Item: Xero
Rating: 8
Author: Michael Koslowski

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Xero for all sales and bills, with assistance from a Xero skilled remote accountant.

Pros and Cons

Links to the Australian tax office.
Links to bank accounts.
UX is simple and clean.

Search experience isn't great, too often linked to unhelpful info.

Return on Investment

It helps us ensure we meet all our financial reporting and tax obligations.
It enforces a disciplined approach to our accounts on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
Makes annual tax reporting relatively stress-free as all the hard work has already been done.

Alternatives Considered

Before Xero, I was using a spreadsheet and Word docs.

Usability

It just works for the core features we need it for, such as auto-matching payments against invoices and single-click submissions to the ATO (regulator).

Mainly saved my time as a startup founder. While startups by necessity balk at any spending, this is one monthly outgoing that saves me considerable time and stress and ensures we get paid, pay our bills, and remain compliant with all regulatory issues.

Ease of Integration

Our accountant set up any required integration for us.

Key Insights

Do you think Xero delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Xero's feature set?

Yes

Did Xero live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Xero go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Xero again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Jira Software, Adobe Premiere Pro

Likelihood to Recommend

Good for those hesitant to learn new software. I would recommend having an accountant/bookkeeper help set you up properly for the features you need to use. I probably only use a fraction of Xero's capabilities, but enough to do everything our startup needs to do.

The discipline enforcer, which also makes me smile

Overall Satisfaction with Xero