What we do differently, and what that gets you
Every agency says it is different. Below is what that concretely means for you if you work with us: what it gets you, and what to take into account. Each point also states what it costs us, because that is the only thing separating a position from a slogan.
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Standard where possible, but we do build custom
Where the other side is right
Odoo advises staying as close to the standard as you can, and that diagnosis is correct. Customisation built to reproduce old habits is wasted money: it costs more, it slows updates, and it preserves a way of working that often came from a limitation in a previous system.
What we do
We agree with the diagnosis and disagree with the conclusion. That you should not build custom to reproduce habits does not mean you should not build custom at all. AI has pushed the cost of tailored software down far enough that mid-sized companies can now get what used to be reserved for large organisations: software that bends to the process rather than the other way round. That is what Updoo is for.
What this means for you
You will hear different advice from us than from Odoo itself, and you have to weigh the two yourself. That is uncomfortable if you have just come from an Odoo event where the opposite was said. It costs us an explanation in every conversation, and sometimes a client who would rather stick with the vendor.
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Waterfall instead of agile
Where the other side is right
Agile exists for good reason. In product development, where you do not yet know what you are building, short iteration beats a plan that fixes everything up front. And nearly the whole consultancy world works this way, so you had better be sure before doing otherwise.
What we do
An ERP implementation is not product development. You know at the start what has to happen, and the uncertainty is in the detail, not the direction. We fix scope and phasing up front with a fit-gap and a scoping table, and deliberately make it a predictable waterfall project. That gives you a date you can plan around instead of a process that runs until the budget does.
What this means for you
You have to make choices up front that you would rather have deferred, and the fit-gap feels like delay before anything visible happens. What you get in return is a date you can plan around. It costs us pitches against firms who sound more flexible.
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We start with the risks, not the low-hanging fruit
Where the other side is right
Starting with a quick win is defensible. It builds early support, it lets the organisation get used to the new system, and it gives the board something to point at. Starting with the hardest parts risks a project that takes a long time to show anything.
What we do
During the fit-gap we first map what could derail the project. Anyone can implement low-hanging fruit; there is no advantage in it. A project has succeeded when the risks were mapped in time and dealt with, and most failed implementations we take over did not founder on the hard things but on the hard things discovered too late.
What this means for you
Your first weeks are about what could go wrong instead of about a quick win. That is a dull start and it feels slow, even though it saves you months later. It costs us clients who want early results and leave over exactly this.
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We will not build your website in Odoo, and we are an Odoo partner
Where the other side is right
The Odoo Website app has real advantages. One system, no integration to maintain, and your editors stay where they already work. For a site that mainly belongs with your backend that is a legitimate choice, and we say so.
What we do
The moment findability matters, it no longer holds up. We measured nine sites running on the Odoo website module: a median of roughly 1.5 MB of JavaScript and CSS before anything is usable. Odoo.com itself, built by the people who make Odoo, ships 1.77 MB. So we build lightweight sites with Odoo as the backend, and our own site does not run on Odoo either.
What this means for you
You get a website that sits apart from your ERP, so one more component to look after, and you have to take our word that this is better. That is why the measurement is on the page, so you can check it yourself. It costs us Odoo modules we do not sell.
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We say no more often than yes
Where the other side is right
A firm that always says yes is not automatically unreliable. Clients often know perfectly well what they want, and a supplier who keeps raising doubts can just as easily be slow and paternalistic.
What we do
Even so, we regularly advise not starting. Our readiness check can conclude that you are better off waiting. Our WordPress page says when you should simply stay on WordPress. On AI questions we often say to clean up your data before buying anything. That is not modesty: a project that stalls halfway costs you money and costs us our reputation.
What this means for you
You may be told you are better off waiting, when internally you had already decided. That is frustrating when you are in a hurry, and you are free to go to someone who says yes straight away. It costs us revenue, several times a year.
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We publish our prices and our method
Where the other side is right
There are good reasons not to. Every situation differs, a price without context gets misread, and competitors are reading. Most ERP firms therefore stick to "contact us for a quote".
What we do
We publish our rates, our method, and even what an implementation costs you internally in hours, roughly 200 to 300. That last figure is the line item almost nobody mentions and the one most often underestimated. When a conversation can only begin after you fill in a form, that is rarely an accident in our field.
What this means for you
You see up front what it will cost you internally, roughly 200 to 300 hours, and that can be a shock. You can also take our figures shopping elsewhere, and that is allowed. It costs us competitors reading along.
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Odoo is not always the answer
Where the other side is right
We make our money on Odoo, so you may expect us to recommend Odoo. That is not dishonest, it is how specialisation works: you go to an Odoo partner because you are considering Odoo.
What we do
Even so, our comparisons sometimes simply say you are better off staying put. If you only need accounting and your accountant is happy in Exact, switching rarely pays. For a light package Moneybird or SnelStart are cheaper. That is written on our own comparison pages, the ones where we sell the alternative.
What this means for you
You may be advised not to switch at all. That makes it harder to force a decision when you had already built internal support. It costs us the client we wrote out of our own comparison.
The test we hold ourselves to
"We are honest" is not a position. "We say no to projects that would pay us" is, because you can check it and it hurts. So every point below states what it costs us. Points without a price do not belong on this page.
Each position also opens with where the other side is right. Not out of politeness: if you cannot write down the strongest version of the counter-argument, you probably do not understand well enough why you do something different.
You do not have to agree with us. But this is what you get if you work with us, and it seems fairer to write it down up front than to let it emerge during a project.
This is what you are saying yes to
Working with us means a firm that tells you up front what it will cost you internally, that puts the risk on the table first, and that occasionally advises against what you asked for. That is more comfortable halfway through a project than at the start.
If none of this sounds like you, we are probably not the right firm, and that is fine. Better now than in four months.
Odoo Gold Partner · Amsterdam · 80+ implementations