10 awesome cloud accounting benefits to transform your business

Would you like an easy solution and save time on your bookkeeping?

When you’re busy running a business, and trying to make it a success, you don’t need any extra hassle or worries.

Unfortunately, that’s just what the ever-increasing amount of legislation imposed by HMRC on the owners of SMEs seems to create.

Our team of accountants talk to hundreds of clients every week, so we know that doing your day job is hard enough as it is. Worrying about your cash flow, tax and VAT only makes matters even more difficult.

Thankfully, there is now a way to reduce your stress by working smarter and faster … Xero cloud accounting.

What is cloud accounting?

Cloud accounting software can save you time and money because it allows you and your accountant to access your accounts data online anytime, anywhere and from any device.

As a ‘Platinum Partner’ of Xero, we obviously believe that this cloud accounting software is the best on the market, but there are others available and some of our clients do choose to use them. Regardless of which one you prefer; the advantages are exactly the same.

Cloud accounting benefits

The 10 biggest cloud accounting benefits

1. No more paper files
Say goodbye to the days of having to save all your bank statements, invoices and receipts in a paper box file ready to present to your accountant. When you use Xero, it gives you the ability to upload and store all of this information quickly and simply online.

2. Working out your VAT (and getting annoyed about it!) is a thing of the past
Instead of trawling through all your invoices and trying to work out how much VAT you owe, this is done at the touch of a button. Click, confirm the amount and immediately file it online with HMRC. Set up a direct debit and you won’t even have to process the payment!

3. Seeing who hasn’t paid is easy
When you’re busy doing different jobs, you can sometimes lose track of which customers have and haven’t paid. However, this will NEVER happen if you use cloud accounting software like Xero because it monitors every transaction and flags up any unpaid invoices.

4. Unrivalled flexibility
Xero really will give you the flexibility to run your business from work, home or anywhere in the world (as long as there is an internet connection). Available on desktop, tablet and as a smartphone app, you’ll always have the key numbers you need to hand.

5. No more wasting time on invoices
We all want to get paid quickly for the work that we do, but the timely invoicing process is often the biggest barrier to making this happen. With Xero, you can create invoices in a matter of seconds because it remembers all your previous customer details. Go one step further, set up a repeat invoice and you’ll be taken out of the process completely.

How Xero cloud accounting can help you

6. Work with your accountant in real-time
If you and your accountant have both got a clear and up-to-date picture of your current financial position, you can be confident of how your business is doing. Plan ahead to identify and target your most profitable customers.

7. It’s affordable
With prices starting from as little as ’10 a month (+ VAT), it’s easy to see why Xero is the cloud accounting software with the most active registered users. What else could you buy for that price which will save you so much time and hassle?

8. Highly secure
Make no mistake, cloud accounting benefits is one of the most secure ways to store information. If your laptop or phone is stolen, the data cannot be accessed without the login to the online account. Should the worst happen and a natural disaster or fire strike, being in the cloud means your data won’t be affected?

9. No more stupid spreadsheets
If your business is still doing its accounts on a spreadsheet, you’re making life much harder than it needs to be. Much harder! Xero allows you and your accountant to see up-to-the-minute financial data from anywhere without the need for stupid spreadsheets.

10. Saves so much time
You send spreadsheets to your accountant, they return them to you, you send them back again and this goes on and on (and on!). Think of the time you’ll save by not doing this. Then think about the time you’ll save by no longer creating invoices, VAT projections and cash flow forecasts. Add it all up and cloud accounting will probably save you at least a day a month. That’s 12 days a year. Enough for a well-deserved holiday!

Ditch traditional accounts and switch to Xero!

Are your accounts taking up too much of your business time (and sucking the fun out of what you do)?
If you’re still using traditional accounting methods, we promise that making the switch to Xero accounting will save your company time and money!

Find out more about our FREE Xero health check.

Check out why we chose Xero as the best cloud accounting software.

