Small Business? Here are 7 Xero Add-ons Worth Having
Xero was one of the first cloud-based accounting software tools on the market, and since it launched way back in 2006 it has grown from strength to strength. The basic package is excellent, and there are all manner of add-ons – literally hundreds - available to help you tailor the tool to your exact small business or freelancer needs. Here are the seven Xero add-ons we feel have the most to offer.
Centralise your receipts and invoices with Receipt Bank
Receipt Bank is all about helping you digitise and centralise your receipts and invoices. It lets you extract all the essential information from bills, invoices and receipts, which you then simply submit by email. You can also choose to upload them from Dropbox or your computer, grab them via a smartphone image app, or send them freepost in the mail.
Manage your work flow perfectly with WorkFlowMax
WorkFlowMax is an amazing end-to-end work flow management tool designed specially for businesses in the service sector. It incorporates lead and customer management, a way to manage timesheets, tools to cost out projects, create purchase orders and make invoices, all beautifully integrated with your Xero account. As such it's ideal for service-led businesses like estate agents, hospitality companies and marketing agencies.
Forecast your finances easily with Float
Float is designed to let you forecast your budget and cash management closely, supporting a good cashflow. It analyses your real-time financial data and sends it via your Xero account so you have a firm grip on your working capital, can predict future balance sheets and know all about the impact of potential risks posed by debtors and late payers.
Import essential bank transactions with Bank Feeds
In Britain a collection of banks already supply handy direct feeds into Xero, including HSBC, NatWest, RBS, and Santander, letting you easily import transactions from your bank account or accounts. If you don't have an account at any of these banks you can use Yodlee, a clever third-party financial data company set up to access bank accounts, download details of your financial transactions and send them to your Xero account, all totally securely.
Use Timely to manage your appointments
Timely manages your client appointments simply and elegantly, letting you schedule staff, clients, stock and reporting. Complete an appointment in Timely and it cleverly posts an invoice into Xero, making reconciling your account as easy as pie. It handles online bookings, calendars, customer records, invoicing, SMS reminders and more, all free from unnecessary paperwork.
Keep a constant check on your inventory with Unleashed
Unleashed is an excellent and very popular inventory management tool offering real time stock control thanks to seamless location tracking, warehouse management, serial number tracking, purchase orders and pricing in multiple currencies. Again, because it integrates with your Xero account, all your inventory management records are conveniently centralised.
Neto is a brilliant ecommerce, point of sale, inventory and fulfilment tool that scales up and down with your business. It's ideal when you sell either on the high street, online, or both, and dovetails neatly with eBay too. You can observe your cash flow in real-time and the tool automatically exports your sales totals into Xero for smooth, fast reconciliation.
If you've been using Xero for a while and want extra functionality to help you grow, there are hundreds more excellent add-ons to choose from. Which means there's sure to be something that fits your bill. On the other hand if things are getting so complex that you'd rather hand everything over to a trusted accountant, we're more than happy to oblige!