How to Configure CRM in Odoo 18: Complete Setup Guide

CRM Configuration in Odoo 18

Odoo 18 CRM provides a complete sales pipeline management system. While Odoo 19 introduced lead properties and some UI refinements, Odoo 18 already includes the core CRM features most businesses need: pipeline stages, predictive lead scoring, sales teams, lead assignment, and activity management. This guide covers the essential setup steps.

Step 1: Install and Access CRM

Install the CRM module from Apps. Once installed, access it via the main menu: CRM. The default view shows the pipeline Kanban with pre-configured stages.

Step 2: Configure Pipeline Stages

Navigate to CRM > Configuration > Stages. Customize the default stages or create new ones:

• Set meaningful stage names that reflect your sales process
• Assign probability percentages to each stage for revenue forecasting
• Configure the Rotting Threshold (Days) to flag stale opportunities
• Mark the final stage as Is Won Stage to auto-set probability to 100%
• Optionally assign stages to specific sales teams for team-specific pipelines

Step 3: Set Up Sales Teams

Go to CRM > Configuration > Sales Teams:

• Create teams with designated leaders
• Configure email aliases for automatic lead routing
• Add members with assignment domains and capacity limits
• Set invoicing targets for performance tracking on the dashboard

Step 4: Enable Lead Scoring

Under CRM > Configuration > Settings, enable Predictive Lead Scoring. Configure:

• Scoring fields — country, email domain, source, tags, language
• Training data start date — controls how far back the model looks
• Automated recomputation frequency via the PLS scheduled action

PLS uses the crm.lead.scoring.frequency model to store won/lost statistics per field value and computes probabilities for each new lead.

Step 5: Configure Lead Sources

Set up lead creation channels:

• Email Gateway — Configure incoming mail servers to create leads from emails automatically
• Web Forms — Use website contact forms connected to CRM via the website_crm module
• Manual Entry — Direct lead creation from the CRM interface
• Live Chat — Convert live chat conversations to leads
• Lead Mining — Use IAP services for B2B lead generation by country and industry

Step 6: Set Up Activities

Configure activity types under Settings > Technical > Activity Types (or CRM > Configuration > Activity Types):

• Phone calls, emails, meetings, to-dos
• Set default durations and suggested next activities for chaining
• Link activities to calendar events for meeting scheduling

Step 7: Configure Lost Reasons

Navigate to CRM > Configuration > Lost Reasons. Create reasons that match your business context: Price Too High, Chose Competitor, No Budget, Wrong Timing, No Response, etc. When marking opportunities as lost, reps select from these predefined reasons, enabling structured loss analysis reporting.

Step 8: Enable Lead-to-Opportunity Conversion

If you want a two-stage process (Lead then Opportunity), enable the Leads feature under CRM > Configuration > Settings. This adds the crm.group_use_lead group and enables the lead-to-opportunity conversion wizard. Without this setting, all records are created directly as opportunities.

Step 9: Email Templates

Create email templates for common CRM communications under Settings > Technical > Email Templates:

• Follow-up after initial contact
• Quotation delivery notification
• Win confirmation and onboarding next steps
• Loss acknowledgment with feedback request

Key Differences from Odoo 19

• Odoo 18 does not have Lead Properties (team-specific dynamic fields added in v19)
• The html_builder framework for rich-text editing was introduced in v19
• The partnership module replacing membership is a v19 addition
• Core CRM functionality — pipeline, PLS, assignment, activities — works the same across v18 and v19