Supporting bookkeepers, supporting small business. Help is here.
It’s a tough time for small business right now – and at the coal face helping them are bookkeepers. Between Job Saver, Micro Business Grants, Government Business Grants, Disaster Payments (and that’s just in NSW) bookkeepers and accountants sure have their work cut out for them. Add in the normal work you’d be doing – and it’s a recipe for burnout. With so much going on, it’s understandable that you lay awake at night wondering how you’re going to get through everything. Or stressing about how you’re going to get the right information from your client, on time. And, that you’re spending extra hours manually trawling data, just to make sure everything is A-OK and you can take a breath and leave work, at work.
It can be exhausting. But there are ways to help ease that stress – and we at XBert can help. Every day, our users tell us how XBert saves their sleep and takes a mental weight off. It helps give you peace of mind that nothing has been missed, that the data is clean and you know exactly what needs to be done, by when.
Lift a mental weight with AI Audit
The most simple way to ease that mental load is to ‘employ’ XBert’s AI Audit to run over your client files. With almost 60 risk alerts trawling your data constantly, you will save time on arduous manual checks and have confidence knowing the numbers are accurate. In fact, more than one XBert user has described our audit as the Part-Time employee they don’t have to have. It only took a few days for Trina Dando to realise was an incredible time saver XBert is.
“I currently have a Part Time employee but I don’t need another one for some time, because of the work XBert helps me get done.”
For Nicole Lynch at Streamline Management, it’s saved the stress of finding sneaky errors right on TPAR or BAS lodgement deadlines.
“XBert now alerts us to issues as they happen, so we can address it right away and know when we get to year end everything is correct.”
Here’s just a few examples of how XBert has saved rework (not to mention the time it took to find the error) for some of our users:
- A bookkeeper had a typo in the ABN on their printed Invoice, which XBert picked up.
- A Junior employee had not provided their TFN but had since turned 18 and no one picked it up - except XBert.
- A popular brand metro coffee shop that a client went to regularly, was charging GST on their invoices but using an ABN that was not registered for GST.
- A bookkeeping client missed a whole client’s payroll.
- Another bookkeeping client accidently uploaded the payroll 3 times.
- A main brand service station was charging GST and the invoice on the ABN on their receipt was not registered for GST.
Add to that the fact many business owners are attempting to reconcile the books themselves – which can mean a lot of clean up and rework for bookkeepers and accounting teams – and it’s pretty much a necessity if you’re looking to find efficiencies in your business.
Sleep better knowing the data is clean
With XBert’s comprehensive Artificial Intelligence and machine learning trawling your data and looking for issues like duplicates, coding errors, GST and ABN discrepancies and then flagging them for your attention, you remove the need for many manual checks. There are no surprises right on lodgement deadlines and you can sleep sweet at night knowing the data is accurate. Not only will you save hours right off the bat – you’ll have confidence knowing you can trust the numbers and effectively advise your client on the health of their business moving into a new financial year.
Our tricky XBerts will also recognise any business trends and patterns and alert you to those as well. This means you can get insights into the health of your clients data at the click of a button – allowing you to make informed decisions on onboarding such clients, billing and grow your advisory services. XBert alerts also contain a deep link directly to the issue in your accounting software. With one link you can click, resolve or assign to someone to take over. You will no longer waste time on manual work checks, audits or time-consuming rework. It’s all about making your life as simple as we can, while maintaining data integrity.
The best part: it’s simple to set up. In just a few clicks, you can have XBert’s comprehensive audit trawling your Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks data multiple times a day, flagging issues, inconsistencies and anomalies that require your attention.
A First-Hand Experience: Saving Time with Workflow Integration
Bookkeeper of the Year at the 2022 Australian Accounting Industry Awards
How Connecting Workflow and Client Ledgers Boosts Efficiency and Accuracy
Integrating a workflow system with client ledgers automates key processes, reduces manual work, and enhances accuracy. Here’s how firms benefit:
Automated Alerts for Common Issues
Instead of manually reviewing financial statements for anomalies, automated alerts instantly flag potential issues, allowing firms to take proactive action.
