What is a Custom XERO App?

A Custom XERO App is an application built specifically for an organisation’s needs that integrates with XERO. These applications can take various forms however are generally classified into two parts.  

Full-Blown custom built applications Custom XERO App Integrations  

Where the latter is a middleware application that connects an existing application be it your own or a third party solution you use to XERO. Hence in some instances you may not be aware that you are using this as it silently listens in the background and make a seamless connection between the two  

Full blown Custom XERO Applications on the other hand are tailor made for your business and generally operate either from a web browser or as a native mobile application.  

What is the difference between a custom XERO App and a custom XERO Integration?

Let’s start with explaining what a XERO Integration does; a XERO Integration connects an application to XERO; in most cases when talking about custom XERO Integrations we are looking at applications which already exist.  

Here one would understand what parts are exposed and available within your existing applications; and furthermore which parts can then be synchronized with XERO so your accountant would be able to get the data in real time; or as close as possible to real time if your system does not permit. The application scope within these instances relate only to the connectivity in between the two applications.  

A custom XERO App on the other hand is where you are not using an existing application and are looking to build an application which reproduces your unique business circumstances. When businesses have proprietary processes or can’t find off the shelf applications which map their workflows a custom XERO Application is what helps them go to the next level.  

The Custom XERO Application; not only takes care of the day to day operations but also connects your data with XERO; hence giving your accounting team a fully-fledged gold standard accounting system without going into the expense of recreating it for your own business.

Is my business too small for a custom XERO App?

No Business is too small for a custom XERO App; however there are obviously costs involved with building a custom application.  

We help businesses determine whether the time is right for them to go into a custom app; most of what determines this varies on the benefits being brought forward to the business. Mostly in the merits of operational time savings thus being directly linked to Payroll costs and employee happiness/retention.  

In some instances smaller business who may not see that benefit immediately; want to operate with a leaner structure thus would rather invest in a tailor made XERO connected application; leading to operating with less staff. Fully knowing that it would pay off within the medium to longer term.

Can a custom App be listed in the XERO Marketplace?

Yes, most certainly. Any XERO Integrated application can feature within the XERO Marketplace should it meet a number of minimum conditions.  

That said if this is a proprietary application we highly advise against it; as it should be kept as your private application. However if you are willing to have other businesses use your Intellectual Property there certainly is an opportunity.  

XERO Applications which are to be listed in the marketplace require a different approach when being built; and as-such if that is your long-term goal we suggest that you are up-front with your developers so that the right technical approach is taken to avoid additional costs further down the line.  

In order to be listed in the Marketplace the following conditions need to be met  

• Have used the Partner oAuth 2.0 API Integration
• Have less than 20 XERO Customers integrated
• Prepare a video demonstration of the Integration
• Submit application for a formal review by XERO; Login to application is to be provided
• Have sufficient Documentation showing how the application integrates with XERO
• Provide a XERO specific landing page to showcase the integration to customers
• Publish your XERO App to the marketplace once approved.  

What can I do with a custom XERO Integration?

A Custom XERO Integration will allow you to synchronise the below information between your custom application and XERO;  

• Customer Information
• Quotes
• Invoices and Bills
• Repeating Invoices & Bills
• Inventory Items 
• Tracking Categories
• Tax Rates
• Payments
• Add Attachments to Invoices & Bills
• Account Codes / Nominal Codes
• Make Batch Payment Actions
• Access History and Notes 
• Manual Journals
• Bank Transfers
• Bank Transactions
• Pull commonly used reports from XERO Including:

• Aged Recievables By Contact
• Aged Payables By Contact
• Balance Sheet
• Bank Summary
• Executive Summary
• Profit & Loss
• Trial Balance

How much does a XERO Integration Cost?

A XERO Custom Integration's costs will vary greatly on a number of factors. Including what you're trying to achieve within the application; including which third-party services are being connected to.

Another key factor is the agency or developer that you choose to work with. The location where the developer is based tends to play a part in their price but equally does their quality of work.

There are various models used: 

Weekly sprints; where you are charged on a per-week basis for the work as its being done. his model gives you flexibility in altering the specifications and prioritising more urgent work.

Hourly model; where you pay by the hour; requirements are more flexible but there is less control over the cost 

Fixed Price; where you agree on a fixed price for a fixed scope. Here you have less flexibility on changing features and elements in your projects.

Managed; where an integration is licenced and managed for a recurring monthly cost. Similar to how your Xero subscription is managed. 

At Maze Digital we prefer to work on a fixed, sprint or managed models depending on the size of the project or type of integration required. If you're wondering how much your integration would indeed cost, schedule a call with our team.

How quickly can a custom XERO Integration be delivered?

Now that’s a tricky question. It really depends on a few things;  

• How complex and detailed is the integration you are trying to do? The more complex the longer it would take
• How easily accessible the documentation for your current system is so that it can be understood and built upon.
• The availability of the developer team; in our case if we are booked out your work would be scheduled after our existing timeline.  

In the best case scenario should your integration be simple (only invoices,bills and contacts) and there is an easy to use API which is well documented.  

