Xerocon 2016

16/02/2016

Last week some of us were fortunate enough to attend Xerocon, a 2 day event held in London by Xero and it certainly did not disappoint. With its very own Xero-blue taxis’ and even a Xero bus in and around Battersea Evolution we all knew where to find one of the UK’s leading cloud accounting software companies.

Listening to Gary Turner, the MD of Xero UK talk through how he sees the role of technology in helping small business stay one step ahead was an inspirational start to the day. We later heard from Brigid McBride, OBE, representing HMRC, who discussed with us their digital strategy. By 2018 they envision most interaction with customers will be automated through digital self-service, we will be watching this development very carefully over the coming years. A personal highlight was a motivational talk given by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, OBE, showing us all what real determination and will to succeed signifies.

That Microsoft were present, being the largest sponsor of the event, cements the point that this was not just an accountancy conference but also a technology event. This event attracted only 200 attendees in 2012 but this year there were 1300+, all using the cloud and using it very successfully. Cloud accounting is certainly here to stay!

For our team it was also the perfect opportunity to engage with other professionals and compare notes on how cloud accounting had helped clients’ businesses and how we can further use this technology for our clients. We heard from various add-ons, such as stock control systems that integrate perfectly within Xero, Receipts Bank who remove the tedious task of manually entering expenses and receipts and Spotlight Reporting who can, using your real-time information in Xero, produce even more detailed financial reporting including advice on future performance. There is a large add-on ecosystem available and we are enthusiastic to use these useful tools to enhance this slick software further.

We also got a sneak preview of the array of product updates Xero intend rolling out in 2016. For example, with impressive upgrades to payroll, Xero can manage every stage of auto-enrolment. There are hundreds of small and large changes that will make using Xero much more streamlined so that we can help you grow your business while Xero handles the books.

The gloomy statistic that only 40% of small businesses survive past 5 years was contrasted to the 88% reported success rate of cloud technology users. I’m proud to think that every business we help progress to ‘the cloud’ doubles its chance of success.