Top 10 Business Processes You Can Automate with Odoo + n8n

Running a business is all about process, approving orders, updating stock, managing employees, sending invoices, and much more. These tasks are necessary but can become repetitive, time-consuming, and prone to human error.

That’s where automation comes in. With Odoo, a powerful ERP that manages core business functions, and n8n, a workflow automation tool, companies can design smart workflows that handle these tasks automatically.

This blog explores the top 10 business processes you can automate with Odoo + n8n, and why each one is valuable for growing businesses.

1. Sales Order Approvals

Sales orders often need to pass through multiple checks before being confirmed. For example, an order might need manager approval if it crosses a certain discount limit or exceeds a customer’s credit line.

Traditionally, this involves sending emails back and forth, which wastes time. With Odoo storing all the sales data and n8n handling automation, rules can be applied automatically:

• If an order is under $1,000 → auto-approved.
• If it’s above $1,000 → sent to the sales manager for approval.
• If it involves a special discount → forwarded to the finance team.

Benefit: Approvals happen faster, customers don’t face delays, and managers spend less time on routine decisions.

2. Inventory Updates

For businesses with multiple warehouses, online shops, or retail outlets, inventory management is critical. A manual update in one system can easily be forgotten in another, leading to overselling or stock-outs.

Automation ensures that:

• When an item is sold in Odoo → stock levels are updated instantly.
• n8n pushes this data to e-commerce platforms (like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Magento).
• Low stock alerts are triggered automatically to the purchase department.

Benefit: Real-time visibility prevents customer disappointment and ensures smoother supply chain operations.

3. Customer Notifications

Customers expect to stay informed. Whether it’s a confirmation email, a delivery update, or a payment reminder, communication builds trust.

With Odoo + n8n, these notifications can happen automatically:

• Order placed → instant confirmation email.
• Shipment dispatched → automatic SMS or WhatsApp message.
• Payment overdue → polite reminder sent automatically.

Benefit: Customers feel valued and informed without your team spending hours manually sending updates.

4. Employee Onboarding

Hiring new employees is exciting, but also a lot of work. HR teams need to collect documents, assign system access, and schedule training. Manually coordinating all this often creates confusion or delays.

Automation simplifies onboarding:

• Once HR creates a new employee record in Odoo → n8n can trigger emails to IT (for account creation), managers (for assigning tasks), and finance (for payroll setup).
• Training reminders can be scheduled automatically.

Benefit: Every new employee gets a smooth, consistent experience and HR can focus on people, not paperwork.

5. Invoice Reminders

Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business, but chasing payments is time-consuming. Forgetting to follow up on invoices can hurt financial stability.

With Odoo handling invoices and n8n managing reminders:

• Customers automatically receive reminders 3 days before the due date.
• Overdue invoices trigger polite follow-up emails.
• Managers get alerts for critical unpaid invoices.

Benefit: Businesses maintain healthier cash flow, reduce payment delays, and avoid the awkwardness of manual chasing.

6. Purchase Approvals

Purchasing often involves multiple levels of approval. Without automation, requests may get stuck in email chains or forgotten altogether.

Automation ensures:

• Requests below a threshold are approved instantly.
• Larger requests are routed to department heads.
• Urgent requests trigger notifications via Slack, Teams, or email.

Benefit: Decisions are quicker, spending is controlled, and teams don’t waste time waiting.

7. Marketing Automation

Marketing campaigns need coordination between CRM, email tools, and customer databases. Doing this manually wastes time and reduces consistency.

With Odoo’s marketing module and n8n integrations:

• New leads from Odoo CRM automatically receive welcome emails.
• Customers can be segmented (VIP, regular, inactive) and targeted with personalized campaigns.
• n8n connects Odoo data with tools like Mailchimp, HubSpot, or social platforms.

Benefit: Campaigns run smoothly, customers feel engaged, and marketing teams spend less time juggling tools.

8. Expense Reporting

Employees often dread submitting expense reports and managers dread approving them. The process is usually messy, with receipts in emails, scanned documents, or paper copies.

Automation can fix this:

• Employees upload receipts in Odoo → n8n triggers an approval workflow.
• Finance teams are notified automatically once approved.
• Reports are generated for managers without manual effort.

Benefit: Quicker reimbursements, transparent tracking, and less admin work for everyone.

9. Vendor Management

Vendors are critical to business operations, but managing them manually is complex. Missing contract renewals or forgetting to follow up on delayed deliveries can create problems.

Automation ensures:

• Alerts are sent before contracts expire.
• Performance reports (like delivery delays or quality issues) are compiled automatically.
• Purchase managers are notified if a vendor misses deadlines.

Benefit: Stronger relationships with vendors and fewer operational risks.

10. Data Syncing Between Apps

Most companies today use multiple tools, Odoo for ERP, Google Sheets for analysis, Slack for communication, and more. Manually transferring data between them is inefficient and error-prone.

n8n makes Odoo the central hub by syncing data across apps:

• A sales order in Odoo updates a spreadsheet automatically.
• Customer records update in both Odoo and your CRM.
• Notifications are sent to Slack when specific events happen in Odoo.

Benefit: Data stays consistent everywhere, employees avoid duplicate work, and managers always see the full pictur

Why These Automations Matter

Automating these processes doesn’t just save time, it changes how businesses operate.

• Efficiency: Teams stop wasting hours on repetitive tasks.
• Accuracy: Errors are reduced because workflows follow strict rules.
• Scalability: As the business grows, automation grows with it.
• Customer satisfaction: Faster responses and updates improve customer trust.
• Employee satisfaction: Staff can focus on strategic, creative work instead of boring admin.

Final Thoughts

The future of business is connected and automated. With Odoo handling the core business functions and n8n acting as the automation engine, companies can transform their operations.

Whether it’s speeding up sales, improving cash flow, strengthening vendor ties, or delighting customers, automation helps businesses work smarter, not harder.

If you’re just getting started, these 10 business processes are the perfect first step. Once in place, you’ll see how Odoo + n8n can unlock even bigger opportunities for growth.

If this feels a bit too much to handle on your own, don’t worry. For an easy way to start with Odoo + n8n, just contact Spellbound Soft Solutions. We’ll help you set up everything so your business runs smoother and faster.