For example, an alert can notify the team if a client’s suspense account balance is greater than zero at month-end.
This eliminates the need for time-consuming manual suspense account checks while ensuring that transactions are properly classified in real-time, improving financial statement accuracy.
Instant Access to Key Data Without Switching Systems
With integration, key financial data is accessible directly from the workflow system, eliminating the need to log into multiple client ledgers.
For instance, instead of manually checking sales tax compliance, the supplier tax registration status appears directly in the workflow system.
This reduces time spent switching between platforms and ensures decisions are made based on real-time financial data, minimising reliance on outdated reports.
Continuous Monitoring for Daily Improvements
Rather than waiting for month-end reconciliations, integrated systems track trends and flag potential issues in real time.
For example, if an expense account increases more than the previous month, the system automatically alerts the team.
This allows advisors to focus on investigating flagged issues instead of manually scanning ledgers, helping firms catch irregular expenses early and prevent incorrect profit and loss (P&L) statements or cash flow problems.
Accurate Capacity Measurement with XBert
One often overlooked challenge in accounting firms is accurate capacity measurement. Rework such as resolving errors or investigating flagged transactions typically isn’t factored into workload planning because it’s unpredictable.
XBert changes this by ensuring that XBerts (automated alerts) are automatically added to workloads. This gives managers a real-time, data-driven view of team capacity, allowing them to distribute work more effectively.
If firms also set up custom XBerts, these too will dynamically adjust workload estimates based on pre-set time allocations for specific alerts. This means that when new issues arise, the system updates a user’s capacity in real-time, ensuring no hidden work goes unaccounted for.
With this level of visibility, firms can:
- Prevent bottlenecks by redistributing tasks before workloads become unmanageable.
- Make data-driven hiring decisions by tracking actual workload demand.
- Ensure teams operate at optimal capacity without overloading staff.
Why Connecting Systems is a Must for Firms Today
Firms that have integrated their workflow systems with client ledgers are already seeing measurable improvements. Here’s why this shift is essential:
- Time savings – Automated processes eliminate time-intensive tasks such as checking unresolved transactions or verifying supplier information, freeing up hours each week.
- Financial impact – Early identification of issues like misclassified expenses or unbalanced suspense accounts reduces rework, allowing firms to spend less time correcting errors and more time delivering value to clients.
- Capacity optimisation – With XBerts automatically factored into workloads, managers can accurately assess team capacity, prevent last-minute overloads, and allocate work efficiently.
- Competitive edge – Integrated systems provide real-time insights, such as alerts when sales drop or expenses spike, positioning firms as proactive, data-driven advisors.
Getting Started with an Integrated Workflow System
Firms looking to improve efficiency can follow these steps to integrate their workflow system with client ledgers:
- Identify inefficiencies – Determine which manual tasks, such as suspense account reviews or sales tax checks, are taking up unnecessary time.
- Choose the right solution – Select a platform like XBert that integrates directly with client ledgers and provides automated alerts.
- Set up custom alerts – Configure alerts tailored to your firm’s needs, such as monitoring sales variances or tracking unusual expense increases.
- Train your team – Ensure staff understand how to use the system effectively and know how to act on alerts and insights.
- Refine and optimise – Regularly assess how well the integration is working and adjust settings to maximise efficiency gains.
A Smarter Approach to Efficiency, Accuracy, and Capacity Planning
Connecting your workflow system to your client ledger eliminates repetitive manual tasks, reduces errors, and frees up time for high-value advisory work.
With the added ability to accurately measure capacity, firms can ensure workloads are balanced, prevent staff burnout, and make more informed resource planning decisions.
Firms that embrace automation see fewer reporting errors, faster issue resolution, and a reputation for proactive client service—all while operating more efficiently.
Ready to transform how your firm works?
Book a Demo to Improve Your Firm’s Efficiency
