that improve sales management and customer engagement. Get real-time insights into key metrics like lead scoring, sales conversion rates, sales stages, customer interactions, team productivity, meetings, and activity tracking.

• Navigate to your CRM dashboard>Reporting. (Select the reporting of forecast, pipeline, leads, activities, and partnership)
• Customize these reports by applying filters based on date ranges or sales teams and grouping options based on stages or sources.
• After that, click on Apply/Generate report to generate an accurate and precise report to analyze metrics effectively.

Step 7: Continuous optimization

Continuously reviewing pipeline performance is crucial for continued growth. Check how leads are moving through stages and identify any issues that may disrupt the progress. Monitoring customer interactions at each stage helps provide insights into potential bottlenecks. Based on this analysis and feedback from your sales representative, adjust stages or processes as required to optimize performance.

Step 8: Integration with other Odoo modules

Ensure that your CRM is fully integrated with other Odoo modules, such as sales, inventory, and marketing automation. This integration allows for better data sharing and collaboration between teams. Additionally, take advantage of automation features.

• Navigate to Odoo CRM>Configuration>Automation rules.
• Here, Set up rules for automating lead assignments or follow-up reminders based on specific triggers. It helps enhance business efficiency and manage customer relationships.

Following the above steps, you can effectively use Odoo CRM for your business to manage customer relationships and improve sales processes. Evaluating and customizing based on performance analytics will help keep your operation aligned with business goals and enhance overall productivity.

If you’re still deciding whether Odoo CRM is the right choice for your business, our comprehensive blog comparing Odoo CRM vs Salesforce offers valuable insights. Explore the strengths and limitations of each platform to make an informed decision tailored to your needs.

However, if you want to streamline your email communication and boost productivity, discover our comprehensive Odoo CRM email integration blog, which offers step-by-step insights.

Power Up Your Odoo CRM with GrowSherpa

Odoo CRM software significantly boosts business operations by streamlining workflows, enhancing project management, and providing tailored dashboards to elevate sales performance. To maximize the benefits of Odoo CRM, GrowShepra offers expert services in the integration and customization of the platform to meet your specific sales processes. From third-party tool integration to personalized implementations and automation, we provide comprehensive solutions to help your business thrive.