Latest Xero Release Gives Businesses Key Financial Insights, More Time Back

SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - Dec 15, 2014) -

• Over 400 features and improvements delivered in 2014
• Updated dashboard makes it easy to see key financial data to make smart business decisions
• Automates once time-consuming tasks that required multiple steps and manual data entry

Small business owners, accountants and bookkeepers struggling to get the insights they need from their financial data will find relief in the latest version of Xero (@Xero) -- the world's leading cloud accounting platform.

Xero's newest release offers an updated accounting dashboard with a new look and feel that makes it easier for business owners to get a clear view of their financial performance, putting them in better control of key business metrics. It also offers a host of new automated features that help business owners get more time back by eliminating once mundane, time-consuming tasks.

In 2014, Xero users have received over 400 free new features and enhancements as part of a nearly daily cadence of "silent" updates.

"The beauty of Xero is that it makes it simple and easy to stay in control -- and the more you use it, the more time you get back," said Rod Drury, CEO, Xero.

Ease of use is already seen as one of the most significant strengths by Xero users. Over 80 percent of users ranked the software's ease of use as a key differentiator compared to competing solutions in a global survey* of over 3,000 Xero accounting partners and small businesses.

Xero's new features help business owners, accountants and bookkeepers:

• Get critical insights with Xero's fresh, updated dashboard: Users can gain a clear financial picture at a glance through dashboards that are easily personalized and prioritized -- leading to smart, timely business decisions. This refresh paves the way for Xero's upcoming Business Performance Dashboard with big data insights for small businesses due out in early 2015. Watch the video and read the Xero blog about Xero's updated dashboard.
  
  
• See the details by drilling down into key reports: Built on Xero's new reporting framework, it's now possible to click to view the detailed numbers in key reports such as Profit & Loss and Balance Sheet. This includes the Account Transactions report, which provides additional columns and groupings including Gross, Tax and Net.
  
  
• Save time with repeating journals: It's now possible for business owners as well as their accountant advisors to create repeating journals. This saves you time by apportioning costs such as business insurance throughout the year eliminating the need to manually enter the cost multiple times. In addition, keep your manual journals organized with new bulk actions and archive capabilities. Watch the video and read the Xero blog on how Xero works while you sleep.
  
  
• Gain efficiency with dynamic date placeholders: Repeating invoices are ideal for paying or receiving recurring payments of the same amount for items like rent, insurance or subscriptions. Once the invoice details and frequency are defined, Xero takes care of the rest. Owners can define dynamic placeholders that refer to the invoice or bill date -- which eliminates the need to do it manually each time an invoice is sent.
  
  

Xero's latest release is backed with comprehensive free training and education at Xero U -- an online resource with personalized, self-paced education for accounting professionals and small businesses.

Xero social media and resources:

• Share today's news: New @Xero cloud #accounting update gives #smallbiz key insights, more time back: http://ow.ly/FS6d7, http://ow.ly/FSfjs.
• Xero on social: Follow and share the latest Xero news on Twitter (@Xero, #Xero), LinkedIn and Facebook.
• Xero blog: Read about Xero news and product details.
• Xero reviewer's guide: Learn about Xero's key features and how they help small businesses be successful.

About Xero
Xero is beautiful, easy-to-use online accounting software for small businesses and their advisors. The company has 400,000 paying customers in more than 180 countries. Xero seamlessly integrates with over 350 third-party tools, and was recently ranked No. 1 by Forbes as the World's Most Innovative Growth Company.

*The results of this study were taken from a random global sample of over 3,000 Xero customers based in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom. The research was commissioned by Xero and independently conducted by market research company, Perceptive Research.