Christchurch businesses have been taking advantage of the Xero platform for years. SMEs and accounting businesses have leveraged the single ledger to bring value through timely and accurate information which enables good business decision-making. Is your business taking full advantage of Xero’s potential?
To help businesses make the most of the platform, BDO Christchurch has been running Xero Masterclasses for more than two years. These courses are delivered by a team of qualified accountants who explain how to utilise the platform effectively, along with the ins and outs of compliance and financial recording requirements in a way that everyone can understand. The courses are suitable for people from any industry and specific industry-tailored workshop can also be delivered. These courses can also be delivered in Cantonese by one of the team. Having taken a break from face-to-face training during the Covid-19 lockdown the team is excited to have scheduled the next Masterclass for the end of June 2020. BDO Christchurch have been back in the office since Level 2 and social distancing guidelines are being followed.
What is Xero?
Based in New Zealand with offices in Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, and South Africa, Xero is a cloud-based accounting solution developed in New Zealand which runs online and does not require any special software to be installed. Xero can be accessed anytime, anywhere and on any device that has internet access and a browser.Access can then be granted to your accountant who has access to all your real-time information. Your accountant is then working with your original information preparing your financial statements from the same single ledger.
BDO is the leading Xero Platinum business partner worldwide and was awarded the 2019 Xero National Partner of the Year, with teams of expert consultants providing expert advice regarding the platform all over the country.
What makes BDO’s Xero Masterclasses different?
The training package material in BDO’s Xero Masterclasses has been designed and developed by BDO Chartered Accountant, Michelle McKay. Michelle utilised her wide-ranging industry experience and background in bookkeeping, teaching, and adult-training to develop practical and hands-on courses. These courses are tailored to real businesses and delivered in language ordinary people can understand.
BDO’s Xero Masterclass courses are more than just tips and tricks. They offer relevant and practical information that recognises and respects attendees’ varying levels of proficiency with Xero. BDO’s courses cultivate a welcoming environment where attendees feel safe asking questions. The material is flexibly structured to accommodate the specific audience in attendance. We use real-world transactions and examples to reflect what really happens in businesses.
In addition, these courses are ideal if you are moving from other accounting software platforms to Xero. BDO New Zealand is always available to assess your current and future accounting needs and discuss the benefits and challenges of moving from one platform to another. Visit our Xero New Zealand service page for more information and contact us to help to facilitate a smooth migration and ensure the setup will meet your on-going requirements.
BDO runs three levels of Xero Masterclasses
BDO’s Xero Masterclasses are 3-hours long and class sizes are limited to 12 attendees to ensure that one-on-one help can be delivered. You do not need to be a BDO client to attend, though we value this opportunity to better understand our clients and provide them with additional add-on solutions. Some free seats are available for non-profit organisations, but the courses themselves are affordable.
Check out our three Xero Masterclass courses below.
1. Foundations Course: Understanding the Key Functionalities
BDO’s Xero Foundation’s Course is ideal for brand new users and those with some experience who wish to become more comfortable with the platform’s basic capabilities. The course has been designed to help students capitalise on Xero’s core functions to deliver simpler and more accurate results for their business.
Topics covered in the Foundations Course
- An introduction to Xero
- Chart of accounts
- Bank reconciliation
- Quotes & invoices
- Purchase orders & bills
- Finding account transactions
- GTS returns in Xero
- Tracking
2. Intermediate Course: Delivering Efficient Financial Services
The Intermediate course, Delivering Efficient Financial Services, has been crafted by BDO to help students grow their business within the Xero ecosystem, teaching them techniques to take advantage of some of Xero’s more advanced tools.
Topics covered in the Intermediate Course
- Branding & communication
- Managing debtors & creditors
- Xero contacts
- Automating data entry
- Manual journals
- Month-end processes
- Reconciliation reports
- Basic reporting customisation
3. Advanced Course: Supporting Data Driven Decision Making
BDO has designed an advanced Xero Masterclass to help even the most experienced users find further value with Xero. The course helps people analyse their business performance using real-time information to support optimised decision-making and minimise threats for their business.
Topics covered in the Advanced Course
- Reporting concepts
- Budgeting
- Advanced customisation
- Profit & loss variance analysis
- Cash flow reporting
- Tailored balance sheets
- Executive summary
- Key performance indicators
- Fixed assets
Join other satisfied customers at BDO’s Xero Masterclass
Anita Hamilton, Finance Manager of NZ Spinal Trust had a positive experience with BDO Christchurch’s Xero Masterclass, saying, “Even though I’ve been using Xero for three years, I certainly learnt a lot of new things to speed up the processes.”
Anita’s not alone. Attendees of our Xero Masterclasses go away being able to work more efficiently in a way that is better for them and better for their accountants as they gain more understanding of why accountants do what they do.
BDO staff from throughout the NZ network have now be trained so these Masterclasses can be rolled out and delivered nationally. To stay updated on these courses, contact your local BDO office to find out what is being delivered in your region. If you would like more information or would like to discuss running an industry-specific course, please contact Michelle McKay at BDO Christchurch.
If you would like to attend one of these sessions in BDO Christchurch, register your interest for Xero Masterclass Sessions today.