Xero Roadshow Profiles: Laurenson Chartered Accountants
We’re travelling the country through 16 locations across both islands, from Whangarei to Invercargill for Xero NZ Roadshows!
We’re showcasing some of our wonderful partners and small businesses in the centres we pass through. You can check out more of them on the blog, and info about the roadshow on our website. We spoke to Arran Stone, Associate Director of Laurenson Chartered Accountants, about how his business uses Xero.
When and why did you first start using Xero?
We started to use Xero for individual clients from the early days, but Laurensons as a firm converted our whole client base to Xero in 2011. We could see the value in having our clients being managed from one system instead of multiple, and the cloud-based aspect was attractive.
Laurensons utilise the full suite of Xero products including Workpapers and XPM. We adopted these in early 2015 and have never looked back.
How many Roadshows have you been to?
Lots… Since Xerocon has moved overseas we have as a practice attended all Xero Roadshows in Wellington as a whole team. We make this a team building day, including a night out afterwards. The team like that it’s all-inclusive and also making an impact at the event.
What entices you to come back each year?
It’s a great way to get the whole team in front of Xero and their people, and network with like-minded accountants. It’s always good for our whole team to hear from the “horse’s mouth” what is happening and what is planned. Also it is great to get insight into the upcoming changes and we all benefit from the team discussions when you get back to the office about how we can implement or utilise these in our practice to help clients.
How have Xero Roadshows changed or helped your career?
They keep us informed, updated and when we get back to the office it’s a good opportunity as a team to re-evaluate what we could do better or differently. It’s always great to keep ahead of the game, attending the Roadshows keeps us informed of upcoming releases. Attending Roadshows also gives us the chance to talk to the movers and groovers at Xero who quite often want our opinion on ideas and the current offering. Using Xero and other add-ons has given us the ability to have timely, meaningful conversations with our clients and it is always great to come back from Roadshows and let our clients know about upcoming releases and tips and tricks.
Why should accounting/bookkeeping professionals consider attending the Roadshows?
It’s a great opportunity to learn more about Xero products and talk to the specialists who are attending. The networking is worthwhile and it’s great to meet other suppliers. Roadshows are not about ‘selling’ you Xero so don’t think this is just another opportunity for them to convince you to use Xero. If you haven’t heard of Xero and are not using it regularly then you are already behind the ‘8-ball’. It is about keeping ahead of the game so we can service our clients better – if you know the products you are using, then you are better positioned to help your clients.
If you had to choose one piece of advice for accounting professionals today, what would it be?
Keep on top of changes, it is happening fast and you need to get onboard. Don’t get left behind.
How do you see the industry changing in the next five years? And how can accounting professionals adapt to those changes?
How we operate is going to change and how we react will be the key to our ongoing success. We need to change the way we interact with clients. We think that our customers will be coming to us for guidance and solutions rather than just compliance (that’s expected), we continue to develop our people and ourselves so that we can service our clients’ needs now and in the future. We know that technology is going to have a huge impact on the future and how we interact, so we have to keep up to date. You cannot be an expert in everything but you can work with people who know things about areas you don’t.
If you had one sentence to convince someone to attend Roadshows, what would you say?
Drop the excuses and just do it – get out of the office and meet like-minded people who are on the journey.
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Source: Xero Blog
