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, some time on since my last update I wanted to give you more of an idea of the work we have going on to help reduce the number of steps and actions in new invoicing. Along with the changes mentioned in my last update, we've since released a change to the view of an invoice to shift details back into their own columns (similar to classic), while a small change we know it's improved visibility for some of our customers.
We also have other work in development atm that’ll further help here like a new line item grid when editing your invoice - wrapped up in this we’ll be introducing changes you’ve been asking for like the ability to create a new tracking option or account code without having to navigate away from the invoice, we’re increasing the number of items that you can view from the drop down, and we’ll be bringing back the ability to view the number of stock on hand.
As mentioned in my last post, our team is developing shortcuts for the drop down actions like Approve and Save so you have more ease of selecting the option that's best for you.
We also have some updates coming to;
- The Contact card, so you’ll be able to add more details without having to go to the contact record, like more address lines, ability to look up addresses, and entering an Attention to all items we’ve heard lots of feedback on
- Issue and Due date picking where we’ll make it quicker to simply select a calendar date and we’ll be adding more keyboard shortcuts such as the ability to enter +0 for today’s date
- Ability to drag & drop files that we’re enhancing so you’ll be able to do this anywhere on the invoice rather than a specific area
Again, thank you all for sharing and continuing to let us know the improvements that make a difference for you when working with new invoicing. We'll update you as items I've mentioned above are released.
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Chris Curlett commented
There are just far too many issuers with the New Invoicing for anyone to adopt it with confidence.
XERO you are playing with the livelihood of people and to force adoption of the new format is not the way to go. If it is so good, then people will migrate with confidence - if there are issues and you force people to use it then their is nothing like a disgruntled customer to damage a business - your business!
KEEP CLASIC INVOICEING!
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Nicky Rooksby commented
Regarding Saving the invoice, again more clicking to get what you want, please revert back to the classic style, this new invoicing is encumbersome and painful. I am a keybooard user and prefer to tab rather then mouse click all the time, I feel this is going backwards to have to point and click constantly.
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Nicky Rooksby commented
Not sure if this has been added prior, but take away the need to click to add a file, drag and drop as per classic was much easier and efficient, this new method is going backwards and time consuming.
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Barry Meijering commented
When in the new invoicing screen I have noticed that the inventory items are not showing (i.e. how many in stock / not in stock).
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Rajendra Singh commented
Old features did the work! Changes such as Xero apps ability to send receipts and quote reminders have been in discussion for long with no or little progress.
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Fiona Dieleman commented
Hi again Kelly, give up already, Listen to your clients, roll out the OLD features and then add to them. I still can NOT copy an invoice to the same client, I still can NOT add a discount without extra key strokes, it still looks like a pigs ear. I have asked my accountant to come up with alternative software providers. After having been with xero for 13 years I am making moves. I left MYOB in 2012 because it crashed all the time, now in the last 2 years xero has made lots of dumb changes, like the new reports, so time to find a new player.
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Rae Stanton commented
When are you going to fix the Invoice Numbering issue? Case Number CX0014508244 which was raised 18 December 2023. With only 4 months until we are forced to use the new invoicing system ... what is a simple bug fix is yet another way this "new" system is inferior to the existing system.
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Andrew Syme commented
@Kelly, Can you PLEASE fix the Form for the Beta test on New New Invoicing !!
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Lloyd Preston commented
Re Kim comment - re drag and drop - this was a nice feature of Xero, if this goes then Xero is going backward to the MYOB stage who also have trouble with drop and drag, especially from Outlook/emails. Come on Xero keep up with it - maybe get AI to help ;)
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Kim Goodger commented
Xero has done it again! As of the last few weeks there is an extra mouse click needed to attach a document to an invoice. Used to be you could just drag the file across from another window and drop it anywhere on the invoice screen. Now you have to click on the "attachments" button and drop it in a specific box to have it attach. Clearly the people making changes have no experience using bookkeeping software - it seems like every "exciting new feature" just makes the software more painful and time consuming to use.
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Gordon Lyon commented
Thanks for the response, but the Xero new invoicing page doesn't mention the title and summary features that you already support for quotes. Are those planned at all? There's currently no good place to put key notes specific to that invoice. Users have been clamoring for this since the existing options are poorly suited:
* We can shoehorn a description-only field to the line-item table, but that kludge solution looks really unprofessional.
* We can add it to the email text, but then it's lost when people pass around just the PDF or visit the URL. And if we resend the invoice, we need to remember to add those details back on.
