There's no turning back now: from now on you will share your life with Odoo (at least at work). Its intuitiveness, functional coverage, customization possibilities and attractive price have won you over... what more could you want? Ah yes, you need a matchmaker now, someone who knows how to connect you (for the best of course) to the Odoo ERP. In other words, you need an integration superhero, one capable of fulfilling your wildest dreams and making this new encounter between you and Odoo a wonderful love story.
Here are a few tips to help you make the right choice...
Choose a hero with powerful allies
Being a superhero is good. But being a superhero with strong allies is even better. You’ve seen it before; the X-Men, the Avengers, the Incredibles... All of these teams decided to unite because they realized the strength in numbers. Just ask Deadpool who in his second movie finally had to change his mind and find some strong partners to defeat Cable (the villain)...
For your future integrator, the most important ally is the publisher. The integrator you choose MUST be an Odoo partner. Don't hesitate! Having an Odoo partner as your integrator means you’re in the hands of someone who has real expertise and knowledge of the Odoo ecosystem.
Test the hero's real-world knowledge
You know as well as I do that superheroes are great, but sometimes they can be a little out of touch with the real world. Superman, when he's half-awake, must think everybody can fly... ...and Batman, even on a hot day, walks around in his black cape... They don't always get the problems "ordinary" people face and their everyday concerns. ...so it's hard for them to respond to Mr. and Mrs. So-and-so's needs in a practical way.
The same holds true for an integrator... choose a superhero, but, more importantly, a superhero with real, on-the-ground experience! The integrator has to understand the context of the company they’re working with, its specific line of business, and so on. When you meet your integrator, you should feel that you share the same values, that you’re on the same wavelength, that you speak the same language. That’s how you build a lasting relationship.
Make sure you choose a well-equipped superhero
Every superhero has their favourite set of tools for carrying out a mission: the Batmobile, breathtaking costumes (or not—Spider-Man has some questionable wardrobe choices), lightsabres, and so on. Take those away and they quickly lose their powers. It’s like Magneto without his helmet or Wonder Woman without her magic lasso—it’s just not the same story!
For your future integrator, this is just as true. Whoever you choose has to be able to show their favourite tools, such as a well-established methodology or GDPR expertise, for example. Without these as proof, it’s hard to know whether or not your integrator will be able to lead your Odoo integration project to a successful outcome.
Check Out Your Hero’s Track Record
It’s not enough to just call yourself a superhero. To be a superhero, you definitely need superpowers, but above all, you need to have accomplished heroic feats. No, helping grandma cross the street doesn’t count (that’s just kindness and common sense). And, of course, bragging about incredible exploits without anyone being able to verify that they actually happened doesn’t count either (even if fake news keeps getting bigger and bigger…).
As you can see, to be sure that your provider really is an Odoo integration superhero, you have to be able to validate their claims. To do that, it’s essential that they can give you references to call, customer testimonials you can rely on, or even eBooks, webinar recordings, etc. If they can provide all that and meet the criteria above, you can let go of any doubts and go for it. (Come on, we’ll give you a hand: contact super Captivea)!