CRM Mail Plugin Module
Connect Odoo CRM with Outlook/Gmail to create Leads and track prospects directly in your email inbox.
CRM Mail Plugin module integrates Odoo CRM with email applications (Outlook, Gmail), allowing direct Lead creation from emails, viewing related Leads, and logging emails to CRM.
Work directly in your inbox without switching tabs, auto-fill contact information, and display expected revenue and Lead probability.
Key Features
Key points
• Create Leads directly from received emails in Outlook/Gmail.
• View list of Leads related to email sender.
• Log email content to Lead as internal notes.
• Open Lead in Odoo for detailed editing.
• Auto-fill contact information from email.
• Display expected revenue and Lead probability.
• Support recurring revenue if feature is enabled.
How Mail Plugin Works with CRM
When Mail Plugin is installed for Outlook or Gmail, the plugin identifies the email sender and finds corresponding contacts in Odoo, displays contact information and related Leads, allows creating new Leads from emails, and logging email content to existing Leads.
Key points
• CRM features only display if you have permission to create Leads in CRM.
• Without this permission, the Lead section will not appear in the plugin.
• Plugin works directly in email inbox without switching tabs.
Core Terminology
| Fields | Description |
|---|---|
| Lead | Unqualified sales opportunity in CRM. |
| Expected Revenue | Expected revenue value from Lead. |
| Probability | Percentage likelihood of closing the Lead. |
| Recurring Revenue | Recurring revenue by cycle (monthly/yearly). |
| Recurring Plan | Customer recurring payment cycle. |
| Partner | Customer or contact in the system. |
| Log Email Content | Save email to Lead history. |
Standard Workflow
When receiving email from prospect, open email in Outlook/Gmail and open Odoo Mail Plugin (Odoo icon in email toolbar). Plugin displays contact information, existing Leads (if any), and create Lead button.
Steps
1. Open email to process in Outlook or Gmail.
2. Click Odoo Mail Plugin icon in email toolbar.
3. View contact information and related Leads (max 5 recent Leads).
4. Click Create Lead to create new Lead or select existing Lead to log.
5. Use Log button to log email content to selected Lead.
6. Click on Lead to open in Odoo and edit details.
Create Lead from Email
When clicking Create Lead in plugin, system automatically creates Lead with information from email.
Steps
1. Open email to convert to Lead.
2. Open Odoo Mail Plugin and click Create Lead.
3. System auto-fills: Name (email subject with HTML removed), Partner (email sender), Description (email content), Company (contact company if available).
4. New Lead is created and appears in CRM → Leads.
5. Click on Lead in plugin to open and edit additional information.
Auto-filled Information
| Lead Field | Data Source |
|---|---|
| Name | Email subject |
| Partner | Email sender |
| Description | Email content |
| Company | Partner company |
View Leads Related to Contact
When opening email, plugin automatically displays up to 5 most recent Leads from sender with detailed information.
Key points
• Click on Lead in list to open in Odoo in edit mode.
• Check Lead list before creating new Lead to avoid duplicates.
Information Displayed per Lead
| Information | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Lead name |
| Expected Revenue | Expected revenue (currency format) |
| Probability | Success probability (%) |
| Recurring Revenue | Recurring revenue (if feature enabled) |
| Recurring Plan | Recurring plan (if available) |
Log Email to Lead
Log email to Lead when email contains important information to save, customer exchanges need history recording, or progress updates from email.
Key points
• Email content appears in Lead Chatter tab.
• Lead activity history is updated.
• Searchable in CRM.
• Colleagues can track exchange history.
Steps
1. Open email to log.
2. Open Odoo Mail Plugin.
3. Select Lead from list.
4. Click Log or Log Email Content button.
5. Email content is added to Lead chatter.
Mail Plugin Setup
Mail Plugin needs to be installed and configured for Outlook or Gmail before using CRM features.
Steps
1. Go to Settings → General Settings → Integrations.
2. Enable Mail Plugin feature.
3. Select Outlook Plugin or Gmail Plugin depending on your email application.
4. Follow installation instructions for each platform.
5. Log in to Odoo from plugin to connect.
6. Check CRM permissions to ensure Lead feature displays.
Outlook Integration
Key points
• Download Odoo Mail Plugin from Microsoft AppSource.
• Install add-in to Outlook (Desktop or Web).
• Open any email and click Odoo icon in toolbar.
• Log in to Odoo with your account.
• Plugin will display CRM information for each email.
Gmail Integration
Key points
• Download Odoo Mail Plugin from Google Workspace Marketplace.
• Install add-on to Gmail.
• Open any email and click Odoo icon in right sidebar.
• Log in to Odoo with your account.
• Plugin will display CRM information for each email.
Best Practices
Key points
• Create Lead immediately when receiving email from new customer to not miss opportunities.
• Log all important emails to Lead so colleagues can track.
• Use plugin to check Lead history before replying to email.
• Check Lead list in plugin before creating new Lead (avoid duplicates).
• Update Lead information in Odoo after creating from email.
• Use recurring revenue to track customers subscribing to services.
• Log emails to Lead so colleagues know progress.
• Open Lead from plugin to assign or update status.
• Use shared information source (Lead) for entire team.
Troubleshooting
Common Issues
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Lead section not visible in plugin | No permission to create Lead in CRM, module not installed, or plugin not configured correctly | Check CRM permissions (Settings → Users), verify crm_mail_plugin module installed, check Mail Plugin connection |
| Cannot create Lead from email | Sender not in system, connection error, or missing permissions | Create contact for sender first, check plugin connection (logout/login), contact administrator |
| Lead list incomplete | Plugin only displays 5 most recent Leads | Open Odoo CRM to view all Leads, filter by Partner in CRM → Leads |
| Email content loses formatting | HTML converted to plain text for Lead title | Normal behavior to avoid display errors, email content (description) retains HTML formatting |
| Cannot log email to Lead | Using old plugin version or Lead deleted | Update Mail Plugin to latest version, verify Lead exists, check access permissions |
Permissions and Security
Key points
• Only users with Lead creation permission see CRM features in plugin.
• Plugin only accesses currently open email, does not read entire inbox.
• Data transmitted via secure connection between plugin and Odoo.
• Users must log in to Odoo to use plugin.
• Lead access permissions follow CRM security rules.