Considering the present state of various nations' economies, there has been a substantial growth in the number of small companies all over the world. And it's mostly because small company owners are self-sufficient in their operations, independent of their employers, and capable of making their own judgments. People in the twenty-first century appreciate the flexibility that comes with running a small business as a freelancer. Small companies assist the local economy and contribute to society's prosperity via their ideas. Small and freelancing firms offer benefits as compared to huge corporations. Small businesses are more helpful than large firms because of their flexibility and ability to maintain a strong contact with each consumer.
The contact between companies and their consumers has a bigger influence on the company's overall success and efficiency. Small firms that operate as freelancers provide their goods and services to clients in their local area. This enables them to get to know their consumers and establish a relationship with them. Understanding the demands of consumers when delivering products has a huge influence on the company's performance.
Despite these benefits, small firms must compete with large and medium-sized enterprises. Multinational corporations follow the lead of technology and employ cutting-edge business tactics and products to grow their businesses. The majority of large-scale firms operate their operations using ERP software. So, how can something that assists huge enterprises be effective in dealing with business and in small size and freelance firms? ERP software, on the other hand, may be useful to a wide range of organizations, regardless of their size.
What is an ERP?
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is a critical tool for managing all aspect of a company's operations, including planning, accounting, invoicing, human resources, and more. ERP combines all of these operations into a single database. In the ERP system, business operations are linked, and data may move between them. It securely saves all of your company's data while also removing duplicate data from the system.
The major benefit of ERP is that it eliminates the need for many separate databases to track and run your business's activities.
Odoo ERP
Odoo is a popular open source Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution. It consists of interconnected modules that are designed to communicate with one another in an efficient and effective manner in order to share data. Odoo ERP is very configurable, which sets it apart from other ERPs. Developers have access to the code and may customize the modules to fit the needs of the company. We can satisfy the user's unique need in this method. Odoo comes in two flavors: Community and Enterprise. Odoo Community is a free program, whereas Odoo Enterprise is a commercial program.
Odoo ERP for Freelance Small Business
Unlike huge corporations, small freelancing firms require continual attention and activities must be watched at all times. In small businesses, continual oversight of the company's activities is required to maintain high productivity and success rates. Because small businesses are operated by individuals, they should require tools to assist them in controlling and analyzing company data. Then Odoo ERP is the ideal software for small businesses. Its modular nature allows small businesses to pick and choose whatever components they require.
Let us look at how Odoo ERP is used in freelance small businesses.
Financial and Accounting management
Small firms, unlike huge corporations, should always maintain track of their ledgers and diaries. In freelancing small businesses, the financial investment is greater. Personal cash and investments are the most common sources of capital in small businesses. As a result, it's critical to understand the company's cash flow. The finest tool for finance and accounting management is Odoo ERP. Odoo has modules for managing a company's financial and accounting activities. Customer invoices, vendor bills, miscellaneous activities, bank transactions, salaries, costs, and much more are all managed by the Odoo Finance module. The cash flow of the firm may be traced and overlaid with a few easy clicks. Take a look at the following snapshot, which shows the Odoo Accounting module's main dashboard, which provides information on all financial management processes related to the company's operations.
Customer Relation Management (CRM)
Small companies' target consumers are mostly from the surrounding area. As a result, maintaining a positive customer connection is critical. Contacts must be kept up to date on a regular basis. Odoo's CRM helps you to track and follow up on customers. CRM stores client information, transaction history, contact numbers, email addresses, customer interactions, and much more. This leads to improved team cooperation, which leads to a successful business. Superior customer service is another aspect CRM offers. CRM allows you to have a strong relationship with your customers and communicate with them on a regular basis. As a consequence, existing customers are retained, and because the consumers are primarily from the local area, they will promote the business to others. You may learn more about the customer's wants and requirements by maintaining regular communication and connections. The marketing approach may be improved as a result of this. This will increase the company's sales. The overview dashboard of the Odoo CRM is seen in the accompanying picture, and it provides you with clear information on the different operational elements of customer relationship management.
Planning
Small freelancing companies are usually managed by one or two people. The person in charge of the business is responsible for all main functions. Without adequate planning, this may become stressful. Small firms, unlike large corporations, do not have a large staff with which to organize resources and future initiatives. Odoo ERP's planning module aids in the planning and scheduling of business activities. We can create timetables for various jobs, workers, and projects, and we can eliminate schedule inconsistencies. The planning process may save a lot of time, and activities can be planned to save time as well. Take a look at the planning module window, which allows you to customize the scheduling components of corporate operations for individual personnel.
Integration
Odoo ERP supports module integration, allowing you to mix and use different modules. Data from several modules may be used to efficiently handle various processes. The workflow will be automated as a result of this. You'll keep track of and oversee the process, ensuring the company's success. Data management will be automated as a result of the connection. The sales and accounting modules, for example, can be linked, and invoices made in sales will be automatically recorded in accounting.
Centralized Data
What could be more beneficial to a small freelancing business than having all of the company's data safely kept in one location? Odoo ERP keeps track of consolidated data and gives users access to it. This will relieve tension and save time spent gathering data from many sources and departments. The centralization of data can help us save time and effort in acquiring and managing papers.
Customizability
Odoo ERP has approximately 30000 modules, however small firms do not need all of them to run their business. Odoo ERP allows you to tailor the software to your business's specific requirements. Odoo partners will build software that is suited to the needs of the firm by gathering information and assessing the gap between corporate demands and Odoo features. The firm will receive the completed and tested modules, which will assist you in increasing productivity.
User Friendly
Odoo ERP is extremely user-friendly, and it does not require any training for small business owners to utilize it. The Odoo ERP interface may be readily grasped by simply looking at it. The program may be used by any employee and does not require any special training to use. We will do the task quickly since we are user-friendly.
Digitalization
Because of the current scenario, any engagement with workers is risky. By integrating Odoo ERP with online payment, you may have contactless delivery and payment. This will decrease the likelihood of interaction while also saving time. They may make operations paperless by using digitization, which is a step in the right direction for the environment. You may manage their staff from anywhere with Odoo ERP. We can keep track of working hours and productivity using a timesheet from anywhere. Small firms' marketing may also be digitalized, and because they have specific target consumers and clients, SMS marketing, social media marketing, and e-based marketing are all viable options.
Cost-Effective
Because most small firms have a restricted budget, most small company owners are hesitant to invest in Odoo ERP. Odoo, on the other hand, charges less for implementation and additional services when compared to other proprietary software. Odoo's community edition does not even have a licensing cost. Odoo partners will assist you in customizing the software to meet your business's needs at a cheap cost.
Increases Productivity
Odoo ERP's solutions are designed to help small businesses become more productive. Through a single application, we can simply manage the company's everyday operations. In small freelancing firms, the owner performs the function of manager, thus having a single tool to oversee, manage, and track the business's activities saves time and boosts productivity. The Odoo platform's Project management module is a productivity-boosting tool for you, allowing you to establish different operational projects. The Project module of the Odoo platform, where many operational projects may be defined, is seen in the following screenshot.
Odoo ERP is the ideal solution for small enterprises because of all of these characteristics. The workload of the small business owner is reduced by advanced features and operational tools, and work may be progressed according to the business's particular characteristics. Even a small business with five to six people may benefit from Odoo ERP and boost their efficiency. Implementation and modification of the software according to the specifications of the organization can be simply done by contacting a suitable Odoo partner.