US Roadshow Accelerate: Xero brings the product announcements (and the noise)

This year’s US Roadshows were nothing short of inspiring, with accounting, bookkeeping and app partners showing up from all over the country to attend our events in Austin, Atlanta and Los Angeles.

Joining us were leaders from Gusto, Poe Group Advisors, and futurist Elatia Abate to highlight how you can tap into the voice of the customer, capitalize on growing technologies, and capture the moment you’re in now.

Our events focused on product updates that are either currently in play, or coming down the pike at rapid speed (accelerating, if you will). Here are a few of the highlights.

The limited preview of US auto sales tax

Xero’s sales tax capabilities, powered by Avalara, will help you stay on top of what is a cumbersome sales tax process. At the event, we shared a first look of what the new experience will look like. It will help you:

• automatically calculate appropriate sales tax rates on invoices, based on the details you enter, such as location
• break down your sales tax report into specific states, jurisdictions and more, all in one place
• review how sales tax entries were recorded, or dig deeper into transactions as you reconcile, to trace any discrepancies
• file across multiple jurisdictions using Avalara’s automated e-filing capabilities (you can enjoy a discounted rate of 10% as part of this partnership)

You can access a limited preview of this new experience from 28 August 2023, within the advanced settings page.

This early version is designed for clients who primarily invoice for goods and services in Xero, operate across multiple jurisdictions, and have a mix of taxable, non-taxable, and exempt goods.

Over time, we plan to expand this functionality across other areas of Xero. However, we wanted to make this available as soon as possible, so you can start reaping the benefits today.

A sneak peek of Xero Inventory Plus

We revealed a first look at Xero Inventory Plus, our new inventory management solution that is currently in beta. This will offer:

• a seamless sales channel integration — automatically keeping stock and products up to date, so you know when you’re low
• easier order fulfillment powered by a shipping partner, to help you find competitive shipping rates, create labels, and track and manage delivery of orders in one place
• insights on your true cost and profit margin, top selling items, whether you’re low on stock and more, with a simple dashboard that allows you to drill into the details

We are continuing to expand the beta for Inventory Plus and look forward to sharing more soon.

Making 1099 compliance easier

This fall, Xero is releasing a W9 management solution to make handling 1099s easier. Instead of manually requesting, chasing and entering this information — you’ll soon be able to easily manage this via the 1099 contact details section. This will help you:

• centralize your requests
• store tax information and the history of W9 files in one place
• personalize requests to improve relevancy
• keep tax information more secure
• eliminate manual, error-prone entry
• fill in W9 forms without having to create an account

Latest updates to new invoicing

Invoicing is one of the most critical parts of running a business or practice. We have two invoicing experiences in Xero right now: the older version (known as ‘classic’ invoicing) and ‘new’ invoicing. New invoicing is built on the latest technology and has many of the features you love in classic invoicing, with even more functionality and a refreshed design.

At our US Roadshows, we shared some of the latest updates to new invoicing. These features help you:

• automatically save your work as a draft when you add a new or existing contact to the invoice
• choose the fields you want shown on your invoice screen when creating an invoice
• set a credit limit for a customer, view their credit details and get an alert when they’ve exceeded their limit
• print a packing slip in an invoice that’s awaiting payment or paid
• select preset issue dates for repeating invoices (such as the first of the month)

New invoicing is where all our exciting new features will be found. If you haven’t tried new invoicing, we really encourage you to give it a go. To make the switch, just click the link at the bottom of any classic invoice page and your invoices will be created using new invoicing.

It’s clear from this years’ Roadshows that accountants and bookkeepers are working harder than ever to provide top-quality service to their customers. We’re supporting you by constantly looking to make the day to day easier, streamlined and more intuitive for everyone in the workflow.