Does Xero Integrate with ServiceM8? What are the benefits?
Many field service companies enjoy the way ServiceM8’s software simplifies the work day from beginning to end, with customer and employee communication, quoting, job management, payment, and invoices all in one place. For crunching numbers and back-end financial reporting, these same businesses may turn to Xero to help connect with their bank when paying bills and claiming expenses. All of these features from both applications are necessary for business success, business managers are looking for a solution that integrates all of these benefits into a streamlined process.
Communication between Xero and ServiceM8 has been simplified and perfected for user accessibility. Clients, employees, and finances are all managed seamlessly through integration between the two platforms, creating an efficient method for businesses to stay organized.
With the partnership of these two services comes improved functionality. There are multiple benefits to using a Xero and ServiceM8 integrated platform.
Contacts and Items Synchronization
All of the features and functionality of each program are still fully functioning, but this integration allows for open communication between the platforms, improving the functionality of both. Synchronization communication is enabled between Xero and ServiceM8, in both directions. The programs will update each other whenever you make changes to clients or items in either location. There are a few differences you should be aware of between contact and item synchronization, as well as the communication that transfers from Xero to ServiceM8 versus M8 to Xero.
When using the Xero application, most information transferred over to ServiceM8 is usually done with 30 minutes. This includes anything entered or imported regarding adding, editing, deleting, or archiving client contacts. It is important to note that not all contacts will be transferred to ServiceM8, only customers are synced so that your SerivceM8 platform stays organized.
If there is a bill applied to the contact in Xero, it is automatically considered to be a supplier contact rather than a customer contact and will not be imported. If a contact is labeled as both a supplier and a customer, don’t worry- it will still synchronize between platforms. These contacts will retain both labels in Xero but will be transferred and show up in M8 as customer contacts normally do.
When entering items into Xero, be aware that they will appear as ‘materials’ after syncing to ServiceM8. Adding or editing items will show up in ServiceM8 within thirty minutes, but deleting an item in Xero will not alter ServiceM8. Setting an item to inactive or deleting it altogether in Xero will not cause the material to be deleted or altered in any way on the ServiceM8 platform. If you do want to delete a material in M8, you can always go through the ServiceM8 program.
New clients and materials entered into ServiceM8 do not begin synchronization until an invoice has been sent to Xero including those clients and materials. After the invoice, however, changes made to clients and materials will continue synching over to Xero until they are removed. In the time between adding something to serviceM8 and sending over the invoice, Xero will have no knowledge of this information. If you add the same contact to Xero during this time, you could possibly double up on the contact, so care needs to be taken to ensure the data integrity between the platforms.
When deleting information from ServiceM8, there is a difference between contacts and materials. When contacts are deleted in ServiceM8, they will be archived in Xero, rather than completely removing them from the records. Alternately, when materials are deleted in ServiceM8 they are also deleted as items in Xero.
Customer Payment Synchronization
When receiving and processing payments, the integration between platforms also enables effortless synchronization back and forth between Xero and ServiceM8. Payments that your employees receive from customers while out on the job will be applied to the invoice in Xero, and any payments made in Xero will also show up in your ServiceM8 records.
Whether ServiceM8 payments are made before or after the invoice has been exported, the information is saved until needed and preserved as long as necessary. If you have not yet sent over a job’s invoice to Xero, any payments in ServiceM8 will simply stay there until the invoice is exported. Conveniently, when you do send the invoice, any existing payments will also update to Xero at that time. After your invoice has been approved and is in the Xero platform, any ServiceM8 payments against that invoice will be automatically updated in Xero. The payment type reference will also update between platforms whether you use PayPal, VISA, or something else.
If one of your ServiceM8 invoices receives a payment in Xero, you can expect updates in ServiceM8 within their same thirty-minute window target, as long as this invoice was previously exported to Xero. Once an invoice is fully paid in Xero’s system, your ServiceM8 records will automatically mark the invoice as paid and finalised.
If you are looking to use Xero to help generate reports about your organization based on your transactions, the integration has also taken this into account. When you receive payments in ServiceM8, you can easily adjust your settings preferences to categorize these transactions into whichever account you prefer. Xero makes it easy to add, edit, delete, and view the details of your accounts, and ServiceM8 can be seamlessly integrated into this process.
Invoice Reconciliation
The Xero and ServiceM8 partnership simplify the whole invoice process, making it easy all the way from invoice creation to reconciliation.
In order to complete a job and create an invoice and send it to Xero, the job must first be marked completed in ServiceM8 . After that, the job will be saved to your invoicing page in ServiceM8. To ensure an accurate record, the invoice will be under the “Awaiting Approval” section so you can review it before exporting. Once you have reviewed the information and are ready, it only takes two clicks to begin synchronizing the invoice with Xero’s technology. Do remember that an invoice will not send if it has a value of zero, just make sure you’re not missing any line items or prices when you review the invoice.