Please consider adding title and subject support to the new Invoice roadmap. It could work just like quotes! In fact it should flow through from quote when we convert them to invoices. -
Kim Carles commented
When you get past entering the reference field, you have to tab 7 times to get to entering the first line item. You have to tab past "set up online payments, currency, branding theme, show hide fields, amounts are and the disc i button" Maybe these fields can go down the bottom of the screen so there is no need to keep tabbing through them once they are already set up. I'm all about speed and using the keyboard is faster then entering a reference and then using the mouse to click to the first line. I prefer not to use the mouse so much.
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Chris Curlett commented
Frankly the post regarding the reasons for changing away from Classic is a exercise in commercial spin with a total lack of detail. It is a "trust us - we know what we are doing" statement despite the fact we have failed to even do basic testing - if we had we would have found the issues users are complaining about.
Come on XERO postpone the launch and put the effort into the IMPROVEMENTS USERS WANT and make a real difference.
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Chris Curlett commented
Thanks for the update Julie
I have also explained my issues to our Auditors and said how the number of issues in XERO left it open to being used for fraud. I went through the lack of security and options in the permissions and the facet invoices can be changed after being sent out. Also the issues that XERO just ignore and do not fix.
I expressed my view to the Auditors that XERO was very below par compaired with other options and that people were starting to move away to other packages.
Then their is the new invoicing issues and the dogmatic attitude of the "leadership team" and how it looked so third rate compared to other packages. For so many issues to be outstanding demonstrates a total lack of testing by XERO.
Then there are the number of issues supported by users but ignored for YEARS despite 200+ users supporting the change.
The Auditors were interested especially at the potential Fraud exposure and failure of XERO to address improvements.
The 'leadership Team" is a joke as their seems to be no leadership!
Perhaps the Auditors will stop recommending/pushing XERO!
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Julie Sutton commented
I too had a call from Xero yesterday morning "assuring" me it was being worked on.
I vented my frustrations not only with new invoicing but so many other issues with Xero and basic functionality that isn't in the software.And that Xero just do not listen to their customers, they never update these forums (I'm excluding Kelly's responses!) other than to say we can't do it.
Pretty sure he knew where I stood, that I wasn't happy and warned that there may be many clients leaving soon
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Chris Curlett commented
Damon I do agree with you however the issue I believe is far greater than just the Invoicing issue.
XERO ARE NOT LISTENING TO USERS AND WHAT THEY NEED.
Look at the number of improvements that 100's of users have supported but nothing has been done to implement them. The Users suggestions are constructive however because the users suggest them, they are ignored.
This needs to change or people will vote by going elsewhere - some have said they are already looking around already.
XXERO needs to up its performance and recognize that the program is failing in many places.
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Claire Parker commented
Good work Lloyd. Thank you for pushing this issue and representing our concerns. It's a pity Xero have not communicated effectively with all their paying customers, but we will take this as a small win.
Xero - I'd love to see a message from you stating that New Invoicing will have ALL the functionality of Classic before retiring Classic. Ideally we would like to have a trial period of New Invoicing once it's fit for purpose and before Classic is switched off so we can re-train our staff and iron out any remaining issues. September is looming and is cutting it fine, to do proper testing and training. Thank you.
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Lloyd Preston commented
Good morning,
Just to let you know that I had a call from Xero yesterday evening, had a good discussion and was able to express my concerns (and hopefully other users also). I was assured that we are being listened too and that in the words of the caller, that 'New Invoicing will be on par with the classic invoicing before it gets switched off.' Let's hope so, but I did express my concerns that it should have been on par before being submitted as an option.
Let's hope that this is the case. But I can recommend that we keep pushing and monitoring this matter until they do get the new (interface) on par or preferable even better than the classic version which for most of use works fine. -
Gabby Berry commented
The message that STILL comes up when I using classic invoicing,
“You're using an old version of invoicing. Our new version of invoicing is packed with time-saving tools that make it easier for you to customise invoices the way you want, while simplifying the way you get paid. ‘”. STOP TELLING PORKIE PIES XERO.
New message needs to read something along the lines of:
“you’re using a function on system that needs updating. We’re working behind the scenes to create an identical version of invoicing in the new system that will be more customizable as we listen to your requirements. We’ll only release the new version when all the capabilities and testing are in line with your efficient workplaces’
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Chris Curlett commented
OK A LOSS TO XERO DUE TO THEIR ATTATUDE!
GOOD LUCK
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