What we have found, is that most teams internally take anywhere in between 4 to 12 weeks to get an integration ready, and presented to Xero. 

If you're operating a SaaS business our team is available to deliver this within a 30 day period. Plus we'll ensure that you have a smooth approval process when publishing your App on Xero as we've done this multiple times.  

Once I have my custom XERO App, how do I maintain it?

Whilst you may expect your custom XERO App to work on it’s own without hitches that is rarely the reality with software. Bugs at one point or another are expected to come up; and you want to make sure that there is a team ready to hop on and resolve these issues in a timely manner.  

With all the applications we build we give the option of a care package where we’ll ensure that your application stays running smoothly; and we’ll have our team available to hop in should there be the need.  

What you’ll also want to keep in mind is that in additional to general maintenance; for example to cater for any API updates XERO may make in the future; there may also be additional adjustments you may want to your application over time; thus having a continued partner would help to ensure that your application develops with your business.

I have been looking for an App in the XERO Marketplace but I can’t find what I need; will a custom XERO Application Help me?

Yes, if the application you are looking to build is technically feasible and XERO Exposes the right end-points a custom XERO Application will help you get what you need. Obviously unlike pre-existing XERO Marketplace Apps this will be built tailor made for the needs of your business. Given that the cost is not shared across thousands of business you should expect your costs to be significantly higher than a standard subscription to an existing software.  

That said; for most businesses this is a great investment which will allow them to make much larger savings over the longer term. An initial discovery (or Digital 360 as we’d like to call it) with your developer partner will help you identify whether the application will be viable and a win-win both for yourself and your developer partner.

We operate a niche business and use our own internal software, would a custom integration link it to XERO?

Yes most certainly; if your dev team has capacity they can in most cases integrate this on their own. If they’re at capacity or lack the necessary financial knowledge developer partners may come in to help you build the custom integration between your internal application and XERO.  

At times this may require additional meetings or development from your dev team to ensure that the data required is exposed in a secure manner so that it can be sent to XERO.

We use a third party CRM / Invoicing software, but our accountants want us to use XERO; can we link them?

Yes, there’s a good chance that they can be linked up. If there isn’t already an integration within your application and XERO within the Marketplace it may require a custom XERO Integration to get it done.  

However for a developer partner to integrate your existing software would require to have an API; if you’re not sure contacting the software company that you work with will help you identify if that is possible.  

Some CRM software would also be willing to sponsor part of that integration as XERO may help open doors for them to bring in new clients; it may be worth bringing it up as it may help you reduce some of your own costs.

Our business uses XERO; however our operations and sales team is still very much paper based, how will a Custom XERO Application help us?

A custom XERO Integrated Application can help your sales and operations teams to switch to a paperless infrastructure. By properly evaluating your business operations and how your paper (or excel) trail works the right application and infrastructure to make your business paperless can be identified.  

Prior to going for a custom XERO Application you may want to check the XERO Marketplace in case there are existing applications which can give your business exactly what you need. However if you can’t find that there; or you want to build your own Intellectual Property and competitive advantage a custom XERO-Integrated Application may be a good fit for you.  

Your best step to get started would be to contact a XERO Developer Partner such as ourselves to be guided through the process so together we can identify if a custom XERO Integrated Application can achieve what you are looking for.

We have a software and our customers have been asking to connect with XERO, how can we integrate with XERO?

Most certainly if your application deals with accounting at any level you may want to integrate with XERO to give a better user experience to existing clients; or otherwise help bring new clients onboard through the XERO Partner ecosystem.  

To go for this model you’d have to do a XERO Partner integration; get this tested with a few clients and send it over to XERO for approval. Until you achieve partner status you have a limit on the number of connections. around 30 mins per connection on a public level. Besides you only can publicize your XERO Integration after you have obtained approval from XERO.  

In order to integrate you’d have to use the available API; this can either be done by your developers or if you have a pre-existing API a XERO Developer Partner may assist in helping you integrate through a separate middleware which isn’t part of your core application  

I'm in charge of Business Development at a SaaS Business, how does a Xero Integration help me?

Xero, can be a critical strategic partner for any SaaS business, especially one who is going for high growth. Xero counts over 2 million business clients world wide. And with world-wide cloud accounting adoption set at 10% that is bound to increase.

Becoming an App Partner, opens up an opportunity to be placed in front of these businesses. With good knowledge of the market, partners within the Xero Ecosystem as well as Implementation partners, a SaaS business can greatly benefit from a Xero Integration.

Furthermore Xero conducts a number of in-person events throughout the year, they range from your local events up to conferences which gather up to 5000 accountants aka Xerocon.

If you're looking to tap into Xero's 2 million strong userbase, and are not sure how to go about it, or are wary of distracting the developers from core product, schedule a call.  

Once a Xero Integration is live, what kind of maintenance does it require?

I'm a firm believer that modern software is never 'ready' and is continually being improved. A Xero Integration is no less. Although the application may be stable, Xero releases updates from time to time that may impact the availability of your integration.

A case in point, would be the oAuth 2.0 announcement in 2019, and the depreciation of oAuth 1a. This means that all apps need to update by the end of 2020 or the integration would cease to work.

