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Agree entirely with last two comments - thanks Fiona for stating it clearly - if it isn't broke then don't mess with it.
What would be good for you to play with is the inventory system - a few years back you brough up another company inventory system and was supposed to incorporate it into Xero - this included the batch and location facility - here we are years later with no update on that which would add a lot more value to the basic Xero package - but instead you mess up invoicing. Listen to the users - or at least talk to them about what is working and what could be improved - unless there is some big picture stuff we are missing??

Hi Kelly - in the original invoicing system, we could tab through easily, selecting customers, date, etc = now we need to use our mouse all the time to select options (customer, date etc), and if you do tab from one of these, it starts back at the top of the internet browser. Please fix this also.

I actually would dare someone from the "design team" to call me and talk about what they did and why it is not a good thing. It won't happen, my phone won't ring....

Kelly, that is all pumping water to save the ship. You need to put ALL the functionality of old invoicing back in place, and get rid of that stunted 70ies telex page look and go back to the old look, then introduce new features. You have taken away ALL of the features a small business uses daily. Like the new reporting which is diabolical, this is another suck it up people effort from Xero without asking us what works and what we want. Mumble about old platforms how ever long you want but the essence is you took a good working system and dumped it in the bin and ****** off a lot of people by rolling out and hunk of junk.

100% ... this is such a big step backwards from a functionality perspective!

My main bug point at the moment is this: I sometimes generate invoices from another app, which syncs with Xero. Those invoices have weird invoice numbers, so the first thing I do is delete the app-generated invoice number and then old-invoicing Xero works out my next sequential invoice number and adds it in.

In the new invoicing system, it doesn't let me delete the weird invoice number. I delete it, Xero puts it back in. EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING.

So when this "new" invoicing is forced upon us, I'm going to have to open a second window to look up my existing invoices, then MANUALLY INSERT THE NEXT INVOICE NUMBER. That is absolutely NUTS.

I agree with every single comment! The new invoicing has absolutely zero improvements and sooooo much loss of usability, efficiency and flexibility.
It seems like one of those big, poorly thought-out change-management ideas that inexperienced business teams come up with and are usually nipped in the bud by internal stakeholders or experienced staff members who know that the consequences for the company will be far-reaching.

100%

Adding a payment to the invoice is a perfect example. How do you change something so easy to something so stupidly difficult?

Agreed - it now takes 2 clicks to delete a line item. We import transactions on to invoices and then delete what we don't charge. It used to be very simple and is now tedious, due to two click requirements to delete a line.

Agreed, any new upgrade which increases the 'Clicks' to complete a task is a bad idea - tell your team if they can't make a task less clicks then it doesn't get implemented. More clicks = irritated users

I have been using the new invoicing (for 18 months) for just one specific customer who prefers e-invoices, but in that time there hasn't been any redeeming features of the new design to encourage me to change over for all other customer invoicing.

Where currently in classic I can move easily and with minimal tabbing between fields for data entry, the new format requires many additional tabs or mouse-clicks, making it overly complicated and time consuming to use. Invariably I end up reverting back to the classic version for data entry for the e-invoice customer, and only switch to the new when approving and sending.

Also, visually the layout is too spread out and is uncomfortable to view.

Surely with the amount of feedback Xero is receiving on this subject a re-think is in order?

If changes need to be made, why can't they be done in the background, and keep the appearance of the user interface the same?

I couldn't agree more. Taking so many steps to send a receipt for payment is way longer on the new invoice versus the classic version.

DO NOT RECOMMEND XERO
Added the above line to text as suggested by another user. Why is the invoicing being changed?? There was nothing wrong with the old version and the new version has all the problems listed below. Extra time and less useable features.
My personal list of complaints;
1. More movement/clicks needed for processing, taking extra time.
2. Screen is too large meaning things I used to see at a glance now require further investigation... again extra time.
3. No up/down arrow use in menus, must click. Again, extra time.
4. No flow to the invoicing. Previous flowed well moving down the screen as you entered data, this one moves down then back up to finish. Again, more time.
5. The fact that when you ask a question of support you get a generic answer where they refer you to this forum so I have to come here and relist my issues. Again, more time.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE reinstate the ability to create a Repeating Invoice from the actual invoice itself BEFORE it is Approved.

