AccountingWeb

Apple Mac Users get accounts done online

Xero is designed specifically for small businesses, and because it is accessed via the Internet, there is no need for Xero customers to be tied to one computer to do their accounts.

Xero CEO Rod Drury said Xero has had a strong Mac focus since it was founded in 2006. About half of the company’s 45 staff, including several developers, use Macs.

“At Xero, we made sure Mac users were catered for from the outset – not something other accounting software developers always consider,” he said.

“It’s hard to ignore the growing market share of Apple computers, and we see a number of our customers who have PCs at work, and Macs at home,” he said.

According to Apple more than 28 million Macs have been sold worldwide (28,455,000 unit sales as at their last reported quarter) which is not insignificant.

Xero is about being flexible in terms of where and when small businesses manage their finances. As a Xero user you (or anyone you invite into your Xero account) can access your key financial information by logging into Xero online, to see how your business is doing, or take care of important accounting tasks, such as sending out invoices or reconciling your bank accounts.

Xero user Katie Lips of Kisky Netmedia, a social media consultant and committed Mac user, loves the fact Xero was so obviously designed with Mac users in mind.

“As a Mac user you can get fed up with software developers thinking PC first, and then making an inferior version for Mac users,” she said.

“Sometimes you don’t even get that. We had the experience of not being able to access our online bank information, just because we’re on a Mac – it’s so frustrating.”

Katie adds, “When we took a look at new accounting software we knew that having it online should mean there would not be any access issues for us as Mac users, as we just go in on a browser. But to then find Xero works on even the Mac specific browsers was brilliant. I didn’t know it for sure at the time either, but I could tell that the designers were probably Mac users from the look and feel of the entire application. It’s really good.”

Katie continues, “Xero has actually made me do my accounts! Seriously – before, I didn’t want to have anything to do with them, and let my partner handle everything. Now with Xero I am there every day logging on from my MacBook seeing who owes us money and when I can expect it, along with other important accounting things too.”

Bill Farmer of Mako Networks, which provides internet security, also runs his company on Macs and loves the fact that Xero is designed to work on Mac browsers.

He explains:

“We run an international company and the UK office is able to put on all their invoices online, then the admin team in New Zealand can pick these up and process them. I am always travelling to our other offices and overseas locations, so I can get online with my MacBook Pro and can see how the company is doing financially from anywhere.”

“Everyone in our organisation uses a Mac because they are just so much better. They are more intuitive, which makes it cheaper to train staff, and they connect better in a wireless world. Macs are so much more suited to everything we do to work efficiently in a mobile and wireless world.”

Bill comments further, “Online capability is key – that’s the new world; but being a Mac user you often find that applications haven’t been designed or optimised for you. With Xero I am getting the same, if not better, performance than PC users. Knowing that Xero themselves also run their company on Macs means I know they always keep me and other Mac users in mind as they come up with new features and develop the software.”

Because Xero works on both Macs and PCs it doesn’t matter which you use to run your business, and it also doesn’t matter what computer your accountant or other advisers use either. Everyone can access the same accounts from whatever machine they have via the Internet. Xero is committed to helping all businesses work online, whatever computers they use.

About Xero - www.xero.com.

Xero is the world’s easiest online accounting software, which has been designed specifically for small businesses and their accountants. Xero is accessible from any internet-connected computer. Xero runs on PCs and Apple Macs, using Internet Explorer, Firefox and for Mac users, Safari.

Xero provides small businesses and their advisers with an up-to-date, easy to use, instantly accessible set of accounts and business information.

Xero costs just £29 + VAT per month for one company. Xero is free to accountants – as they access Xero as an adviser in their clients’ accounts. The number of users and advisers for each Xero account is unlimited.

Xero is a Publicly Listed Company on the New Zealand Stock Exchange.

Contact Xero on: 0800 085 3719

Kisky Netmedia www.kisky.co.uk.

Mako Networks www.makonetworks.com.