Working From Home – New Normal
The New Normal
As we’ve transitioned to remote working in the last 2 years, the way we work has been changed forever. COVID-19 forced everyone who could to work from home on their computers and make-do with the software available to them. We got accustomed to online Zoom or Teams meetings and use applications like Google Drive, Trello, DropBox and Xero daily. Hybrid and fully remote workplaces have become widely accepted and has accelerated the evolution of the workplace, an area which seemed to lack innovation and growth in the years leading up to the pandemic. For better or worse, depending on how much you enjoy working from home, remote working is here to stay.
Sllick and Technology
Here at Sllick, we’re all about embracing technology, digitalisation and development. Founded during the pandemic, Sllick had to adjust to a fully remote and online structure from its first days in business. We’ve relied on a variety of apps to help us stay on top of work, schedule projects, communicate with our teammates, and complete our accounting work. Everything about Sllick is focused on the cloud and since being in business, we’ve realised this is the best place to store information. Take it from us, you will need systems that aren’t reliant on local servers. From employees losing files or contracts being lost in the mail, to the more drastic end of the spectrum, house fires or robberies – it’s always best to have your business information stored in the secure cloud online. Weighing up the differences between paper-based and cloud systems below, you can make up your mind about which you would prefer for your business. Moving to a cloud system for your business can often seem like a scary process. It’s new, it means change, and we may not properly understand how it works or whether converting our business would be beneficial. However, for the vast majority of businesses, moving to a cloud business system is likely a positive change.
Xero and the Apps
Of the cloud accounting apps available, we’ve been avid Xero users for years now. Even prior to the pandemic, we saw its potential in automating tedious day-to-day accounting tasks, securely storing financial information, cutting down on the paperwork businesses need to complete, and relocating precious working hours towards business development. Namely for small and medium sized businesses, Xero allows businesses to automate the majority of their financial processes, allocating time spent on payroll, organising receipts, or printing invoices, to activities that actually aid a company with development.
We’ve stuck with Xero because it includes features that other cloud accounting applications don’t have all in one place. Starting from the basics, Xero can do any of the fundamental features needed in a cloud accounting software. Paying bills, VAT returns, claiming expenses, connecting to your bank account, accepting payments, and tracking projects are just a few of the software’s long list of features. While providing elementary accounting support, Xero also gives users the option to see advanced analytics about their finances through varying levels of subscriptions. Analytics Plus gives data on future cash flow, conducts automatic financial health checks, and tracks a variety of different metrics. For a full list of Xero’s basic features, have a look on their website here.
HubDoc – Your Digital Bookkeeper
We also often combine Xero with compatible extensions that allow businesses to enjoy a more tailored, industry-specific accounting experience. One of these extensions is the application HubDoc, which is a digital assistant that automatically fetches and sorts all recurring bills and monthly statements. Your data is stored securely on the cloud, making it easily accessible anytime, anywhere. Hubdoc also allows you to take photos of receipts, send invoices directly to your email, or even scan documents that you can upload to your online storage. It then converts these different documents into data which you can use whenever you need. Below are some of HubDoc’s benefits to your business, especially for small and medium sized business owners.
- Save Time: You'll no longer need to spend any time manually entering data - HubDoc does it all for you!
- Go Paperless: Hubdoc allows you to take photos of any bills and receipts, automatically extracting key data and making it accessible on your cloud.
- Your e-Hub: Keep all of your documents, bills and invoices in one place stored securely online. Losing or misplacing important papers will never again be an issue!
The combination of Xero and HubDoc can provide a completely paperless financial solution for many businesses, namely SME business owners who are trying to juggle managing their own bookkeeping with all of the other regulatory and business development processes they must take care of. One of our clients has described moving to the cloud as such;
“There’s a huge difference now with how everything is run in the business, it’s almost like a huge weight off our shoulders. We’re able to turn to areas that we need to improve on and focus on questions like ‘Where we can grow?’ and ‘How we can grow?’"
At Sllick, we specialise in finding the best combination of cloud applications to automate your accounts. Every company requires a different, tailored solution to gain the most from their digital journey and we’re here to create the roadmap for you. If you’re interested in having a chat about how Xero and HubDoc can improve your accounting, book a free discovery call with Sllick today. We arm you with the knowledge to get things right, from the start!