We have a subscription business and using the new interface now cannot create a Repeating invoice from the draft before submitting for approval. Because a Repeat has no "Approved" facility, our approval process needs both the original invoice and the repeat to be approved/reviewed at the same time. This is no longer possible in the new version.

If we want to create a Repeat at the Submitted invoice stage, we have to go back to the Invoice menu, go to Repeats and create it manually from scratch, then separately advise the reviewer that the repeat is ready. This leaves plenty of scope for human error, before factoring in that it doubles the amount of work needed to do something that could be achieved before with a handful of keystrokes.

I'm going to have to stick with Classic unless/until this is fixed.

Xero, are you listening to all these issues.

Please reply to confirm that these issues will be resolved by September or to simply carry on with the existing version.

We await your reply asap so that we can start to arrrange alternative software

Simply put, classic invoicing was fine, new invoicing is NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE!

Classic invoicing was fast to use, all data I needed was clear to see, Never had a problem.

New invoicing is horrendous!

Until all of these issues are fixed, it is IMPOSSIBLE for us to use new invoicing.

1) Copy invoice does not copy over contact details - when I copy, I want to copy EVERYTHING exactly per the original, including the contact!

2) Autosave is NOT a feature that we want. I regularly open an invoice just to check a price or give a customer a quick verbal quote over the phone so that I don't have to do maths in my head. Autosave means I will have at least 20 or 30 false draft invoices saved every day that I do not want, and I will now have to allocate time to separating them from the real drafts i do want, and delete off the false ones.

3) Item Code missing - there is a whole separate threat for just this issue. We physically CANNOT use new invoicing until Item Code has been re-instated as per classic invoicing. We do not use descriptions, our company runs on items codes only.

4) Why is the Tax code hidden? I need to check see this at a glance for every line, just like on classic invoicing.

5) Why is the account code hidden? I need to check see this at a glance for every line, just like on classic invoicing.

6) TOO MUCH WHITE SPACE. I now have to scroll for miles. I need to see everything at a glance on one screen, just like on classic invoicing.

7) I never use xero to email my invoices. I either download the PDFs and email them myself through outlook, OR I have to upload them into various customers online portals. The approve & send must be changed back to approve only.

I have no idea what we will do if these are not fixed before September.....

The new invoicing really isn't fit for purpose. Some features have been removed from classic invoicing, others are still "under development" and many are much more long winded than they are with Classic.
I think it's time for the product manager to realise that they've made a big mistake with this redesign. Read the room and go back to the drawing board. We're all for change, but only when it makes our businesses more efficient, not when it adds stumbling blocks.

This is a whole new product than what we signed on for. If I was searching for a new system RIGHT NOW, and came across these threads, I'd be choosing anything but this product.
If everyone adds a "Do not recommend Xero" to all of your comments, any searches on the internet for Xero will show them and let prospective customers choose a more suitable alternative.
If Xero wont listen to us, then they may figure it out when they stop getting new customers.

I agree with Custom Stickers Accounts - asking every single time we send an invoice - have we forgotten the include the link - is slowing our invoicing process down. We don't need a link in the email because there are already 2 link options via the 'review and pay' buttons.

Bottom line I'm sad to say is, that XERO SIMPLY DONT CARE! They are going to force this change, they don't care that it will take us more time, they don't care that it will cost us financially, they don't care that their product is being degraded by these changes - they just DONT CARE. We have now changed one of our businesses to an alternative platform and I am doing separate research into a 3rd option which is likely what we'll move the other business to in the autumn. XERO are banking on few enough people leaving that it won't affect them too adversely in a financial sense. Incredibly disappointing.

Adding more steps is an absolute killer -as users we need less steps, not more, and more intuitiveness - eg copying an invoice and having to re enter the contact details (FML) searching a customer and the invoices are displayed in the search bar with no apparent order (as opposed to chronologically) - invoice link when sending email seemingly has a life of its own, warning there is no link in there (just add the link in there and leave it!!) - I LOVE CHANGE, but not changes that slow processes down. .. ugh!