How to Set Up Helpdesk SLA Policies in Odoo 19 (Enterprise)

Overview

The Helpdesk module in Odoo 19 Enterprise manages customer support tickets with multi-team support, SLA policies, and customer satisfaction tracking. SLA (Service Level Agreement) policies define response and resolution time targets for tickets based on priority, team, or ticket type. Note: Helpdesk is an Enterprise-only module.

Prerequisites

• Odoo 19 Enterprise with the Helpdesk module installed
• Helpdesk Manager access

Step 1: Create Helpdesk Teams

Navigate to Helpdesk > Configuration > Helpdesk Teams and click New:

• Team Name — e.g., "Technical Support", "Billing Support", "Customer Success"
• Email Alias — An email address that automatically creates tickets (e.g., [email protected])
• Company — For multi-company environments

Step 2: Configure Team Settings

On the team form, configure features:

• Assignment Method — Manual, Random, Balanced (distribute evenly), or Based on Rules
• Auto Assignment — Enable to automatically assign tickets to team members
• Ticket Stages — Define pipeline stages (New, In Progress, Waiting, Resolved, Closed)
• SLA Policies — Enable to define service level agreements
• Customer Satisfaction — Enable rating on closed tickets

Step 3: Define SLA Policies

With SLA Policies enabled on the team, navigate to the team's SLA settings or Helpdesk > Configuration > SLA Policies:

• Name — e.g., "Priority P1 - 4h Response", "Standard - 24h Resolution"
• Team — Which helpdesk team this SLA applies to
• Priority — Minimum priority for this SLA to apply (Low, Medium, High, Urgent)
• Target Stage — The stage that must be reached within the deadline
• Reach Stage In — Maximum time to reach the target stage (e.g., 4 hours, 24 hours, 3 days)

Example SLA Configuration

Step 4: Configure Ticket Stages

Set up stages for your helpdesk pipeline. Each stage represents a step in the support process:

• New — Ticket just created, awaiting assignment
• In Progress — Agent working on the issue
• Waiting for Customer — Pending customer response (can pause SLA timer)
• Resolved — Solution provided
• Closed — Ticket confirmed closed (folded in Kanban)

Step 5: Enable Email Integration

Configure the email alias on the helpdesk team to auto-create tickets from incoming emails:

• Set the email alias on the team form
• Replies on tickets automatically add to the ticket chatter
• Customers receive notifications when their tickets are updated

Step 6: Customer Portal

With the website_helpdesk module, customers can submit and track tickets online:

• A helpdesk form appears on your website
• Customers can view their open tickets through the portal
• Integrate with Knowledge base for self-service resolution

Step 7: Monitor SLA Compliance

Track SLA performance through:

• Helpdesk > Reporting — SLA compliance rates by team, agent, and priority
• Tickets show SLA status indicators (on track, at risk, failed)
• Dashboard views highlight tickets nearing SLA deadlines

Community Edition Alternative

Odoo Community does not include Helpdesk. Use the Project module as an alternative:

• Create a "Support" project with custom stages
• Use website forms for ticket submission via website_form_project
• Implement SLA tracking through custom fields and automated actions

Best Practices

• Create separate SLAs for response time and resolution time
• Set escalation rules for tickets approaching SLA deadlines
• Pause SLA timers when waiting for customer input
• Review SLA compliance weekly and adjust targets based on actual performance
• Use customer satisfaction ratings to measure quality beyond SLA metrics