The prominence and favoritism for Odoo ERP are getting higher as days pass by. The availability of various modules and apps perfectly pitching to the needs of specific industries is the reason behind this fan following.
Odoo has showcased its extensiveness in different industry fragments be it accounting, trading, human resource, manufacturing, point of sale, or any industry verticals. And the Odoo ERP features and functions are wholeheartedly accepted by the public. Today there is an increment in the ratio of Odoo implementation among the business, no matter small or large.
But whom to approach for Odoo ERP implementation - Odoo partners or freelancers?
It is a common notion among the business associations that ERP Implementation is easy to conduct and can be executed with the help of a solitary freelancer/individual with technical python knowledge. However, this is a wrong thought. There are certain risks associated with deploying freelancers for this work. You may find the former cheaper and easily available, however, the quality is what matters the most. This can’t be assured from a freelancer as they are individuals solely working themselves in their own niche of knowledge and methodologies.
This blog pitches why you should choose Odoo Partners over Freelancers to implement your ERP.
Any ERP implementation demands a skilled, domain-rich talented expertise, who can closely work with clients so as to identify the complex issues, the business work processes, procedures, structures, and working of each department like sales, purchase inventory, and so on in the business. Therefore, your implementation partner should have a thorough understanding of all these areas so as to successfully deliver an Odoo ERP software suiting your business.
In the case of an odoo freelance developer, it is not mandatory that the individual possess knowledge in all industry domains. He may be having only a certain specialization, but not in all dimensions. And this can be a threat to your project if your need surfaces his specialized domains. However, this is not the case with Odoo partners. With Odoo partners and Odoo service providers, you get equipped with Odoo functional experts, Odoo technical experts, proficient consultants, testing teams- having rich knowledge of different domains. Odoo partners will be having long years of experience serving different industry needs, therefore they can rightly complement your necessities.
Odoo partners/Odoo service providers leave their footmarks after each project completion. One can be sure about the services, domain richness, quality of work, and methodologies of Odoo Partners /Odoo service providers from their portfolios. Their portfolio can be easily assessed and cross-checked with their previous associates, before giving them your final word over the project. However, this can’t be that easy with a freelancer. Freelancers mostly cut off their ties with the clients, post completion of tasks. The relationship is always short and minimal to work. Therefore, cross-checking the authenticity and reliability of the freelancers isn’t feasible as that of partners.
Meeting deadlines is yet another issue with freelancers. Freelancers will be associated with different projects in parallel. It is not mandatory that they take up one single work at a time. They might be cluttered with multiple projects risking you with meeting deadlines and qualitative deliverables.
Their involvement with more than one project at a single time, often results in issues in planning and organizing the work schedules and leads to frequent postponing of the projects. However, an Odoo partner or service provider, uphold professionalism in all stages. They adhere to the committed deadlines and make sure the tasks are completed on time, that too assuring the industry standards.
There are more grounds that Odoo partners are the best fit rather than freelancers for the work. Here, have a look by yourself.
| Key Factors |
Odoo Freelancer |
Odoo Partners/Service Providers |
| Price |
Low |
Comparatively Higher |
| Quality |
Low/Moderate |
High |
| Domain Experience |
May/May not |
Yes |
| Individual Dependency |
Yes |
No |
| Scalability |
No |
Yes |
| Escalation Metrics |
No |
Yes |
| Reliability |
No |
Yes |
| Persistency |
Less |
More |
| Confidentiality |
No assurance |
Assured Standard Policies |
| After Support |
No |
Constant updates and supports |
| Suitability |
Small task |
Big projects |
| Main concern |
Money |
Quality Service |
| Quick resolution of problems |
Depends |
Yes |
The problem with Odoo Freelancers
1. Freelancers are individuals only having a certain specialization, but not in all the dimensions.
2. Freelancers have no access to the Enterprise edition source code, therefore have limitations in their offerings.
3. Freelancers simply exchange their time for cash not a totally genuine feeling of serenity. May not follow official standards.
4. Uncertainty over the quality of work, quality of methodology, and project deadlines.
5. No quick resolution of critical issues. Freelancers may either take too much time or fail in fixing issues.
6. In the case of freelancers, you’ll probably be involved in matters unnecessarily that you’re not sure about.
7. The relationship with a freelancer is short. No guarantee that the freelancer shall provide future support or not.
8. Freelancers are a bad choice if the size and scope of your project are large. Freelancers cannot be utilized for big projects.
9. Freelancers lack a well-planned and organized process. They lack the supervision of experts in each development process.
10. Freelancers might be cheaper at the beginning. But in the long run, it won’t be worth it if the quality is low.
Benefits with Odoo Partners
1. Odoo Partners are a group of specialists who are very qualified, certified, and trained in Odoo.
2. Odoo Partners have expertise in all fragments, for example, CRM, Accounting, Pos, etc. They can deal with any industry need and any Odoo modules.
3. Offer technical and functional support and help with scalability. Partners offer flexible team sizes based on tasks and scale of operations.
4. An official Odoo Partner can access Enterprise Edition source code and can offer boundless services of Odoo.
5. Odoo Partners have more profound learning of Odoo and its framework. They can provide extensive services in Odoo consulting, Odoo support, etc.
6. Odoo Partners have good knowledge in a multidimensional framework of Odoo Apps Development.
7. Working with Odoo Partner company gets you with a group of experts (developers, designers, project managers, QAs, and so on.).
8. Organizations have strict confidentiality compliances. Assures the following of best practices to make sure that no sensitive information leaks out.
9. With Odoo Partner you can concentrate on your real assignments like how to extend your business. You are relieved from botheration on quality /technical stuff.
10. Partners are always in communication to ensure the meeting of business goals. At each stage, they equip people to monitor progress and quality.
I would love to conclude that the risk associated with a freelancer can be completely overruled via Odoo partner or the Odoo service providers. Because, the latter comes fully trained, qualified, and certified in Odoo. They can be confidently deployed for larger projects and the long-run support of ERP.
Freelancers should be limited to minimal customization works or say small tasks. A Full-Fledged Odoo Implementation cannot be laid in the hands of freelancers as their minimal knowledge of Odoo can be hazardous to your project. Odoo ERP itself is vast and therefore demands a highly qualified and trained expert to deliver its service to the fullest.