If you’re running a business then you want your workflows to be as slick as possible, particularly the finances. If your staff are spending hours on repetitive manual tasks such as entering data into a spreadsheet then you are wasting time and money which could be better spent elsewhere. Not only is this time consuming, but you can get yourself into a mess when trying to track transactions, keep on top of invoices, and account for business expenses.
With that in mind, it’s understandable why people make use of software like Xero to make the workflows easier to handle and reduce human error. The ability to automate tasks means less time spent on data entry, more accurate results, and peace of mind that administrative processes are being dealt with as quickly as possible.
What is Xero?
Xero is a simple cloud-based accounting tool. It allows business owners to keep up-to-date with their finances whether they are in the office or on the go. Using leads to smoother finance processes as all bookkeeping tasks can be completed in one application.
How does Xero automation improve bookkeeping processes?
Xero automation improves bookkeeping processes by reducing laborious and repetitive tasks. This saves time and reduces the risk of miskeying, leading to a slicker operation.
Automation also allows for 24/7, real-time reports. As Xero can help to automate processes behind the scenes, you’ll have a full picture of how your business is performing. Knowledge is certainly power in this regard as it allows you to make informed decisions based on pre-analysed data.
One of the most frustrating things about manual data entry is the fact that human errors can easily occur, and this can cause havoc in your reporting if not discovered quickly. Implementing Xero automation eliminates silly mistakes, giving you have peace of mind that the data is correct.
What tasks can Xero automate?
Xero can automate a wide range of tasks that will benefit your business. For example, you can connect Xero to your bank accounts to create bank feeds. Once you’ve done this, your bank transactions will automatically be imported into Xero so you’ll know what money is coming in and going out of your business accounts at all times. As you can connect to multiple bank accounts, you’ll completely eradicate the need for manual imports and have all the data you need at your fingertips.
Likewise, if you link your bank account to Xero, you can set up rules for transaction categorisation. For example, your business gas and electric bill transactions could be automatically categorised in Xero as ‘Utilities’. You could also create rules for regular payments such as entertainment expenses, car parking charges and phone bills.
Image courtesy of Xero
How can Zapier work with Xero?
Although Xero’s ability to automate tasks is impressive, you can take it one step further with the addition of Zapier. Zapier is a tool that allows you to connect over 6,000 apps together to create workflows of automated processes. By doing so, you’ll be able to save even more time to work on business growth, reduce the chance for manual data errors to occur, streamline your business processes, and keep every member of your team working in harmony.
Image courtesy of Zapier
With Zapier and Xero, the possibilities are endless to create powerful automations. For example, you could create a workflow that links PayPal and Xero together. When a PayPal payment is received it can trigger a workflow within which Xero can automatically create an invoice for that payment. This could also be achieved with other payment gateways such as Stripe and many more.
Another example is to link Xero with Gmail to automatically create emails. You can create a workflow which is triggered when a new payment is received in Xero. This could automatically send a notification email via Gmail to your team members to alert them to the payment. Likewise, you could link Xero and Slack so weekly summaries of sales invoices in Xero are automatically sent to team members.
Xero can also be linked to Mailchimp, a popular email marketing platform. You can create a workflow which automatically adds clients to a Mailchimp subscriber list when their contact details are generated in Xero. This would allow you to then set up automatic Mailchimp email campaigns or monthly newsletters.
Zapier gives you the ability to link thousands of apps to Xero, further enhancing the benefits of software automation. Being able to reduce the amount of manual input required for repetitive tasks not only saves you valuable time but makes the whole experience much less stressful.
Image courtesy of Zapier
You have peace of mind that the data is correct and, with the addition of linked apps via Zapier, will be able to automate other processes to keep your business running as smoothly as possible. This will make for a much more enjoyable experience for you, your team, and your clients.
Read more about how we used process improvement and workflow automation to save our client, One Year No Beer, 32 hours in weekly bookkeeping time.
More automation using Xero
If this story has inspired you to see how you can save time and money by connecting Xero with your other apps then we have some other automations you can try:
- How to automate adding invoices to Xero from Pipedrive
- Send a Slack message with a daily digest of paid Xero invoices
- How to automate thanking your customers for paying their Xero invoices
Our other resources
We also have plenty of free resources:
- Our free e-book is the perfect introduction to business automation.
- Our Zapier functions cheat sheet delves into the powerful inbuilt helper apps which can supercharge your automations.
- A free checklist to help you justify an automation budget.
And finally, our founder / chief problem solver / chief automator Kelly Goss’ new book, Automate It with Zapier, is out now and is the most comprehensive Zapier guide on the market. It will get you up and running and to the stage where you can build and debug advanced automations. Buy your own copy today directly from publisher Packt using this link. Or here are links to Amazon (.co.uk) and Amazon (.com) if you prefer.
Solvaa: Strategy, Solutions, Support, Education
UK-based Solvaa® is a systems, process and automation consultancy specialising in improving business workflows. Solvaa® works with SMEs worldwide to implement digital tools, better processes, use business process automation and generative AI to boost productivity, enhance lead management, and remove unnecessary time, costs and hassles from stretched business owners’ days.
We help you simplify and streamline existing processes, integrate your business tools to make data transfer more efficient, and automate manual tasks. Our business process automation specialists have extensive experience using multiple cloud-based business tools, including Zapier, Pipedrive CRM, SmartSuite, Xero, Google Suite, ClickUp, Asana, Airtable, Hubspot, Active Campaign, Salesforce, Mailchimp, Quickbooks and many more. We are Zapier Certified Experts, SmartSuite Certified Partners, Pipedrive Certified Partners and Xero Certified Advisors. We also educate teams about using AI in their daily roles, mindset, governance and strategy in our Solvaa AI Academy.
Solvaa® was founded in 2016 by Kelly Goss, a no-code solutions architect, business process automation specialist and author of Automate It with Zapier (first edition) and Automate It with Zapier and Generative AI (second edition).
A thought leader on business process automation and digital adoption, Kelly attended an invite-only Roundtable on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with the UK government at No.10 Downing Street, providing insights and recommendations on how SMEs can benefit from productivity gains by using digital technologies, automation and AI. She has also been invited to speak at the House of Lords and at many other events.
Contact us today to find out how Solvaa can help your business make big savings on operational costs and time, and significantly increase productivity.
