A new version of Odoo is released every October, and even the very unusual context of 2020 did not derail this. So what’s new in the fourteenth iteration of Odoo?
User-friendliness
Odoo has always prided itself on user-friendliness and intuitive user experience – and the latest iteration is no exception. Odoo 14 offers even more understandable settings than previous versions, in spite of the functionality becoming more sophisticated. From shortcuts to commonly used functions such as email and SMS, to a cleaner inventory interface with options for slick graphical reports, there are plenty of usability upgrades in Odoo 14. Warnings are now integrated into the Odoobot, and you can save without needing to export lists and reports in any extension. This makes it quicker and easier to send information to suppliers and clients. And in perhaps the most visible usability improvement of all, different widgets can be added into the list view, meaning that messages to colleagues and to-do lists can be planned with a single click. In short, the user-friendliness of Odoo 14 should make your business more efficient and more informed.
Document enhancements
Many of the inbuilt documents within Odoo 14 have been redesigned and improved, following feedback from users. Purchase orders, for example, now include on-time delivery rates, automatically calculated by Odoo. Options have been developed to send automated emails when a purchase order is created, as well as before the delivery to confirm their date. A new vendor dashboard gives a quick overview of key metrics such as on-time delivery rates.
All documents can be scanned, split and archived more easily than before, giving more flexibility and more comprehensive record management.
Outlook and Gmail plugins
Need to synchronise and send information between Odoo and your email client? The answer is almost certainly yes – and Odoo 14 makes this process easier than ever before. Plugins for both Outlook and Gmail mean that all data is recorded in Odoo and available when sending and receiving emails – so no information should fall through the gaps. With digital communications more important in 2020 than ever before, these plugins are perfectly timed.
Upgraded website builder
Odoo competes with some of the biggest ecommerce players in the world, many of which have full-scale website building capabilities. Odoo 14 includes a thoroughly redesigned and revamped website builder, which increasingly means that Odoo can compete with the likes of WordPress and Square Space when it comes to website builds.
Both experienced digital marketers and those who are completely new to creating websites should find suitable functionality. CSS and JS are now configurable directly in the website builder, and a host of new website building blocks have been added, including charts, countdowns, dynamic product catalogues and popups.
Enhanced e-commerce functionality
The Odoo 14 e-commerce module is advanced and well equipped with features that help the user to manage the entire e-commerce operations efficiently.
With Odoo 14 you can design and configure your own e-commerce website using the various editing options which can be accessed from the front end as well as the back end of the e-commerce website such as online form builder, snippet tools, multiple e-commerce website management, and professional themes. Effectively this means there is no need for separate connectors for Shopify or Magento. It’s already integrated out of the box.
Within the ecommerce module there are shopping experience enhancement tools included as standard such as live chat, customer onboarding, user and guest support tools and wish list product comparison tool. Payment and shipping methods help the user to integrate advanced shipping methods and payment terminologies. Billing and accounting aspects of e-commerce help the user to establish advanced financial and invoicing operations to the e-commerce platform.
These are just some of the ways in which Odoo 14 offers a remarkably enhanced experience. There are myriad small function improvements and additions too. Price lists, for example, can be generated directly from the product list. A new feature enables the creation of unrealised currency gains/losses reports. Entirely new modules, separate from the sales module, enable the management of commissions and referrals. And improved integration between different modules, as well as underlying framework changes to enhance overall performance, should make for a smoother and slicker user experience overall.
To learn more about Odoo 14, read the release notes here, or get in touch with us today.
What’s new in Odoo 14