With over 2 million subscribers worldwide, Xero is fast becoming one of the most popular online accounting software options available today. It’s not surprising – Xero truly understands the concept of ‘user friendly’, has an exceptional New Zealand based technical support team and all at a very reasonable monthly cost. However, one of the best features of Xero lies beyond the software itself; the ability to integrate third party software into a customized Xero business package.
The building blocks of Xero
The Xero App Marketplace is where the third party apps are found. The term ‘app’ is somewhat misleading, these are not smartphone apps, but usually full versions of desktop cloud based software that integrate with Xero. There is currently 800+ apps available and growing.
Why integrate?
The software you use contributes hugely to the productivity (or lack of) in your business.
In most businesses, different departments or roles require software to conduct specific tasks; accounting, project management, customer relationship management (CRM) and stock management, to name a few. Some software offers a ‘one stop shop’ solution, but this can be risky for businesses who already have finely tuned, functional systems and procedures in place. Modifying these procedures to make them fit a shared software package can be counterproductive.
With Xero’s ability to integrate, different areas of the business can choose a separate software best suited to the task and still have financial data flow between the programs. For example, a building company could monitor a project through their job management program and view financial data on the project (imported from Xero), or a sales team could get an accurate picture of their best value clientele by viewing financial data (imported from Xero). Neither of these companies are trying to use Xero to project manage, or as a CRM package, but they can still retain Xero as their preferred accounting software.
How do I get started?
Identify aspects of your business with room for improvement in software automation. Visit the Xero Apps Marketplace online and take the time to browse the categories. Don’t be afraid to reach out to the software company if you’re wondering if a program can be further customised as companies often have a team of developers who are keen to improve their software – it’s worth asking the question.
Worth checking
- Check how the third party software ‘talks’ to Xero. Will information be both received and sent, or does it only go one way?
- How easy is it to import and export the data and does it happen in real time?
- Does Xero have a good relationship with the third party software for assistance and support with integration?
We’re here to help
Software can be a massive help or a massive hindrance to a business, so if there’s room for improvement, we recommend taking the time to research your options. If you need any help or advice with Xero integration, please don’t hesitate to contact us – we’d love to hear from you.
