Use data capture tools for receipts and bills. Look for apps (like Hubdoc and Dext Prepare) that allow you to take photos of physical receipts and invoices or scan digital copies and automatically feed that information into Xero. This will give you real-time knowledge on where your cash flow is. It also makes for an easier, more accurate claims process at tax time.

• Hubdoc offers a simple way to accurately capture information from bills and receipts and sync it to your Xero account, reducing manual entry and making it easy to match transactions to the Xero bank feed. Hubdoc is a Xero solution and comes included in most plans (excluding payroll-only in AU).

• Dext Prepare, is a popular paid alternative to Hubdoc, used both by small-medium sized businesses as well as accountants and bookkeepers. It has advanced data extraction capabilities from a wide range of sources, extensive automation and user management capabilities that come in handy when your expense management function starts to get larger or more complicated.

Working with a team? Forget the headache of dealing with time consuming and manual expense approvals. Leverage the power of automated approval workflows to keep your finances in control and focus on what really matters.

• ApprovalMax enables you to set up, simplify and automate your approvals processes. Create workflows that suit your business to give you greater control of money in and out without relying on paper and email approvals.