A common scenario: the director faces excessive workload and limited time. By providing targeted support for Xero tasks and streamlining invoicing processes in WorkflowMax (WFM), we improved efficiency and reduced overall stress.
Our engagement with this client had been intermittent, primarily focused on resolving issues within WorkflowMax. The director consistently encountered challenges due to being overcommitted, making systemic change difficult. Added complexity arose from staff regularly traveling across New Zealand, often with equipment, resulting in numerous individual expenses that required thorough tracking and oncharging.
Digging Deeper
To get to the root of the ongoing stress, we took a close look at how things run day-to-day: what tasks the director handles, what could be passed on, and what’s slowing things down. It didn’t take long to spot the main trouble areas: (1) constant finance admin work in Xero , and (2) messy invoicing in WFM because the processes just weren’t working well.
To make things better, we wanted to keep things as smooth as possible—no big shake-ups, just steady tweaks. That fits with how we work: flexible, no locked-in monthly fees, and charge-up billing that’s easy to adjust as needs change.
The Solutions
Xero Task Delegation: At first, we just took over the usual finance jobs without changing anything straight away. This meant handling bills and expenses, loading them into both WFM and Xero so they could be charged on, sorting out Xero account reconciliations, making payments, and all the other bits and pieces that come with finance admin.
Manual Process Evaluation: We found out that expenses and bills were being entered into WFM by hand. There are ways to automate this, but it’s only worth it if you’re dealing with lots of transactions, so we carefully weighed up the costs. Staying focused and getting the tasks done without interruptions made things way more efficient. In the end, we realised uploading receipts wasn’t really needed, which shows how important it is to fully understand the process before making big changes.
Invoice Records Consistency: Invoices made in WFM were sent to clients via Xero, then we’d upload PDF copies back into WorkflowMax to keep everything documented, since the two platforms use different formats. By using Collaboration Manager in WFM and Invoice Email Template in Xero, we cut out this extra step. Now, after a one-off setup, invoice copies go straight into WFM automatically for easy reference.
Refinement of Billing Methodology: We tidied up the billing process so we didn’t have to check everything by hand. This meant improving custom billing rates in WFM, making sure we could use different rates for various staff and clients, and adding reporting tools to make checking easier.
Expense Management Optimization: We looked at ways to bill clients using standard daily rates rather than tracking every single receipt with different markups. This made managing expenses and charging on much simpler. The company’s accountant had actually suggested doing this as well. Entering heaps of small receipts and checking markups is a real slog, so we improved the current process to cut down the time spent checking rates for each client and job. If the company decides to switch to set daily rates, most of the admin — and the need to automate expense entry — will be a thing of the past.
Clarity Outcomes
Direct assistance with Xero tasks—removing routine finance administration from the director’s workload with a bookkeeper allocated and establishing consistent weekly processes.
Enhanced WorkflowMax procedures—optimising workflows, clarifying task steps, and reducing unnecessary manual processes.
Recommendation for Change in Process – billing standard rates instead of tracking and oncharging individual expenses, supporting a previously suggested improvement.
Structured handover and transparency—ensuring tasks remain off the director’s desk and progress is easily monitored.
Consistent operational rhythm—a brief weekly checkpoint to prioritize objectives, resolve obstacles, and maintain manageable workloads.