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Sestini & Co | on Sat, 09/12/2015 - 10:26 | In
Accounting and systems It’s not so long ago that for many small businesses keeping your accounts updated meant storing receipts in a shoebox and once a year taking them and your invoices to bookkeeper who would put them into some order. Only then would you get an idea of where you were with your accounts and cash flow.
Or a larger company might invest in expensive software, requiring installation on each computer by an IT expert who would then have to come back regularly to add updates as enhancements became available. And substantial training was required for staff to get to grips with the new system.
An accounting system that’s available wherever your staff are
Today companies have access to a wide range of business tools available in the cloud and accessible via the internet.
One such program taking the accounting world by storm is Xero.
A report released in August 2015 by industry analyst IDC named Xero as “the fastest growing financial applications vendor in the world”.
The surge in uptake is fuelled by the ease of use of Xero. With a little training from a Xero certified expert such as Rachael Poole , one of our associate directors, even someone who is not too familiar with IT systems can quickly get up and running.
Ideal for the digital workplace
540,000 subscribers in business and accountancy firms now entrust their financial information to the Xero system, following its launch in 2006. The beauty of the software is that because it’s available to any user with an internet connection, companies with dispersed and homeworking staff can easily access it to add information or review the current cash flow position and other details.
There’s even an app, so that staff can get into the system from their mobile devices and see information such as invoices overdue and cash at bank.
Login details can be provided to accountants so that we can offer a proactive service and securely and remotely obtain the information we need to prepare financial statements, VAT returns and end of year accounts. Gone are the days of small businesses having to store, transport and potentially lose reams of paper!
What users say
Clients already using Xero note a range of benefits:
- “It’s so easy to use”
- “We can quickly and easily generate professional-looking invoices that are automatically logged in the accounting system”
- “Reconciling bank accounts used to be a real headache but it’s very easy using Xero”
- “Rachel and her team at Sestini & Co can prepare my VAT returns remotely and let me know what I owe HMRC without any additional paperwork from me”
Generating productivity gains beyond accounting
And Xero integrates with some of the other leading software applications such as CRM systems and expense trackers to make running a small business even easier.
“Before working with Sestini & Co our record-keeping on purchases for the business was all a bit hit and miss and there were records lost and hours of admin for our office manager to just keep on top of the receipts.
“Sestini & Co introduced us to an app called ReceiptBank and integrated it into Xero so that the two work together seamlessly.
“Now we can simply take a snapshot of a receipt on our phones using ReceiptBank and know that the information will be securely uploaded and stored in the cloud.
“Even for a small business like ours the time savings are immense, freeing up our office manager to work on other projects, such as new business support.”
Try it for yourself
If you’d like to be able to focus your efforts on running your business by having an easy-to-use, secure cloud-based accounting system, call or email us today. We will be pleased to run you through the time savings, set you up with a 30 day trial, or invite you into our offices in Paulton, near Bristol and Bath, for a consultation.