Other updates to Xero may mean that an integration should be updated to provide better value. For example Xero Quotes only became avalable via the API in December 2019. If one has an App that generates quotes, having that integrate would provide more value to customers. In addition to this, smaller updates are rolled out throughout a calendar year.

Effectively you need someone to keep an eye on all the changes that happen within the Xero ecosystem and propose the necessary modifications. A constantly improving integration also increases the chances of getting further promoted by Xero.

Finally, there might also be changes in your app, that mean things need to change from a Xero Integration point of view. So Indeed a Xero Integration cannot be left alone but needs to be continually monitored and improved.

If this is not something you want to deal with, speak to us about our managed Xero Integration plans.

Do we need a developer to integrate with XERO or can we do it alone?

Unfortunately yes; if you want to make a proper XERO Integration you’d need a developer to help you connect things together correctly. Systems like Zapier can also be used for some low-level work and automations but do not guarantee consistency and high level of results.  

XERO Developer Partners are developers who have successfully managed a number of integrations. So they are likely better suited to help you out as they understand the XERO API very well and can use their experience to help you get up and running as quickly as possible.

What challenges are we expected to encounter when building our Custom XERO App?

The challenges may be numerous; like every other software development project; a Custom XERO App is prone to have bugs. However when well tested an application can mitigate against the major risks in that area.  

The most important part when undertaking a project such as a Custom Application Integrated with XERO is to fully understand the task at hand. Understanding your goals and objectives and how the success of the project will create a positive impact on the business. 

A key challenge for most developers, is actually understanding the Xero terminology and mapping it out. We have seen numerous counts where Xero Integrations were sub-standard purely due to the lack of understanding of financial systems.  

Sometimes the biggest challenge may be understanding that your Custom XERO App may never be “finished”; depending on the needs of your business you may want to continue improving and adding features to your application. When we see projects of this structure we recommend working in what are known as sprints. Essentially a shorter set of features to be delivered in a shorter time frame allow you.  

What is the difference between a private, public and a partner XERO App? [ No Longer Valid as of oAuth 2.0 Dec 2019 ]

A Private Applications is an application that as its name suggests is meant to be private. Through a certificate and API keys an application is given access to a singular organisation. The application’s access can be removed by the user however one cannot invite other organisations to give access to the application.  

Public XERO Apps are meant for publicly accessible applications with temporary tokens of up to 30mins; that is every time you want a user to do something they would need to approve access to the correct XERO organisation.  

Partner XERO Apps; similarly to Public XERO Apps are available to the public but have undertaken additional vetting by XERO And have been approved to be part of the Marketplace as approved Partner Applications. Once a Partner App there is additional permissions given including the ability to use longer-life tokens and facility to use webhooks. Thus not requiring the user to authorise access every 30 mins when in use.

I'm an accountant that uses Xero, how can a custom Xero integration help my clients?

Yes, we get approached by numerous accountants to help them make their lives and their client’s lives easier. We understand that accountant’s don’t like cleaning up messes created by clients; and client’s don’t like paying for a lot of clean-up work.  

The easiest solution to all this is to ensure that the client’s systems are well interconnected with XERO so you don’t have to worry about the client meddling up with your XERO files. In general we find that the best win-win scenarios come from positions where both the accountant and the client feel they are currently in a lose-lose position. This is because the accountant gets to do less stuff they don’t want to do; and the client doesn’t pay too much for things that they don’t want. At the same time this may leave more money in the accountant’s pockets.  

Other scenarios where a custom XERO App comes handy is where your client’s business can’t exactly be mapped out into the existing XERO Ecosystem; here a Custom XERO App can help to ensure that you’r client’s proprietary workflow can be mapped into a paperless based application; that gives you data in realtime up to XERO reducing the day to day requests for data so you can do your job and provide the right advise.  

I'm a bookkeeper that uses Xero, will a custom Xero integration make me redundant?

Oh most certainly not; We do understand however that a certain level of integration work may somewhat reduce the manual data inputting that is required. Say for instance if all the receivables are created by staff currently by paper; and this moved off to a new custom app or directly into XERO that work would reduce.  

However your input would be critical in ensuring that a client’s Custom XERO App or Integration works correctly. Moreso you’ll want to ensure that data inputted in XERO is still approved and checked in case of information which shouldn’t be there.  

The reality is that your work might change albeit slightly; from data inputting into checking. Keep in mind that if the business has growth ambitions it might mean that you can process more volumes in less time through this simplification. Thus you can likely grow and keep the client for longer. At some point we all know that when a client grows sufficiently book keeping is sometimes something they look to bring in-house for reduced costs. Well if they allow you to do more it means you’re likely going to be around for longer.

I’m a business owner, what changes should I expect in my business and team if we have a custom XERO Integration?

The biggest change is that your team has to embrace the technology. Once they're all on the same page; understanding that the custom XERO Integration will help them not take their role; then your business starts to speed up.

In general you should expect your team to spend far less time working on administrative tasks. The volume of work automated will depend on your custom XERO Integration and it's underlying purpose.