Xero Redesigns App, Adds Document Management and Purchase Orders

SAN FRANCISCO — Online accounting software maker Xero has announced a set of three new features designed to help make managing finances and related financial documents in the cloud easier for accounting professionals and small businesses.

The company’s redesigned mobile app, Xero Touch, gives small businesses anytime, anywhere access to their finances and enables real-time connections with their accounting professionals. Xero Files brings important business documents, such as invoices, transactions and expense reports directly into Xero’s platform, giving users a 360-degree view of their financial health. And Xero Purchase Orders helps customers manage the process of ordering and paying for goods. Xero has also previewed its upcoming Payroll service, which boasts a 99.97 percent uptime rate and integrates with their cloud accounting system.

The new features come as Xero is experiencing record growth and adoption following recent investments of $150 million to fuel innovation and expansion in the U.S.

“We are setting a new standard for the industry: an intuitively designed and beautiful platform to take care of all small business accounting needs,”said Jamie Sutherland, Xero’s U.S. President. “We are driven by SMBs and accounting professionals that are clamoring for change and dropping costly and confusing software like Intuit’s QuickBooks to adopt the power of cloud accounting. Our growing customer base and recent $150 million investment are fueling this innovation and quickly putting us at the head of the market. Most importantly, with these new capabilities and the forthcoming Xero Payroll, we’re helping our customers improve their business productivity and manage their finances with ease.”

“Xero continues to make life easier by constantly anticipating our needs with new tools to help us manage and grow the business,” said Tim Donohoue, COO of Advisor. “These new features will save me time and allow me to make the best business decisions with a complete and always up-to-date picture of our company's financial health. Rather than spending hours sorting through receipts, bills and contracts, I can just snap a picture, tap my phone, or click my mouse to accomplish nearly all of our accounting needs in minutes.”

Xero Touch for iOS

Xero is introducing a complete redesign of its iOS application to complement iOS7 and deliver fast performance and responsiveness. The new app embraces Apple’s mantra of “content is king,” eliminating screen-hogging visual features and replacing them with more productive means to access and manipulate data. Specifically, the new app speeds up bank reconciliations with the touch of a button; expensing and invoicing with the click of a camera; invoicing with the tap of a finger; and offers real-time connections with accounting professionals for financial health check-ups.

Xero Files

Xero Files allows for multiple files and documents to be attached to almost anything in Xero, delivering a comprehensive, 360-degree financial picture that can be viewed in Xero’s Single Ledger. Users of Xero Files can drag-and-drop almost any kind of file into Xero and link it to almost anything (invoices, transactions, expense receipts, fixed assets, contracts, chart of accounts, bank accounts and even manual journals). Xero ensures files are secure, encrypted and easy-to-find for customers and their accounting counterparts. The collaborative nature of Xero Files fosters improved efficiency, allowing for anytime, anywhere access to your financial landscape with just a few clicks.

Xero Purchase Orders

Xero Purchase Orders help small businesses manage the process of ordering and paying for goods, all in one location. With the touch of a button, Xero Purchase Orders create customized POs that can be emailed to suppliers and easily be turned into bills (saving countless hours of data entry and eliminating the possibility of human error). Similar to the workflow process of Xero Invoicing, with Xero Purchase Orders customers can search for POs and manage the process from a PO specific dashboard.

Sneak Peek at Xero Payroll

Xero Payroll integrates accounting and payroll to provide a comprehensive payroll solution. With Xero Payroll, customers can automate payroll, tax calculations, direct deposit and check options, employee access options, and an electronic tax filing alert and e-applications. Xero Payroll also includes an API to connect relevant systems such as HR and time tracking.