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14 Jun, 2018
Returning back to the office with a busy inbox after a whirlwind Xerocon conference can make it all too easy to dive back into business as usual. That's why I've made it a ritual to reflect on Xerocon Atlanta, and to consider which topics made the most impact among attendees. Looking back at last week’s Xerocon in Atlanta, there are several major things that come to mind.
A more powerful product
It wouldn’t be a user conference without updating the captive audience on what’s new in the product, the development pipeline, and the new integration with Citi.
There was plenty of new functionality demonstrated that brings the Xero platform even closer to a world of 'code-free accounting'.
Xero America’s VP of Products and Partnerships, Herman Man, walked attendees through the new automated bill entries, Xero projects with integrated time tracking, speedier bank reconciliations, 'Ask' functionality in Xero HQ, and hinted at a new 'Relationships' feature to help accounting firms better manage client contacts.
All of the new functionality visibly stems from the needs and feedback of both small businesses and their alike, with a focus on automating easy, yet time-consuming tasks to help businesses get paid faster and to free up time for ants and advisors to work more closely with their clients.
Standing out is a good thing
While some may come to Xerocon to learn about what’s new from a product perspective, many come to the event to learn directly from their peers, and Xerocon Atlanta provided a ton of opportunities to do just that.
While some breakout topics centered on somewhat familiar themes of implementing Xero apps and understanding automation, I noticed that many conversations at the conference focused around the idea of authenticity and how it can be a major differentiator for businesses.
It was refreshing to hear both keynote and breakout speakers talk about owning the features that set them apart and using them as a competitive advantage to attract the right team members and clients.
In a particularly pertinent panel discussion, Jina Etienne, CPA, CGMA, of Grant Thornton, talked with CEO of Faire Design, Kate Watts, and author Elaine Pofeldt, about how mixing authenticity, empathy, and technology can be key to setting yourself apart and attracting clients that are tailor made for you.
Another valuable session featuring Sasha Hryciuk and Tracy Simmons of Loft Technologies also touched on the idea of differentiating your brand by 'Nailing Your Niche'. In this session, the conversation focused on the benefits that accounting firms can reap by specializing their services towards a target market, and how authenticity and expertise can be key to helping your firm stand out in that particular space.
Connecting Xero with apps and add ons creates community
A consistent theme that surfaced was the power that comes from piecing together a suite of applications for your practice.
Will Lopez, founder and CEO Advisorfi and Kenji Kuramoto, founder and CEO Acuity spent time in their noteworthy breakout talking with Nicole Dunn, Head of Partner Success Xero Americas, about the Xero apps that help them enhance their engagements with clients, and David Emmerman of Emmerman, Boyle & Associates, LLC took time to show of the power of Xero HQ integrations.
Beyond working with Xero apps within a practice, it was also evident that adding applications is a crucial part of powering the wider Xero experience and key to creating community.
The Atlanta conference brought back the appearance of dozens of industry application with partners testifying to the vital role that add on applications play alongside Xero.
We even got the chance to revel in the community we’ve helped to create, as we hosted an amazing dinner with fellow apps Hubdoc and Practice Ignition.
It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate some of our partners, with the evening being full of non-stop conversation as accounting firms shared their experiences of working with the Xero ecosystem to scale their practices.
An era of opportunity and advisory
Reflecting back on Xerocon Atlanta, there is one main message that resounded louder than all the others, and it was probably the most important one for the event’s attendees to hear.
In a time where all eyes are resting warily on automation and wondering what it will mean for the future of the accounting profession, Xero assured the audience that we’re not in an era of uncertainty, but rather entering one of opportunity.
Both Keri Gohman and Ben Richmond (VP Partner Channel at Xero Americas), expressed the fact that accounting jobs aren’t going away anytime soon. Instead, they focused on the fact that new tools and technology are presenting opportunities for accounting firms and individual advisors to be more valuable than ever before to their clients.
Xero tapped into this concept by focusing attendees' attention on what small businesses want and need - and the answer seems to be advisory.
On the mainstage, this was highlighted by Xero sharing the stats that 72% of small businesses want a more proactive relationship with their accountants and that firms that implemented advisory services saw a 29% jump in their growth.
The message behind these metrics was loud and clear: firms can help small businesses and in turn grow their own businesses, by leveraging technology to automate tedious tasks and free up time for them to focus on high touch accounting and advisory services.
This message was no doubt music to my ears, because it’s the tune we’ve been singing to accountants and businesses for some time now here at Fathom.
We have seen the valuable impact that advisory services can have on client relationships, and the growth it can drive for a practice. It’s exciting to see the wider industry embracing this as well, and to see key partners like Xero encouraging the profession to propel their practices forward by providing more advisor-centric offerings.
There’s no doubt that the core services of accounting firms are shifting, and we look forward to working with even more accountants and advisors who see cloud technology and authenticity as key to setting themselves apart in the space.
Written by Madeline Reeves
As the Director of Business Development for three years, Madeline was responsible for leading and growing Fathom’s presence and partnerships within the US. Madeline is regularly engaged in the industry through webinars and speaking events and has worked within the Accounting Technology space for 5+ years.
