Apps can help automate your admin, generate insights, manage your day-to-day operations and give you access to deep analytics for smarter business decisions.

Here are some of the most common pain points we hear about from small business owners - and some of the apps that connect to Xero to help solve for them.

Pain point 1: getting paid quickly

In business, cash flow is key. Having long payment collection periods increases bad debts and can lead to cash flow challenges. That’s why tools for following up on invoices or having different ways to take payments are so important.

These apps are designed to help you get paid faster:

• Chaser. Automate your invoice chasing and streamline your processes so you can get paid faster and more consistently. Learn more >

• Kolleno. Recover overdue balances with automated invoice chasing and one-click payment collection via a simple digital payment platform. Learn more >

• Stripe. Enables you to accept payments from debit or credit cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay for online invoices sent from Xero so your customers can pay you easily. Learn more >

• GoCardless. Automatically debit your customer’s bank account when your Xero invoices are due with this bank-to-bank payment method. A lower-cost alternative to card payments, it’s ideal for businesses that bill their customers on a recurring basis. Learn more >

• Ignition. A complete invoicing, payment, reconciliation and client engagement solution for professional services business. This app caters for more complex needs so we recommend working with your accountant or advisor to set up. Learn more >

For even more apps that can help you get paid faster, browse all of our payments apps.

Pain point 2: rostering and managing staff

Employees are the lifeblood of any business, but managing staff can be one of the most time-consuming tasks. Even seemingly mundane tasks, like rostering, can have a huge impact on the wellbeing of you and your team and the efficiency of your business if they’re not done well.

These apps can help you manage staff:

• Deputy. Simplify rostering, scheduling, timesheets, tasks, and team communication with an employee management tool that seamlessly connects businesses and employees. Learn more >

• LeaveCal. Manage team availability and resource planning easily. Bring your approved employee leave, birthdays and anniversaries directly from Xero into your Google, Outlook or other calendars in seconds. Learn more >

• RosterElf. This simple cloud software handles all small business staff rostering tasks, taking care of everything from staff availability, rostering, shift swaps, clock-inout and has payroll integration features built for Xero. Learn more >

• Tanda. Manage and pay staff accurately, quickly and compliantly. Get the most out of your workforce with live rostering, attendance and compliance tools. Learn more >

• Deel. Global payroll and hiring built for remote teams. Hire, onboard and pay people in 150 countries worldwide, giving you access to global talent without compliance issues. Learn more >

• ServiceM8. A smart end to end job management app built for businesses that manage jobs and staff in the field, suitable for sole operators up to those with 20 staff. Learn more >

For even more apps that help make staff scheduling and management easy, check out all of our time tracking apps.

Pain point 3: tracking expenses and stock

Keeping track of expenses and stock can be a real challenge (yes, we know about that drawer full of receipts you avoid until EOFY). Apps can help you record expenses properly, pay staff and bills on time, and maintain visibility and control. They can also help you keep track of stock, avoiding wastage, shortages and unhappy customers.

These apps can help you keep track:

• EzzyBills. Combine two apps in one and get invoice processing and approval management. With a mobile app for scanning receipts, it’s suitable for businesses with lots of bills or sales invoices to process. Learn more >

• ApprovalMax. Replace paper and email approvals with fully automated, multi-role and multi-tiered approval workflows so you can manage payments in and out. Learn more >

• Dext Prepare. Collect and extract data from paperwork like receipts, invoices or bank statements with 99% accuracy, then automatically process it to Xero. With smart rules to automate expense categorisation and approvals, you’ll stay in control. Learn more >

• Cin7 Core. Centralise order and inventory management, integrated point of sale, mobile warehouse management and integrations with leading marketplaces and shipping services. This app is a solution for growing businesses in retail, wholesale, manufacturing and ecommerce to take control of all operations. Learn more >

• Unleashed. Inventory management for manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors so you can always see what’s in stock – and where – and manage your production and tracking effectively. Learn more >

Looking for more ways to track your expenses and manage your stock? Browse all bills and expenses apps and inventory apps.

Pain point 4: connecting your sales and accounting

Life gets a whole lot easier when all your systems and data are connected. You can gain easy visibility into your business performance and bottom line at a glance, using apps to sync your sales data into all the most helpful places.

These apps help you connect all your business data:

• A2X. Automate your ecommerce accounting into Xero from Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Etsy or Walmart platforms. A2X Multi supports merchants selling in multiple countries and platforms. Learn more >

• Dext Commerce. Reconcile itemised digital commerce transactions in Xero with data from over 30 integrations including Amazon, Shopify, Stripe, PayPal, eBay, Etsy, Walmart, Square, Wix, Squarespace, Faire and more. Learn more >

• Amaka. Connect your e-commerce, POS and e-signature platforms to Xero to automate your sales and payment transactions data entry for lightning-fast bank reconciliation. Learn more >

• Square. A powerful suite of tools to get any job done, like point-of-sale, ecommerce, payments, pickup and delivery, online scheduling, marketing, and more. Learn more >

• Cin7 Omni. Enhance customer satisfaction and scale omnichannel commerce operations by connecting your products, sales channels, stock locations, orders, and more into one automated solution. Learn more >

Browse all of our ecommerce apps to find even more solutions to link up your online sales and accounting data.