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.
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Hi team, now in 2025 and many here will have received our recent communication leading up to the retirement of classic invoicing on 27 Feb this year.
We’re continuing to work hard on delivering more features within new invoicing that’ll help most in your workflow.
Thanks for staying engaged with us on changes that’ll help you through the idea here.
To give an update on recent deliveries that positively impact some of you that have shared on the idea here. Late last year we released improvements to the issue and due date fields so you can now use all the date entry shortcuts that were available in classic, and we made it simpler to access the date picker. We also updated the Files attachment modal so you can now drag & drop files anywhere on the page, and when you use tracked inventory you can see the number of items you have on hand to sell.
This year we’ve made updates to bring more actions into the body of the invoice, so you can now add tracking options on the fly, or set or edit the exchange rate on foreign currency invoices. And, as of this week we’ve released a whole set of new shortcuts to save clicks and help you quickly perform common actions like being able to Approve an invoice which we know is valuable to our customers! While you get used to the combinations of shortcuts our product team have added small prompts to highlight these in the product, and if you’d like to view the full list of options you can see them all on Xero Central.
We have more updates in store like changes to the Contact ‘To’ field that I mentioned in my last update and improvements to the line item grid within the body of your invoice. You can read more of what’s to come on Xero Central.
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Kate McArthur commented
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
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Annie Sherratt commented
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?
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Karen Mayer commented
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.
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Accounts Admin commented
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. -
Amanda Llewellyn commented
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.
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Mark Catchpole commented
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
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Bianca Davitt commented
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.....
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David Rose commented
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. -
Tara Broderick commented
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. -
Rachel White commented
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.
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Nikki Ballard commented
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.
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Custom Stickers Accounts commented
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!
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Kathy Skinner commented
The new invoicing is horrible and takes up way too much screen. I hate it and I use "tracking" categories for two of my clients and now that is also no longer visible and all I've been able to find out on that is that it's now behind the scenes somewhere. Doing invoicing on the new version is totally frustrating. I also use inventory items for sales and that no longer shows. When you're sending out over 200 invoices and have groups set up for certain items doing one drat invoice for the group is so much easier.
Whoever comes up with these ideas needs to spend time doing accounts like some of their subscribers who have to issue multiple invoices then maybe they'd stop bringing in useless time consuming changes that don't work.
Actually sick of Xero and their updates, unfortunately they've made it quite difficult to switch over to another option when some of the Chartered Accounts and also Auditors who I work with use Xero and like the fact that they can access my clients files without having to export stuff then import into a different system
You are becoming overpriced for your packages, considering you started out as another option for users over other packages. Seems now you have a good market share world wide all you want is better profit for shareholders and no longer care what your customers want or need. You will end up out pricing yourself and loosing customers and I'm no longer recommending Xero to anyone. -
Belinda Johnson commented
Bookkeepers don't want "beautiful" with promises of bells and whistles (which all listed are currently available in classic, so unsure how exactly they are new and wonderful?).
We want FUNCTIONAL. We want the BARE MINIMUM.
We want to AVOID RSI. We want PLAIN AND BORING.
We want to be able to SEE EVERYTHING AT A GLANCE without having to look across the giant monitor in glaring white at giant letters to try and hunt out information.This is actually the worst. The worst ever and whoever made these decisions should be fired.
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Belinda Johnson commented
Xero have removed so much functionality it's genuinely absurd. To no longer be able to send all receipts and POs to Xero Files to generate Bills and Invoices to is a massive oversight.
It's literally how I generate EVERY SINGLE BILL and INVOICE in our system.
EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.Absolutely absurd and unable to function.
If the new invoicing is not fixed (aka able to do everything the old version is capable of doing) then I will have no choice but to switch to QuickBooks or MYOB. -
Chrissy Friend commented
I totally agree with all of the comments in this discussion - new invoicing system does not measure up to the classic version and until customers are satisfied with the new version then Xero should NOT be considering retiring the classic version.
Xero need to start listening to their customers. It seems quite arrogant when a Company just makes these changes without consulting the actual people who use the program.
If it aint broke - don't fix it -
Please consider your customers needs and keep the existing Classic Invoicing version - the new version just doesn't cut it.
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Averil Dobson commented
No email address shown in the history and notes is crazy. We rely on this feature for chasing money.
Files can no longer be copied to an invoice and remain attached to the invoice. We used this feature to copy information from an invoice and add it in the description a really useful feature. You can no longer send a file into the inbox that you can then add to an invoice or bill. only way to add now is to upload to the bill or invoice which takes loads longer. We use the attachement as a look up to ensure the details we are invoicing for is correct.
Not having that there is not an improvement.
I personally like the bigger boxes and ease of moving items up and down the screen.
Files attached from the file inbox - not able to create bill or invoice from them anymore
not having the same level of information in the history is a big issue. Especially emails.If we send to the wrong email address we know we have done this by looking at these notes.
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Fiona Davidson commented
Petition for Xero Executives Regarding Alleged "Improvements"
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Jim Woolgar commented
Absolutely agree - every area seems a regression
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Jacqui Rood | Girl Friday Ltd commented
In classic invoicing if you want to delete a line, it's one click. Now it's two clicks. If there are 25 lines... that increases to 50 clicks!!!!!