Once the invoice is in Xero, any edits to the invoice made in ServiceM8 will not show up in Xero. However, Xero makes editing invoices easy and you can make any needed changes using their program.
If you want to keep the two programs consistent, make sure you are creating all of your invoices beginning in ServiceM8. If you create an invoice from scratch in Xero, you will not be able to see any of that information in ServiceM8. Besides, if you are already managing your jobs through ServiceM8, using their invoice feature will be the simplest way for you to keep your finances organized.
Now that all of your information from ServiceM8 is cleanly exported to Xero, you can now take advantage of their amazing reconciliation resources. Your ServiceM8 invoices will be lined up on the right against bank statement lines on the left, all under the “Reconcile” tab. After you check that Xero has matched the invoice to the payment correctly, you can simple press ok to reconcile the transaction. Your Xero program can be set to alert you when new information is ready to be reconciled, making it easy to keep your records up to date and identify any possible errors.
Employee Timesheets
The program integration also allows for exporting employee shift times to create employee timesheets. ServiceM8 has a convenient “Automated Timesheet Sync Add-on” that enables easy communication between the two programs.
The timesheets are created in Xero automatically at the end of each week, based on employee clock on and clock off times after you activate the add-on. This can be easily activated through your ServiceM8 settings menu under the “ServiceM8 Add-ons” section. From there, you should be able to quickly toggle on the timesheet sync.
Once your add-on is activated, a few extra steps will make sure that the programs are making your job as easy as possible. The settings button on the timesheet sync banner will allow you to adjust the day that you want your weekly pay periods to cycle and which employees you want to make timesheets for. After entering and confirming this information, your most recent pay week will be exported into a timesheet and the automation process is active for all of the following pay periods.
You can now be confident in your record keeping, knowing that the program integration will take care of timesheets for you. If there are ever any issues, ServiceM8 will let you know what the discrepancy is, as well as how to fix it. After resolving the issue, an accurate time sheet will then be automatically created. Xero and ServiceM8 will take care of your records so that you can focus on growing your business.
Importing Tax Rates and Account Codes
Xero makes the accounting process uncomplicated, with easy access to all of the numbers, rates, and codes that you might need. Regarding taxes, Xero will automatically send all the information you need to know to your ServiceM8 application. Taxes can be complex, but the information from Xero will give you a straightforward picture of what you need to pay and why.
Additionally, Xero will automatically send over your income account codes. Keep your ledger organized with the correct coding to make sure that your transactions are easy to track and reconcile. Added with the benefits of invoice reconciliation and transaction synchronization mentioned above, the Xero and ServiceM8 integration really does give you all the tools you need to manage the paperwork and bookkeeping side of your business. Putting the number into the hands of these programs will allow you the freedom to put your energy into the rest of your business.
Connecting Xero and ServiceM8
If you do not already have a Xero and/or ServiceM8 account, you will need to create both of those before integrating the programs.
The easiest way for you to connect these two platforms will be by going through ServiceM8 settings. Using your Mac or PC, login to ServiceM8 and go to the “ServiceM8 Add-on” settings icon. From there, you should see an option for Xero integration. On that banner, clicking “connect” will take you to the set-up wizard. The wizard will quickly lead you through providing information about how your Xero account is set-up and how you use it for your business. This will help the programs make sure that they are providing you will all the tools you need.
The rest of the process is super simple, you will just need to authorize Xero integration by logging into your account, through the wizard. After confirming ServiceM8’s access to your Xero data, you will receive a congratulations message and within a few minutes, your newly integrated system will be ready to perform all of its functions!
ServiceM8 Compatibility
ServiceM8 does have add-on options outside of Xero if you are unable to use it or prefer a different program. MYOB is an Australian tax and accounting service geared toward small and medium-sized businesses. ServiceM8 does offer synchronization with their program as well.
Quickbooks is an Intuit program that is geared to the same market and is also a cloud-based accounting application. It can help with payroll functions, payments, and bills. ServiceM8 is able to sync with Quickbooks, making it another good option for those who don’t use Xero.
Outside of accounting programs, ServiceM8 also has a plethora of other add-ons, found under the add-on directory in your ServiceM8 app or website. These add-ons range in price and function, providing tons of great options for business owners looking to improve their business productivity.
Wink, Deputy, MailChimp, and Office 365 are a few examples of third-party integrations that are available. Additionally, there are many add-ons developed within the ServiceM8 platform, that allow you to customize the app to your business’s unique wants and needs.
