UK Roadshow: Turn inspiration into action

We’ve just finished up our Roadshows around the country, and it was fantastic to connect with so many of you. It gives us so much energy, and getting your direct feedback is invaluable. 

We’ve really shifted gears. We’ve moved from talking about the future, to delivering it. At the Roadshow, we shared the latest product updates and a sneak peak at our roadmap. Seeing your reactions to game-changers like Syft, financial insights in Just Ask Xero (JAX), and the new Partner Hub was such a highlight. 

Without a doubt, there’s renewed energy on both sides. You can see the tangible benefits in the tools we’re releasing. You can see all the opportunities to be doing more. Based on recent conversations, we’re addressing some common themes and how we’re supporting you with these. 

Taking small steps to prepare for MTD for IT

Making Tax Digital for Income Tax (MTD for IT) remains a major topic of conversation. We know it feels like a huge shift and the pressure is on, but you don’t have to face it alone. This is a significant opportunity to guide your clients, and the most important thing you can do right now is get started. We have practical resources that have been built especially for Xero partners. 

We know one of the biggest hurdles is migrating sole trader and landlord clients to digital software. Here are two simple, powerful ways you can empower them (and save yourself time) today:

• Introduce them to Hubdoc: Encourage clients to snap photos of receipts and bills. The data flows directly into Xero, cutting down your admin. Don’t forget Hubdoc is available in their Xero subscription at no extra cost.
• Connect their bank feeds: It’s incredibly secure and far more efficient than manual uploads. It ensures their data is always up-to-date, giving you a clearer picture to work from.

Watch our how-to YouTube series to learn more about this. By starting with these small, manageable tasks, you can save time on manual data entry and focus more on other ways to deliver value. 

Putting you in the pilot’s seat with AI

The other big topic was AI. Xero’s EGM of Technology Research and Advocacy, James Bergin’s analogy really resonated: AI is the plane, and you can either be a passenger or the pilot. It’s about making conscious decisions to shape the future in your favour, rather than just watching it happen reactively.

We unveiled how JAX is evolving from ‘Just Ask’ to ‘Just Done’ solution. Our goal is for JAX to work alongside you to help you save time by getting manual, repetitive work just done across bookkeeping, tax, payments and reporting.

You’ve told us you need AI that’s designed specifically for you, with high levels of accuracy and reliability you can trust. We’re pleased to see your enthusiasm, but you’ve also raised practical questions about how JAX will function, its ability to recall previous conversations, and how it will intelligently handle bank reconciliations.

You’re right to ask these questions. This is exactly why we built the JAX Assure control system. It increases accuracy and reduces hallucinations with precision and control. We’ve made sure that JAX can explain its actions, for example it can show why a reconciliation has been coded in a certain way so you understand why it’s doing what it’s doing as it completes each task, making the AI experience collaborative and transparent. JAX has checks and balances baked in, such as asking for confirmation before making a change to a ledger so your human judgement can be used where it matters most.

Unlocking deeper insights with Syft 

We know Syft is still new to many, but we’re so excited by its potential to change how you interact with your clients. It’s super intuitive, making analysing business data more like reading a good book instead of decoding a puzzle. 

Many of you are excited by the powerful reporting and forecasting capabilities, but are looking for a clearer pathway on how to get started.

To clarify, the way you use Syft will be slightly different to how your clients use it – you’ll have access to deeper reporting, forecasting, and multi-client insights via Syft Analytics, while your clients will use the in-platform analytics in Xero to track their own business performance at a glance. The aim is to enhance your conversations with clients, not take away from them. By showing clients their own top-line business analytics in Xero, they become more engaged with the reports and insights you present. This approach keeps you in the driver’s seat while enabling deeper, more meaningful discussions.

For your clients with eligible plans (Grow, Comprehensive and Ultimate), they have the ability to add Analytics powered by Syft at no extra cost. Speak to your dedicated Xero contact to get started.

The ultimate efficiency: All our partner tools in one place

We heard loud and clear that you need our tools to be as seamless as possible. That’s why we’re excited to launch the Xero Partner Hub. We designed it with over 2,000 accountants and bookkeepers to bring Xero HQ, Practice Manager, Tax, and Workpapers into one unified place. The result is a streamlined workflow for compliance and tax across all your clients.

The Xero Partner Hub will be available to those of you using Xero Practice Manager in November and to all other practices in early 2026.

We’re also working hard to streamline the journey from bookkeeping to accounts production to tax, so that “tax just happens” as we know this will be a huge time saver for you. Stay tuned for more to come on this in the near future. 

We’ve listened to your feedback that a truly streamlined compliance workflow requires a workpapers solution that is deeply integrated with bookkeeping and tax. I know many of you will be excited about this, and I’m pleased to share that our new Workpapers solution will be available in beta to selected UK partners from December.

Building financial confidence amongst small businesses

Our latest research reveals a critical financial skills gap undermining the resilience and growth of UK small businesses. Culturally, there’s a stigma around not knowing our numbers, with many small businesses worried that they should know more. How can we expect entrepreneurs to know what they’ve never been taught? 

To help build financial confidence, especially amongst those from underrepresented groups, we’ve launched Xero’s Know Your Numbers. It’s a series of free educational content on key financial topics like cash flow and budgeting designed to be absorbed in under five minutes a week.

We’re inviting you to help us tackle this challenge. By becoming a Xero For Good Ambassador you have the opportunity to give back. By volunteering just 8 hours over 8-12 months, you can mentor a small business owner who is struggling with the basics, being the friendly expert they can turn to. Help us build a more financially fluent nation, and give small businesses the opportunity they deserve to thrive.Thank you again to those who joined us at the Roadshow. Don’t forget to stay up to date with the latest product releases at The Long And Short Of It. While we can’t get out on the road every month to deliver updates in person, this brings you updates each quarter of what’s new in Xero.