The Xero accounting mobile app enables you to do most of the tasks that you can perform in a web browser but from your mobile. In a world where we check our phone on average 221 times a day, it’s no wonder that Xero have developed the app to be such a powerful on-the-go tool.
And, because Xero is cloud-based, any updates made via the mobile app will sync so you can rest assured that any changes made will be live when you next access Xero from another device.
If you are a business owner on the move, here are our must-use (and often under-used) features of the Xero accounting app.
5 must-use features on the Xero app
1. Quotes and sales invoicing
The best place to begin is with the profit-driver of the business – sales. The Xero mobile app gives you full functionality to:
– raise quotes or invoices,
– convert quotes to invoices, and
– send out any items directly to customers.
Whilst the thought of typing each invoice out on a phone might be daunting, utilising the ‘Products and Services’ section of Xero and creating a ‘menu’ of your recurring charges will save you time and enable you to simply select from a dropdown on your phone.
2. Sales invoice management
Stay in control of your upcoming and overdue invoices from in-app, along with being able to send any additional chases required – all from one central place.
If you’re expecting to invoice a new customer, their contact card can also be added to your Xero CRM from within the app.
3. Bank reconciliations
It can sometimes be seen as a chore to update your business bank transactions. That formidable task every month-end or VAT quarter can instead be broken down into little, but often, reconciliations via the mobile app.
Match invoices and bills to transactions, use bank rules and receive suggested matches – all these desktop features are incorporated in the app so that you can manage them on the go.
4. Bill tracking
Much like your summary of sales invoices, from in-app you can have an overview of upcoming and overdue purchase invoices. Having this information at your fingertips allows you to better manage and plan your bills and payment schedules.
5. Reporting
The Xero app features a few key reports to give you insights while on the move. Understandably, you aren’t able to access the full suite of reports available via desktop (the aspect ratio would be awful, for a start!), but the aim is to give you basic reports like a profit and loss or a view of your historic cashflow.
What can I do to make the app seamless?
Templates, templates, templates
It cannot be stressed how much creating templates can help the transition. Save yourself time on things like writing out the same email with tone, terms and specifics to each customer, and instead make a template for this. You can even make contact-specific ones for clients that require different tones or content.
Bank rules
For items not involving sales or purchase invoices, create bank rules to make the bank reconciliations into one-click jobs. Pick-up things like bank charges, wages and HMRC payments to save time in the long-run – all whilst ensuring consistency in your allocation.
Purchase invoice automation
Okay, this isn’t directly within the Xero App, but your mobile accounting can be supercharged by adding some software for invoice automation. Save yourself a huge amount of time from typing out bills whenever needed. Simply take a picture of your receipts via their app, or email your invoice into your account and the bill will be processed and added to your Xero. More on invoice automation using Dext in our previous Fintech Friday here.
How can we help?
Looking to get more out of your Xero license? Contact our Digital Advisory Team by emailing fintech@haroldsharp.co.uk or call 0161 905 1616.