WAO Invoice Automation

The WAO Invoice Automation module eliminates the manual data entry required between the warehouse and the accounting department. Instead of relying on the sales or billing team to manually click "Create Invoice" after a shipment goes out, this module automatically generates, posts, and emails the customer's invoice the exact moment the warehouse validates the delivery.

Key Features

• Instant Invoice Generation: Triggered automatically when a Delivery Order attached to a Sales Order is validated.
• Accurate Billing: Respects Odoo's "Delivered Quantities" policy. If a delivery is partial, the invoice will only charge the customer for what was actually shipped.
• Backorder Support: When a backorder is eventually fulfilled and validated, a second invoice is automatically generated for the remaining items.
• Automated Emailing: The system generates the official PDF invoice, attaches it to the standard email template, and sends it directly to the customer.
• Chatter Logging: All automated emails and PDF attachments are permanently logged in the Invoice's Chatter for easy auditing.
• Flexible Targeting: The automation can be deployed globally to all customers, or restricted to specific clients via Contact checkboxes or Customer Tags.

How to Configure the Rules (For Admins/Managers)

The master controls for this automation are located in the standard Sales settings.

1. Navigate to Settings > Sales.
2. Scroll down to the Invoicing section.
3. You will see two new master toggles:
   • Automatically create invoices upon delivery
   • Automatically email invoices
4. For each toggle, you can set the Scope:
   • All Customers: The automation runs for every single outgoing delivery.
   • Specific Customers/Tags: The automation will strictly ignore all deliveries unless the customer (or their assigned tag) has explicitly opted in.

How to Opt-In Specific Customers (For Sales Reps)

If the master settings are restricted to "Specific Customers/Tags," the sales team must flag which clients receive automated billing.

Method 1: By Individual Customer

1. Navigate to the Contacts app and open a customer's profile.
2. Click the Sales & Purchase tab.
3. Check the boxes for Auto-Invoice Enabled and/or Auto-Email Enabled.

Method 2: By Customer Tag (Bulk)

1. Navigate to Contacts > Configuration > Contact Tags.
2. Open a tag (e.g., "VIP Accounts" or "Automated Billing").
3. Check the opt-in boxes on the tag itself. Any customer assigned this tag will automatically inherit the automation rules.

The Daily Workflow (What to Expect)

For the warehouse and sales teams, the daily process does not change. The automation works entirely in the background.

1. The Sale: A Sales Order is created and confirmed. (Note: Products must be set to "Invoicing Policy: Delivered quantities" for the automation to calculate correctly).
2. The Delivery: The warehouse team picks the items and clicks Validate on the Delivery Order.
3. The Automation: The moment "Validate" is clicked, the system intercepts the action:
   • It reads the company rules and customer tags.
   • If approved, it creates a Draft Invoice for the delivered items.
   • It Posts (confirms) the invoice.
   • It generates the PDF report.
   • It sends the email and logs the PDF in the Chatter.
4. The Result: When the sales rep looks at the Sales Order, the Invoices smart button will already be there, and the customer will already have the bill in their inbox.