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Partner certification: A new way of working with Xero

23rd May 2016
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Working within Xero’s Education Team, I’m often asked many questions around the free resources we offer.

As a Xero user, Partner Certification might be worth your while. However, there's usually there’s a common theme: Why should I spend my time completing Certification? How will it help me do my job? I’ve got more important things to get done in my day than do that. So, I wanted to take a step back and explain why Certification can be so valuable to you, your team and your day job.

“The things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them” is a great quote from Aristotle. It pretty much sums up the reason why I’d recommend any Accountant or Bookkeeper to consider looking into Certification if they haven’t already. Aside from actually putting features into practice, one of the main reasons why Certification is so valuable is that it allows you to take a look at the bigger picture. There’s so many timesaving features available in Xero which can be used to increase efficiency with daily processes and workflows, however, “you don’t know, what you don’t know.” Here’s 5 feature examples that Certification covers ​that you might not know existed:

  • Conversion Balances: ­Learn about the various common scenarios that occur when setting up Xero. From unpresented funds right through to multi­currency balances. The Conversion Balances are the most important feature when first starting out. If these aren’t correct, none of the balances going forward will be either.
  • Bank Rules:­ See how to use the data that is brought across from the bank feed. Use this to create rules that automatically codes statement lines to the general ledger. For example splitting a monthly loan payment from the principle figure and the interest amount. All you have to do once it’s in place is click OK.
  • Online Invoicing & Payment Services: ­Find out how you can integrate a wide range of payment services with Xero, then assign to a branding theme. Once you’ve done that, use the Online Invoicing link to open up a whole range of different features. From facilitating payment online, collaborating with the customer in real time, right through to seeing if the customer has actually viewed the invoice.
  • Files: Take a look at the Files Inbox, where you can use the email address to forward over an attachment, then use this in order to create a new transaction in Xero. A good example might be a PDF copy of a bill. Not only can you keep on top of the admin but you’ve also got a copy of the original document right where you need it.
  • Find & Recode: ­Learn how you can quickly correct the accounts if something hasn’t gone quite right. It’s as easy as setting some conditions to find the transactions, selecting them and then recoding. Simple but very effective.

How many of those did you know existed? How do you know if you’re maximising the functionality?

We see a direct correlation with the growth of a practice the more staff they have certified, in fact now more than ever, we are seeing entire firms investing the time to get all of ​their staff certified. The fundamental reason for this is that it means their staff are aware of the features available, know when to use them and how to use them effectively. This results in less time actually doing the compliance work and more time putting their experience to good use in advising the client.

As the majority of the Education Team come from teaching backgrounds, we know how important it is to span the entire breadth of the various learning styles. This means that the Certification course can be taken no matter how you prefer to learn. You can do it in your own time via the self paced online course, join one of our regular webinars, as well as more recently, classroom based learning too. Plus, if you choose classroom you might get to have a nose around our HQ in Milton Keynes. Did I mention it’s all completely free too?

If this is something that interests you, take a look the link included below. Please remember however, you do need to either set up as one of our Partners or ​be invited into a Xero Practice. That’s all we ask.

Xero U: Partner Certification

Good luck and have fun getting Xero certified!

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