New Invoicing - Reduce number of steps and clicks
New invoicing has introduced more clicks, taps, steps at almost every level.
Please remove the added friction as it increases processing time.
The "new invoicing" messages are full of comments regarding where these pressure points have been added.
We are paid subscribers, and beta testing/seeking feedback is wonderful, but being forced onto an inferior model is.. suboptimal.

Hi everyone, thanks for continuing to share and keep us informed of the differing flows and actions that could be improved in how you invoice with Xero. All feedback through these forums and across Xero Central discussions has been shared with our product team and will be carefully considered as we continue to build on your invoicing experience.
About a month ago we changed the behaviour of how defaults are applied, so now when you copy an invoice for the same Contact their defaults will automatically be applied to the new draft invoice.
Most recently, and as you may have noticed we've released a new line item grid (where you enter the details of your invoice). Many changes that come with the new grid are based on feedback we've received from our customers the most prominent for this idea being that we've optimised padding, font size and column widths to reduce the need to scroll. All fields will now wrap text so you can read your full account code, tracking or tax rate. Other changes that we've wrapped into this release include being able to manually add rows, and shift these where you'd like them placed in your invoice, and seeing more of your inventory items in the dropdown menu. We know some customers were having trouble with the options they'd selected in the hide/show columns reverting, and this has also been resolved with this release.
With many changes delivered to reduce clicks and steps since this idea was originally raised, we are going to move this to delivered. We understand and appreciate there are further points within invoicing our customers would like to see a reduction in steps and clicks, and this will remain a focus for our teams as we continue developments.
Below I've listed some ideas that have been raised through your feedback and we encourage you to create ideas for the specific points you'd like to see these sort of improvements.
- New Invoicing - Add Payment details on invoice screen
- New invoicing - copy to bill
- New Invoicing | Copy to - Purchase order
- New invoicing - Option to use Xero Network
- New Invoicing - Add line number
- New Invoicing - Select default for 'Approve' Button e.g not 'Approve & Email
- New Invoicing - Add Expected Invoice Payment Date within Invoice
- New Invoicing - Allow manual typing of a Date in 'Add Payment' screen
- New Invoicing | Files - Ability to attach files before adding contact
- New Invoicing - History to include if invoice is resent
- New Invoicing - Option to switch Autosave off
- New invoicing - Ability to turn off auto suggestions
- New invoicing - Assign next number in sequence when number removed
- Invoicing - Show attachment option at the top of the page
- New Invoicing - Remove the zeros from the amount field
- New Invoicing - Allow manual typing of a Date in 'Add Payment' screen
- New Invoicing -Option to Add Multiple New Lines at once (5, 10, 15 or 20)
We want to keep working with our community to grow on this experience and make things even better for you. Thank you for your input and please keep sharing with us through ideas on the site here.
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Kathy Skinner commented
Thanks - good idea to email them though no doubt they'll come back with we've provided keyboard shortcuts lol - and using those for so much is making things even slower when you have to work out which ones to use.
No doubt no IT developer of this new invoicing has even been advised that this new option is breaching the standard.
Maybe also post on TrustPilot about this as well and any other issues that aren't being addressed - the more faults pointed out with Xero on their the more people will be aware - maybe they'll end up listening in the end (or is that just wishful thinking lol) -
Jim Morris commented
@Freya Pieroz good point!
I encourage everyone to submit and email to that address, reporting as per Freya's comment below.
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Claire Parker commented
@Freya Pieroz
Thank you for providing the email address. I have reported.
Typed it out whilst I still can, i.e. before the RSI, neck and eye strain render me incapable! -
Freya Pieroz commented
For everyone who would like to be able to do things by tabbing instead of clicking, you should know that being unable to do things using a keyboard means Xero fails WCAG success criterion 2.1.1 and this failure of Accessibility should be escalated by reporting to accessibility@xero.com
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Keith Poole commented
Why is this new invoicing so **** bloated and slow?
Everyone please make sure you leave reviews about your experience on TrustPilot so it's not just paid/curated positive reviews.
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Luke Armstrong commented
Why does the focus no longer go to "Contact" when "Save and add another"?
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Claire Barning commented
After mouse clicking Create Another Invoice why does it not default to the cursor in the Contact box to start creating your next invoice. The same situation happens when you click Business, Invoices, Create an Invoice again no cursor another mouse click and also when you click on the + Invoice option.