Five minutes with Ricky

First job, worst job, dream job?
First official job - working in Hull’s fruit market (Humber Street) in the morning and then selling the goods in the shop during the day (Superveg)
Worst job - I have not had a bad job, really, but working in Kwik Save stacking shelves in the PET aisle was grim - as I don’t like PETS
Dream job - Professional golfer, but only in the sunshine

What do you hate about your job?
Taking calls on the budget each year before the speech has even finished

How would you explain your job to a 10-year-old?
I help people in business sort their money out so they have enough to spend on their 10 year olds!

What do you order at the bar?
Anything alcoholic - normally a pint of premium lager or red wine - none of the weak stuff

Which person would you most like to meet and why?
Either Tiger Woods or Sir Alex Ferguson - two sporting legends

Dogs or cats?
Neither - I don’t like PETS - see worst job above (although I have started like some breed of dogs)

Coffee or tea?
Coffee in the mornings but I like both

What music do you like – artists or genre?
All genre’s but indie music is my go-to.
Artists - Oasis, Phonics, Gerry Cinnaman etc., and Rod Stewart and Freddie M

Favourite film or boxset?
A Few Good Men - FILM
Suits - Boxset

Who's your team? What's your sport?
To support - Man Utd - Football
Play - Golf

What’s a surprising skill or hobby you have that people wouldn’t expect?
Skill - I can make a bra from napkins or a large tea-towel

What's the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?
Don’t eat yellow snow

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?
Do you, it’s fine - not what others want you to do or be

If you had to describe yourself in five words, what would they be?
Happy
Joker
Stubborn
Sarcastic
Annoying/nightmare (on social nights out - apparently)

Five minutes with Mark

First job, worst job, dream job?
First Job - Working as a pot wash in a pub
Worst Job - Never had a bad one
Dream Job -

What do you hate about your job?
The amount of time spent on hold with HMRC and how they often make changes without consulting on the actual impact on taxpayers

How would you explain your job to a 10-year-old?
I help people achieve their dreams

What do you order at the bar?
Pint of Guinness

Which person most like to meet and why?
Tiger Woods - great stories but to understand what it takes to be that much better than everyone else for such a sustained period of time

Dogs or cats?
Grew up with cats but would rather have a dog!

Coffee or tea?
Black Coffee

What music do you like – artists or genre?
Everything and Anything, from Taylor Swift to Foo Fighters to NWA and everything in between

Favourite film or boxset?
Fight Club

Who's your team? What's your sport?
Always been football and Newcastle United

What’s a surprising skill or hobby you have that people wouldn’t expect?
Really got into building Lego recently - running out of space to store/display it!

What's the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?
Authenticity sells - be yourself.

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?
Nothing ever matters as much as you convince yourself it does.

If you had to describe yourself in five words, what would they be?
Supportive, Sarcastic, Driven, Problem-Solver and Insane

Five minutes with Colin

First job, worst job, dream job?
Holiday work in my dad’s accountants - haven't escaped from the industry since
Still in the accountancy but had a horrible boss.
Ski/Snowboard instructor

What do you hate about your job?
Chasing clients for information which is needed to get the right solutions for them.

How would you explain your job to an 10-year-old?
Helping owners of businesses earn more money so they can spend it on the things they want to spend them on.

What do you order at the bar?
Beer (mostly a Guinness), Rum and Coke (got to be Kraken) or a cheeky Tequila if that's where the night's heading

Which person most like to meet and why?
Michael Jordan - Find out what its like/take to be the GOAT of a sport.

Dogs or cats?
Have both but got to say definitely Dogs

Coffee or tea?
Coffee in the morning & tea in the afternoon

What music do you like – artists or genre?
Listen to pretty much everything - one minute Luke Combs, next Elton John, then some Five
Favourite song - Dancing in the Moonlight - Toploader

Favourite film or boxset?
Wolf of Wall Street - nuts its based on a true story

Who's your team? What's your sport?
Sports to watch rugby (favourite team - Glasgow) or F1 (favourite team - McLaren)
Sport to play golf

What’s a surprising skill or hobby you have that people wouldn’t expect?
Can still pull of an impressive handstand and/or cartwheel.

What's the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?
Don't accept criticism from someone you wouldn't take advice from.

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?
Don't be afraid to speak out more and be confident in yourself.

If you had to describe yourself in five words, what would they be?
Calm
Thoughtful
Inquisitive
Consistent
Light-hearted