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Xero marked a milestone with the launch of its expanded Partner Program and Advisor Directory. The platform, powered by an innovative Facebook Messenger chatbot service, will help connect Xero’s global network of more than 100, 000 business advisors with even more small businesses to help them grow.
More than 13,500 accountants and bookkeepers in 72 hours already have opted into Xero HQ’s beta release, the platform launched to take advantage of these tools to help expand their practices.
“The Xero Partner Program reflects our deep commitment to helping small businesses grow and be more productive by connecting every small business to an advisor,” says Doug LaBahn, Xero's Global VP Partner Marketing. “It’s designed entirely around giving our partners the right tools to help them be successful, by providing tools and services which will differentiate their practices and offer more value and excellent service to their new and existing clients.”
Xero Advisor Directory
The new Advisor Directory will help connect Xero-certified partners with small businesses searching for an advisor. Whether based on industry expertise or location, the Directory will enable a small business to find the right advisor, and help the advisor to be matched with the right client for their business expertise and the industries they serve.
“Xero Signals research tells us that small businesses who use an accountant grow their net profit 23 percent faster than those who do not,” LaBahn says. “Today, Xero is connecting over 89 percent of small businesses to advisors, and 29 percent to apps in our App Marketplace ecosystem. We know that every connection on our platform increases the success of small businesses and helps our Xero partners grow their practice.”
Connecting Millions with Chatbot for Advisor Directory
Xero’s Advisor Directory already is a substantial source of client leads for partners, with more than 20,000 people searching the directory every month to find a financial advisor to suit their needs. Revamped to take advantage of the AWS platform and AI, the new chatbot feature will have the potential to connect millions of small businesses to advisors using social media.
“Connecting the millions of small businesses on Facebook Messenger with advisors, Xero’s Chatbot, will open up a huge opportunity for the industry from within Advisor Directory,” LaBahn says. “With our chatbot, we can connect these businesses with the right advisor using Facebook messenger. For our partners, it’s a seamless way to be found and will help millions of small businesses be more productive, get the advice they need to grow and create jobs.”
The Advisor Directory also is designed with new geo-sensing features to showcase partners that operate within the area the small business is situated, while other features like the sophisticated search function, detailed listings, and richer profile pages equip partners with the tools to market their businesses and grow their client base.
“With so many accountants and bookkeepers in one area, it can be hard for small businesses to find the right advisor, and for us to reach them,” says Nelson Wang, founder of NumberWise. “The Advisor Directory helps me attract new clients, even from countries as far away as China.”
Edward Sanford of Chaddesley Sanford in the UK says that Xero’s new Advisor Directory is another example of its continuous pipeline of innovation driven by a real desire to interact with the accounting community. "From our own perspective," he says, "the added features and functionality will really help us set out our strengths and skills to reach new clients.”
Xero HQ for Future Accountants
Xero HQ is the platform that will help practices grow, equipping partners with the tools and apps needed to connect to and manage clients better, by unlocking the insights they need to provide more advice. The Xero HQ opt-in beta release, delivers a set of new features designed to do this:
- Developers can integrate with the Xero ecosystem for small business apps and develop integrations for Xero HQ via api’s coming in 2017
- Prioritize work using the activity feed to see which clients need action and when
- Drill into clients with Explorer based on industry, apps or banking relationships
- Streamline reporting with new Report Templates
Xero HQ will continue to evolve as we bring features across from My Xero Partner Edition.
It is expected to include more integration with Xero, easier access to information and resources to help practices and a makeover of staff and permission management.
Celebrating Its Partners
Xero’s new Partner Program is designed to simply and easily connect small businesses with accountants and bookkeepers whose advice and services can help make a difference to a business’s growth and success.
Pioneered in Australia and developed in conjunction with partners in each region Xero operates, Xero advisors earn a higher status to unlock new benefits. Partners receive points for growing with Xero by adding new clients, being invited in to collaborate with clients as a financial advisor, and expanding into the Xero product suite so partners can grow at a faster pace, and unlock more benefits.
There also will be new ways to earn points through Xero Cashbook, Xero Payroll, Xero Premium edition and Xero Ledger.
As part of the new thresholds, partners are recognized for their investment in certification and growing their Xero client list. For growing and highly trained partners, a special distinction has been introduced in the partner program called Xero Champion, with extra rewards for partners achieving champion performance.
The Partner Program and Advisor Directory highlights Xero’s commitment to being the best in the industry and follows Xero’s recognition for the second year running as the number one accounting solution in Australia, according to the annual Canstar Blue report, Forbes’ "Most Innovative Growth Company" in consecutive years; UK Cloud Awards for "Financial Product of the Year" and "New Zealand Trade and Enterprise International Business Award" winner for leadership excellence.