Making the move to a professional accounting package can make a massive difference to any company but of course, you do need to learn how to use the system.
We often speak with clients who think that it will take them forever to understand Xero and that they need accounting knowledge to make it worthwhile.
The good news is that nothing could be further from the truth and Xero is a snip to master.
Xero is the market leader in software for SMEs so we thought we’d look at some of the features of Xero that make it super-easy to learn and use.
In this article;
- No accounting knowledge? – no problem
- User interface
- Features
- Xero support
- Bespoke training
- Summary
No accounting knowledge? – no problem
One of the biggest barriers to implementing a new accounting system is the phrase “accounting system” because it means that many people feel that you need a high level of financial knowledge to understand what is going on.
We’re pleased to say that Xero doesn’t presuppose any level of prior knowledge or training at all so you can dive straight in.
Yes, there are accounting terms that you may come across such as ”Chart of Accounts” or ”Reconciliations” but that doesn’t mean you necessarily need to use them.
In fact, many of our clients use Xero purely as a billing, payments and expenses platform and then leave us to carry out the accounting in the background.
But even if you don’t want to do this you can still use Xero as once you get into it, the system is simple to learn and easy to use in practice.
User interface
The starting point has to be the user interface.
With Xero, this is clear and easy to understand.
Different functions like billing, VAT and banking are easy to find and simple to understand and you don’t need to worry about doing something wrong – everything is reversible if you get into trouble!
One of the good features of the Xero user interface is that the more advanced functions such as the accounting chart of accounts and balance sheet reconciliations sit in advanced menu items meaning that if you don’t use them, you don’t need to see them.
When you first set up Xero, tooltips and hints help you navigate your way around the system and point you towards resources that explain what things are and how to use them.
There is one important point to make here. Whilst the accountants amongst us may like to use the browser-based desktop version, that doesn’t mean that everyone has to.
Xero works perfectly well on mobile devices and the App is clean and really simple to use.
The Xero App
Features
Xero is a solution that has a huge number of features making it great for all sorts of different companies, but with this level of flexibility comes an equivalent level of complexity.
However, what Xero has done is to make sure that the things you see first are the things you need to know about the most.
For example, the company dashboard can be customised easily to show you aspects such as outstanding invoices, bills payable and bank balances.
The automation of features like VAT means that there are no calculations to do for most businesses. Submitting your VAT return online is simply a matter of clicking a button.
Setting up an integration with your business bank account takes a couple of minutes and saves huge amounts of time inputting and reconciling transactions. Xero can also memorise your regular payments and receipts and deal with them automatically in the background.
Simple Xero VAT reporting and submission
Xero support
No matter how easy a system is to use, the fact is that there will always be something that you can’t work out.
In our opinion, the quality of a SaaS system is shown by the quality of the support that it offers and with Xero that is world-class.
The Xero website has a ton of helpful resources including video explainers, blogs on business and accounting subjects and of course helpfiles.
With Xero being one of the best known and most used systems for SMEs there is a large and active user community.
Xero has also developed a superb training section on their website which includes comprehensive courses on every aspect of the system
Xero courses
Bespoke training
We all learn in different ways.
Some people prefer self-directed learning, researching topics when they come up against an issue they can’t solve.
Others prefer to have a more structured approach to understanding a system and how to use it and this is where bespoke training comes in.
As Xero partners, we have an in-depth knowledge of Xero and how it works.
We’ve helped hundreds of clients get the best out of their systems and our people have a real-world approach to delivering information.
We can help you set up your Xero system, configure the options and then show you and your team how to get the best out of the package. If you need integrations with other apps then we can help with setting these up and showing you how to manage them too!
So is Xero easy to use?
Yes absolutely!
The emphasis from day one has been on making Xero a package that anyone can use without any special accounting knowledge.
The great thing is that you can be up and running and carrying out simple tasks within minutes and then learn how to do more advanced things as you go along.
Alternatively, if you have in-house finance staff, they will love the clean interface and easy ways of finding reports, journals and accounts.
And with a multitude of ways to get help and support, including our bespoke training options, you can be sure that adopting Xero as your bookkeeping and accounting solution will be a decision you’ll never regret.
Need some Xero help?
We believe that Xero is the best system out there, so much so that we became Xero registered partners.
This means that we have the knowledge and experience to help you with your digital accounting needs.
If you are unsure about using a new system then we can help with effective and accessible Xero training to give you the confidence you need.
Contact us now and let’s have a chat about how we can help.