Plugging the Gaps with the Right AP Provider for Xero

Confirm your budget

The most obvious but often forgotten starting point is finding a provider that fits within your budget. Make sure to clarify the budget you have available and select providers that fit within this range. You should also consider:

• How does the pricing work as your business scales? For example, are you charged per user, per entity or per document?
• Are there additional charges for premium features?
• Are there additional support or set up fees?

Evaluate your position

Take a step back from the day to day running of your finance team. Establish current areas that need improving. This could be identifying bottlenecks in processes, recurring errors or incompatibility between Xero and your AP solution.

Once you’ve pinpointed your current challenges, think of the company's 5 year plan. Some questions you could ask are:

• Is the business planning to increase staff?
• Will be operating globally?
• Are we going to establish additional entities?
• Do we plan on integrating other technology?

Create a requirements list

When you have a clear picture of the businesses goals, it becomes easier to create a requirements list for your new AP solution. Areas to consider for the future include:

• Product development: Is the system you’re considering continuously developing. There may be requirements in the future that you have not thought about.
• Scalability: Is the system robust enough to handle your business growth?
• Flexibility: Are you able to create customised workflows, tracking or reporting?

Assess integration capabilities

When selecting an AP provider, it’s crucial that it is able to integrate with your existing systems easily, whether that be your Xero accounts package or other 3rd party apps. Things you should consider:

• Does it offer API integration?
• What information is passed between applications?
• How easy is the integration to set up?

Take the time to research if they have other Xero customers successfully using the system. Check to see if the important information you need like supplier details or PDF invoices are exported to Xero.

Research support services

Moving to a new solution can be daunting, however, having the right support services available will take the stress off your team so they can continue to focus on their finance roles. Ask your potential provider:

• What type of support is available: Telephone, email, live chat, online or in person
• Do they offer transitional support in the beginning?
• Do they have case studies from other Xero customers?

Key Takeaways

Selecting the right AP provider that works seamlessly with your Xero software can be straightforward if you follow and stick to a process. Key points to consider include:

1. Set a budget and stick to it, but consider growth potential and how this may affect spend
2. Ask your potential providers the important questions
3. Do your own research. This could be on comparison sites or referrals from other businesses