E-mail aliases in Odoo
Triggering actions in Odoo via e-mail
14 March, 2022 by
E-mail aliases in Odoo
manaTec GmbH, Tom Pohling
 


In our blog posts on the discussion and on the setup of a catch-all E-mail adress in Odoo, we have already explained in detail how we can set up and use Odoo as a central communication platform for our internal and external communication. We map internal company communication based on the Discussion module using Direct Message and Channels. Customer communication, i.e. sending e-mails from Odoo, works at every object in the history with the help of "Send message". The customer's response to an email sent from Odoo is routed to the correct object using catch-all functionality and is also logged in the history.

With this setting, we are already able to map a large part of our corporate communications, both internal and external. In this context, the question arises again and again in our Odoo projects whether the customers then still need personalized e-mail addresses at all? To answer this question, in today's blog we will look at email aliases in Odoo.

An email alias is an email address for which no separate mailbox exists. In Odoo, we use the aliases in conjunction with the catch-all email address to create a new object by means of an incoming email to this alias. With the help of this configuration, we can also control the ERP system from the outside via e-mail. Let's now look at the objects where we can use email aliases in Odoo.

Customer service module

In the customer service module , we can define a separate email alias for each helpdesk. If a customer sends an email to this alias, Odoo will automatically create a new ticket in this helpdesk. This gives us the option to set up helpdesks for our different subject areas or a helpdesk for each of our customers.

E-mail alias in in the helpdesk.
E-mail alias in in the helpdesk.

Project management module

In the project management module , we can define a separate email alias for each project. If a customer sends an email to this alias, Odoo automatically creates a new task in this project. This allows us to set up any internal or customer project for external communication.

E-mail alias in the project.
E-mail alias in the project.

Documents module

In Odoo's document management system we set up so-called workspaces for structuring and storing our documents. An e-mail alias can be defined for each of these workspaces. If we now send an e-mail with a document to this alias, this document is automatically filed in the corresponding workspace. This not only makes document management easier for our internal colleagues, but also provides our customers and suppliers with an easy way to send us documents.

E-mail alias in the document management.
E-mail alias in the document management.

Customer management module (CRM)

In the customer management module , we can work with sales teams to manage our sales activities by product groups or regions, for example. For each sales team, an email alias can be defined. If we now send an email to this alias, Odoo automatically creates a sales opportunity for the associated sales team.

If we activate "prospects" in the module's settings and thus switch a prospect area in front of our sales process, Odoo will create a lead for this sales team when we send an email to the sales team's alias. This makes it quick and easy to capture inquiries from our customers, and the sales team also benefits from this setting by being able to record information from customer meetings in advance in Odoo.

E-mail alias in the customer relationship management (CRM).
E-mail alias in the customer relationship management (CRM).

Website module

If we design our website with Odoo, we will find numerous ways for our prospects and customers to get in touch with us. Via the contact form or with the help of the Form Builder, we define which action will be executed in Odoo after the form has been submitted. We can define whether a contact is created, a sales lead is created, a task is created in a project , or an e-mail is sent to a self-defined e-mail address.

With the help of live chat, visitors to our website can get in touch with us directly. Contact details for further topics can be exchanged. In addition, the chat history is logged in Odoo so that visitors can be contacted afterwards.

With the newsletter popup or newsletter snippet, we offer visitors to our website the option of subscribing to a newsletter independently and thus always being informed about the latest happenings in our company. The call-to-action snippet lends itself to bringing visitors quickly to the appropriate contact opportunity. The snippets for linking to our social media channels are suitable for getting in touch with us there as well.

Furthermore, we find the online store, the appointments and the events on the website with Odoo. The purchase of our products, the booking of appointments as well as the registration for our events are of course also contact possibilities for the visitors of our website or for our interested parties and customers.

Recruitment module

With the recruitment module , Odoo provides an e-mail alias. An e-mail to this alias automatically creates an applicant object. In addition, we have the possibility to publish our jobs on our website. There you will find the "Apply now!" button for a quick and easy application via form.

Contact form in the recruiting.
Contact form in the recruiting.

Expenses module

In the settings of the module Expenses, the functionality to use an email alias can be activated and this alias can be defined. If we now send an email to this alias, Odoo automatically creates an expense object. This gives us the possibility to send receipts for our expense report to Odoo in advance.

E-mail alias for expenses.
E-mail alias for expenses.

So we keep in mind that Odoo with its standard features already offers us numerous possibilities to be reachable by e-mail from the outside. The automatically generated objects in the various modules can then be assigned to the users, who in turn continue the communication directly from Odoo. So up to this point, we don't need a personalized e-mail address either.

Now it remains to be clarified how our customers can invite us to appointments if we no longer have a personalized e-mail address. Besides the possibility to organize the appointment in the Calendar module itself, Odoo has implemented a smart feature for this. From the Calendar module, based on the available online appointments or based on the user's working time stored in Odoo, we can share free appointments via a link. This link takes the customer to a web view with a calendar and the user's free appointments. There, customers can now simply select an appointment and book it directly.

Booking of appointments with shared links.
Booking of appointments with shared links.

So do we still need personalized email addresses if we fully set up and use Odoo as a communication platform? No, as we have seen, we can map all relevant communication channels with Odoo - internal communication, external communication out of Odoo, external communication into Odoo, even the invitation to meetings can be used easily.

At this point, however, each company must weigh up for itself whether it wants to and can go down this communication path. If other tools are in use for which, for example, personalized e-mail addresses are required for a login, then this approach will not work. However, if we consider only the ERP system Odoo with its possibilities, the described way is definitely a reasonable alternative for centralized corporate communication.

Are you looking for an ERP system with which you can map your complete corporate communication in addition to your business processes? No problem! Contact us now and we will be at your side as an experienced Odoo partner!


Sources: www.odoo.com

 
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