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Services and Consulting Firms

Odoo for firms that sell time and expertise: from quote to project to timesheet to invoice, with margin visible throughout.

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Agencies, consultancies, engineering firms and IT service providers share a problem: the work is done by people, and people are the main cost. If time is recorded in one tool, projects planned in another and invoices raised in a third, nobody knows the real margin on an engagement until long after it ends.

Odoo connects the sales pipeline to projects, projects to timesheets, and timesheets to invoices and cost accounting. A sales order can create the project and its tasks. Hours logged against those tasks can be billed at the agreed rate or on a fixed fee schedule. Costs, revenue and margin appear per project as the work happens.

What we set up for services firms

  • CRM and quotations with templates for your standard engagements
  • Projects and tasks created from sales orders, with milestones and deliverables
  • Timesheets on desktop and mobile, with approval flows and billable rules
  • Billing models: time and materials, fixed fee with milestones, retainers and prepaid hours
  • Resource planning: who is available, who is overbooked, and what is coming
  • Expenses linked to projects and re billed where the contract allows
  • Helpdesk or support desks for clients with service agreements
  • Project profitability reporting: planned versus actual hours, cost, revenue and margin

Why services firms work with us

  • We are a services firm ourselves and run on the same processes, so we know where the friction sits.
  • Billing rules are configured to match your contracts exactly, including the awkward ones.
  • Timesheet adoption is designed in: the fewer clicks it takes to log time, the more accurate the data.
  • Multi entity groups with staff in several countries are familiar territory, including intercompany charging.

The usual problem and how we work instead

The usual problem

  • Time is recorded weekly from memory, so billable hours are lost
  • Fixed fee projects overrun and nobody notices until the end
  • Invoices are prepared manually from spreadsheets and go out late
  • Profitability is calculated once a year by the accountant

How we work instead

  • Timesheets logged daily against tasks, with reminders and a mobile app
  • Planned versus actual hours visible on the project as the work progresses
  • Invoices generated from approved time or reached milestones, reviewed and sent in minutes
  • Margin per project, per client and per service line available at any time

A typical services project

  1. Discovery

    Engagement types, contract models, rate cards, current tools and reporting needs.

  2. Core set up

    CRM, quotation templates, project templates, timesheet rules and invoicing configuration.

  3. Pilot

    One team runs a live engagement in Odoo end to end while others continue as before.

  4. Roll out

    Remaining teams onboarded by service line, with training and historical projects migrated where they are still open.

Frequently asked questions

How long does an Odoo implementation take?

A focused first phase covering sales, invoicing or accounting, inventory and purchasing for a single company typically runs a few months from discovery to go live. Adding manufacturing, eCommerce, projects or several legal entities extends that. The largest factors are the number of processes, the state of your data and how much time your team can give the project. We give you a timeline with the roadmap and update it at every phase boundary.

Do we go live with everything at once?

Usually not. We recommend going live with the core apps first, because that is where the data flows connect, and adding further apps in later phases once the core is stable. For groups, roll out is typically entity by entity using the first as a template. A single big go live is possible when the business needs it, but it carries more risk and needs more preparation.

How much of our team’s time will the project need?

More than most people expect. A project lead needs at least two days a week. Each key user needs time for workshops, testing and training, which can add up to several days per module. We estimate these hours per role and per phase in the roadmap so that managers can plan for them.

Will you customise Odoo for us?

Where there is a clear business case, yes. Our default is to configure standard Odoo first, use existing modules second and write code last. Every customisation is documented with the reason it exists, because each one adds cost at every future upgrade.

How do you handle training?

Per module and per role, close to the point of use. Key users are trained as each module is configured and they in turn test it. End users are trained before go live with sessions, recordings and short written guides that you keep. We avoid a single large session a week before launch.

What happens after go live?

A hypercare period with daily contact for the first weeks, followed by handover to our managed service if you want ongoing support, or to your internal team with documentation and a knowledge base.

All Odoo implementation questions

Other industries

eCommerce and Retail

Odoo for online and physical retail: connected shops, accurate stock across channels, fast fulfilment and clean accounts.

Manufacturing and Supply Chain

Odoo Manufacturing, Inventory, Purchase and Quality configured for make to order, make to stock and subcontracted production.

Enterprise and Multi Entity Groups

Larger organisations use Odoo across multiple legal entities with shared master data, intercompany automation and group reporting.

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