How can you get more out of Odoo ERP with AI?

If you use Odoo ERP and CRM, you are probably familiar with the situation: the system contains a huge amount of data and functionalities, but not everything is easy or quick to use in everyday life. Searching for information through the user interface takes time, reporting requires manual steps, and some processes still rely on emails, attachments, and manual work.

Odoo already offers many tools for this purpose – interfaces, modules and automation options. However, when supplemented with artificial intelligence, the system can achieve a whole new level of efficiency. This is achieved by utilising artificial intelligence agents connected to the Odoo environment, which read, interpret and update the correct ERP data.

In this article, we will examine how combining Odoo ERP and artificial intelligence supports business operations in practice. We will also provide a concrete example of an artificial intelligence agent that automates order processing directly in the Odoo environment.

A brief overview of the technical basis of Odoo ERP

Odoo ERP and CRM is an open source enterprise resource planning system that covers a wide range of core business functions. The system is used for sales, customer relationship management, financial management, inventory management, production and customer service management, among other things. Odoo has a modular structure, which allows the system to be expanded according to business needs.

Technically, Odoo is based on a clear data model, Python-based business logic and extensive interfaces. The JSON-RPC API and the ability to read and process data directly at the database level make the system flexible to integrate and extend. Thanks to these features, Odoo is also well suited for more advanced automation and data-based analysis. The system can therefore be easily customised to suit the specific needs of each company.

How does the utilisation of Odoo ERP often start to falter in everyday life?

Although Odoo ERP is a comprehensive and flexible system, its user interface is not always the most efficient tool for everything. Retrieving, combining and presenting data from multiple views often requires several clicks and manual steps. This is particularly evident in situations where:

• information is needed quickly from multiple sources
• reporting is not pre-modelled
• data enters the system in an inconsistent format
• processes are partly conducted via email

At this point, many Odoo users end up doing things outside the system, such as copying data, creating interim reports, or interpreting long email chains manually. The data in the system would enable more efficient operations, but utilising it is often not straightforward enough.

Read also: 6 winning use cases for AI – how to find where it really pays off

Why is Odoo an exceptionally good platform for artificial intelligence?

The key strength of Odoo ERP is its ability to function as a centralised data source and process platform. The system combines sales, customer relationships, inventory, finance and customer service under the same data model. Thanks to its JSON-RPC interface and clear database structure, Odoo also enables the utilisation of business data programmatically, without all processing being done through the user interface. This opens up opportunities for reporting, analytics and automation in a way that supports the system as a whole.

This enables, for example, an artificial intelligence agent to:

• retrieve information from Odoo programmatically without a user interface
• combine data from different modules
• interpret and enrich information before storing it
• updates the ERP in accordance with defined rules

Many Odoo users will surely recognise the situation where certain information is available in the system, but finding or displaying it through the user interface is slow. Artificial intelligence is particularly well suited to this task, i.e. searching for information, summarising it, visualising it and supporting decision-making.

Explore our AI, data & analytics services

What can AI agents be used for in Odoo ERP?

Odoo ERP offers an extensive and unified database on which artificial intelligence agents can be built to support various business processes. The AI agent functions as an entity connected to the Odoo environment, utilising the data in the system, interpreting it and making limited, controlled updates in accordance with predefined rules and access rights.

AI agents can be used in a variety of use cases, such as:

• For searching, analyzing, and reporting data
  • Artificial intelligence retrieves information directly from the Odoo database (PostgreSQL) or via the RPC API interface, combines data from different modules, and creates summaries or visualisations that Odoo’s own user interface cannot handle on its own.
• For automating lead management and ticketing
  • Artificial intelligence reads the email chain, identifies the relevant information and uses it to create a new lead or support request in Odoo. If any information is missing, it asks for additional details.
• For automating order processing
  • Artificial intelligence reads orders arriving by email, identifies the essential order details and uses them to create a sales order in Odoo ERP for previewing and saving.
• For anticipating project risks
  • Artificial intelligence analyses budget implementation, time entries and schedules, and identifies risks of overspending before they materialise.
• For summarising emails and updating information
  • Artificial intelligence summarises long discussion threads and updates the status information for sales, projects or customer relationships in the Odoo system based on them.
• Natural language query processing for Odoo data
  • Artificial intelligence interprets the questions asked by the user and searches for answers from different modules without manual navigation in the user interface.

In the following sections, we will take a closer look at these uses and explain how artificial intelligence agents support the everyday use of the Odoo environment.

Reporting, information retrieval and visualisation using AI agents

Odoo contains a wealth of information that can be used to support decision-making. An artificial intelligence agent designed for reporting and information retrieval can retrieve information through Odoo interfaces or at the database level and generate up-to-date summaries, visualisations and snapshots according to business needs.

The agent can combine data from different modules, identify significant changes and present the information in a clear format. This supports, for example, the monitoring of sales, inventory and customer situations without the need to build separate report templates, and reduces the amount of manual data collection.

AI agents supporting Odoo CRM and customer service

In Odoo CRM and customer service, a significant portion of business information is generated in communication. Emails exchanged with customers are used to agree on follow-up measures, schedules and needs that affect sales and customer relationship management.

An AI agent can interpret the content of email chains, identify relevant events, and update Odoo CRM based on them. For example, the agent can add comments, update lead status, or create new tasks. This way, the information is stored in the system in a structured format and can be utilised throughout the organisation.

Read also: AI agents as part of processes – how to get started?

Odoo ERP and artificial intelligence as part of continuous development

The utilisation of artificial intelligence in Odoo ERP is based on the more efficient utilisation of existing data, interfaces and business logic as part of the overall system. When artificial intelligence is integrated into the system structure and development work, it supports both technical manageability and continuous business development.

We help our customers identify where artificial intelligence brings the greatest benefits to Odoo ERP and implement solutions in a controlled manner in the production environment.

Let’s take a look at where artificial intelligence could be most beneficial to your Odoo system.