Please save us more clicks and have the cursor then default into Customer -
Ross Persson commented
I have to do about 25 unnecessary mouse movements per invoice.
The first two are moving the cursor to the "contacts box" and clicking; this should be the default position for the mouse when you open a new invoice, I should be able to simply start typing. There are so many basic issues with this, it is obvious that those who have been at the forefront of designing this "new improved invoicing" have never processed invoices as a job before, it's a complete mess.
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Samuel Adair commented
Couldn't agree more. The new style is dreadful. Takes longer to process and more clicks / selections required. It would be nice to have the option to go back to the classic style. There was no need to fix what wasn't broken!
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Paul Curry commented
New style invoice is awful and not user friendly, takes longer and makes no sense. No option to change it back so may switch back to Sage accounts.
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Annie Thorne commented
Thanks, Maria, for sharing the response you received.
I don't buy it! I keep seeing the same platitudes -
"We understand your frustration with the recent changes to the invoicing platform. Since the retirement of Classic Invoicing was announced, our Product Team have been actively listening to the feedback out customers have provided.
We have some exciting enhancements coming soon based on customer feedback, including easier row additions, reduced scrolling, drag-and-drop functionality, and real-time validation which should be introduced in coming weeks."And can't help but wonder what the heck they have all been up to for the past year (and then some). We've been asking for the various features, that were inexplicably removed, to be reinstated for over a YEAR.
When are we going to see them? Why are they not here already, working on go live day??
It's madness. Absolute madness.
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Rachel Osborn commented
Hi Maria, I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to share the information you received.
It's actually the first feedback from Xero that I might even actually believe.
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Maria McAdam commented
When I get terribly frustrated with these Xero pain points I review other bookeeping software and to be fair, Xero is consistently the best of a bad bunch. All of them have difficulties, changing goalposts and workarounds. Every change to their software requires processes and procedures for businesses to be changed.
Anyway, I complained about the new invoicing on TrustPilot (I hate that the date requires mouse in and clicking around to backdate invoices - especially for accrual accounting, most of our invoicing is after the fact). This was their response (which to me points to improving the product for use by the mobile-holding business owner, and not for anyone else (accountants, office managers etc)):
16 hours ago
Hello, thank you for sharing your feedback. We understand your frustration with the recent changes to the invoicing platform. Since the retirement of Classic Invoicing was announced, our Product Team have been actively listening to the feedback out customers have provided.
We have some exciting enhancements coming soon based on customer feedback, including easier row additions, reduced scrolling, drag-and-drop functionality, and real-time validation which should be introduced in coming weeks.
We’re committed to making New Invoicing even more powerful and efficient for you and when you think about the future invoicing features, none of this would be possible on our old technology. - ED -
ANIBT Accounts 1 commented
New invoicing is really disappointing. Compared to the previous version, the workflow is much more complicated and wastes a lot of time. Why try to change other people's work habits? For example, now when I input payment details, I can't directly use the keyboard to enter the date and account and use the tab key. I have to click with the mouse, which is a complete waste of time.
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Jisel Fernandez commented
Xero has forced the new invoicing without taking into account anyting said here, very frustrating!
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Dara Bailey commented
Agree with Angela Collins. Not all of your clients 'approve & send'. Give us an easy option to just 'approve'. Please and thank you.
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Jacqueline TRIMBLE commented
BRING BACK THE EDIT BUTTON
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David Aurora commented
Given they've chosen to do this mid-financial year and make switching software more difficult than it could have been (probably not an accident), I've just asked them for a 1 month credit to be used at my convenience so I can reactivate at EOFY and let my accountant do his thing. I'd suggest anyone else who needs to now change software demands the same
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Angela Collins commented
Another thing, not everyone emails their invoices. Have an approve button next to the approve and send button, another thing that is causing us to use more clicks.
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Angela Collins commented
Let me just type the date and tab to the next. I dont want to have to constantly be going between the keyboard and mouse. Why have you made the program so much more labour intensive? Listen to those who pay you wages. We pay to use a program that is supposed to make our book keeping simple and easy yet here you are forcing us to use a program that has gone back in time. You state it is making it better but there are thousands of comments on thousands of threads from those who actual use the program stating otherwise.