For Creative Technologies, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider for the utility sector, the adoption of Odoo’s suite of apps has been nothing short of transformative. By moving away from fragmented systems and embracing automation, the company streamlined its processes and achieved measurable growth and efficiency gains.
Founded over 15 years ago and based in Orange County, California, Creative Technologies employs a team of 12 people dedicated to supporting utility providers across the United States. The company’s mission is clear: helping utilities digitally transform an industry traditionally burdened with paper processes and outdated workflows from meter reading, billing and collections with their El Dorado cloud platform.
When co-owner Marc Sciocchetti and his team acquired the business, it was a small desktop application. Over time, they grew it into a robust SaaS platform serving 95% U.S.-based clients and expanding to global markets. Their edge lies in automation and the ability to simplify complex operations for utilities, ensuring providers can transition smoothly into the digital era.
“We really kind of took on the whole digital transformation, helping utility companies transform digitally. It’s a complex, old industry, and we automate that all over the U.S. and the world.”
What Needed to Change Before Odoo
Before Odoo, Creative Technologies relied on a patchwork of disconnected systems. The company used ACT CRM for customer management and Sage for accounting. Marketing efforts were handled separately, and there was no proper helpdesk tool in place. This lack of integration created constant inefficiencies.
Data entry had to be duplicated across platforms, making invoicing, customer communication, and internal coordination unnecessarily time-consuming. Marc recalls: “The systems weren’t connected… we didn’t have an integrated marketing platform or a way to communicate with customers.”
This inefficiency slowed down sales, made support harder to manage, and added complexity to basic operations. The team knew they needed a single, flexible ERP and CRM system to centralize data, streamline processes, and scale alongside the business.
"It was tough to keep everything cohesive in one database. We were spread across four different platforms.”
Why Odoo Was the Right Fit
When searching for a new solution, Creative Technologies explored several options. Oracle and Zoho were quickly ruled out: Oracle felt oversized and complex, while Zoho didn’t align with the company’s needs for flexibility and simplicity.
Ultimately, Marc and his team discovered Odoo through a combination of customer exposure and online research. “We wanted something flexible, easy, and that would grow with us. That’s why we picked Odoo,” Marc shares.
The implementation began just over two years ago, and since then, Odoo has become a cornerstone of Creative Technologies’ operations.
How Odoo Transformed their Operations
From the start, Creative Technologies adopted a lot of Odoo apps: Helpdesk, Sales, Contacts, Accounting, Marketing, Sign, Knowledge, and Planning. Together, these now provide an end-to-end workflow, linking every customer touchpoint from sales to support.
The new process begins in Sales, where the team can generate quotes that customers sign electronically through Odoo Sign. This action immediately triggers Accounting to issue invoices, and recurring revenues are automatically scheduled for renewal every year on each customer’s anniversary date.
- With Odoo Helpdesk, support is directly tied to each customer’s account and history, ensuring seamless service. Meanwhile, Marketing Automation allows the company to notify customers about software updates, new features, or issues in real time. The centralized contact management system ties it all together, eliminating the silos that plagued their previous setup.
One of the unexpected wins for them came from the reminder and notification features. In Sales, the team can now send automated notices when invoices are about to expire, while Accounting allows overdue payment reminders to be sent effortlessly. “We didn’t have that capability before,” Marc notes. Reports generated within Odoo also give management a clear, data-driven view of business growth and activity trends.
- The company has also avoided hiring additional staff, keeping costs down while still scaling operations.
- Sales performance has also soared. Thanks to the integrated process from quoting to invoicing and renewal tracking, Marc reports that sales have increased by 35–40% since adopting Odoo.
- Additionally, the Sign app replaced the need for third-party tools like Docusign, reducing costs and keeping workflows in one place. Templates in Marketing Automation also save time and improve communication consistency. “I didn’t realize how nice that was until we used it,” Marc says.
"Tasks that were taking literally a couple of days are now eliminated. For example, updating contact information, once a weekly, day-long task for one staff member, is now automated. Percentage-wise, I’d say it’s probably a 70% improvement from the way we used to do it to where we are today.”
The Road Ahead:
Creative Technologies’ Next Chapter
Looking ahead, Creative Technologies has set an ambitious goal: to double the size of the company in the next three years without doubling expenses. “We want to grow efficiently and do more with less,” Marc explains. Odoo will continue to play a key role in that growth strategy by providing the automation and scalability needed to expand without proportionally increasing overhead.
On the product side, the company plans to implement more of Odoo’s Knowledge Base features, enabling customer self-service. “We want customers to be able to resolve issues themselves with bots and automation, without always having to call us,” Marc says. Exploring AI-powered tools within Odoo is also on the roadmap, as the company looks to enhance customer support while reducing strain on staff.
Creative Technologies’ journey is proof that a unified ERP and CRM system can change the way a business operates. By consolidating scattered systems into Odoo, the company achieved higher efficiency, stronger customer engagement, and significant growth without additional staffing costs.
Whether your organization is managing sales, support, accounting, or marketing, Odoo provides the flexibility and integration to scale efficiently, just as Creative Technologies has done!
