Xero ecosystem services

Core ledger: Xero

A cloud-native platform your team already knows and trusts.

• Financial statements, reporting and consolidations: Syft Analytics

Advanced reporting, dashboards, and multi-entity consolidations for deeper insights and compliance.

• Custom reporting: DataSights

Automated data pipelines and tailored dashboards for powerful, flexible reporting.

• Data capture and expense management: Dext

Accurate, automated ingestion of bills, receipts, and sales documents.

• Approvals and controls: ApprovalMax

Robust, auditable workflows for bills, POs, and delegations of authority.

• Accounts payable automation: Weel(spend management) and Lightyear (AP and PO automation)

Reduce manual handling and improve supplier compliance.

• Inter-company and period close: Mayday

Streamlined inter-company recharges, reconciliations, and month-end automation.

• Fixed assets and leases: AssetAccountant

Compliant fixed-asset and lease accounting with clear audit trails.

• Payroll and HR: Employment Hero

Integrated payroll and HR management for streamlined workforce administration.

Not every application will suit every business. A critical part of our process is selection: ensuring the tools we implement align with your operational needs, compliance requirements, and growth plans. We partner with a wide range of leading vendors, giving us the ability to conduct a thorough market scan and compare options. This means you get a tailored ecosystem, not a one-size-fits-all solution.

Absolutely. You can start with Xero alone and choose to implement add-ons down the track. However, we find that while the ball is rolling, it often makes sense to include a well-designed payroll system and some advanced accounts payable automation from the outset. This approach delivers immediate efficiency gains and avoids rework later. The beauty of a modular ecosystem is that you can build and grow it as your business evolves—adding tools when the timing is right.

• Single-entity businesses that want faster AP, stronger controls, and real-time visibility without adding headcount.
• Multi-entity groups needing consistent processes, inter-company automation, centralised approvals, and consolidated reporting.

Our process follows a clear structure: scoping, screening, guided trials, selection, implementation, and support—but it’s never one-size-fits-all. We tailor every step to your unique business needs. We also understand that some organisations are undertaking broader finance, operations, and workforce transformations at the same time. If that’s you, we’ll work with you to create the right plan and sequencing so everything aligns and delivers maximum impact.

1. Scoping – We start by understanding your current processes, pain points, and goals to design the right ecosystem approach.
2. Screening and demos – If needed, we arrange demonstrations and compare options for key applications so you can make informed choices.
3. Guided trial – We set up a controlled testing environment that feels like live operations, including real bank feeds and integrated apps, so you can run scenarios and validate workflows before committing.
4. Selection and decision – After testing, we help finalise your application choices and confirm the ecosystem design.
5. Implementation – We configure the chosen apps, integrate them with Xero, and handle any required data migration.
6. Support – Once live, we provide ongoing assistance—either on a time-and-materials basis or via a support package. Most clients only need light-touch support as the ecosystem is designed to run smoothly.

As part of the guided trial process, we place a strong emphasis on documentation and training. We capture live screenshots during testing and help finance teams embed these into their internal intranets and standard operating procedures. In addition, we record short, practical videos so teams can easily revisit best-practice workflows at any time. While every business will encounter unique scenarios and occasional workarounds, having clear documentation and video resources is essential for smooth adoption and successful migration.

• Less manual work: OCR, rules, and automated syncs replace repetitive tasks.
• Stronger governance: Auditable approvals, spend controls, and segregation of duties.
• Faster month-end: Inter-company and reconciliation automation reduces close time.
• Better decisions: Timely dashboards and drill-downs give leaders the right insight.
• Built-to-scale: Architecture designed for growth, additional entities, and evolving needs.
• Smooth go-live: We provide extensive documentation and training during guided trials, so your team is fully prepared when the system goes live. Re-implementation is rarely required.
• Local expertise and better adoption: Our local team members deliver personalised service and drive strong buy-in. Through ongoing change-management activities and regular updates, we help design a transformation that works for your people. The result is much higher adoption from day one.

Believe it or not, implementation is often the smallest percentage of effort in an operations or finance system project. The bulk of the work—and where the real value lies—is in the scoping, guided trial testing, documentation, training, and change management activities we undertake. By thoroughly preparing your team and processes, we ensure that when it’s time to go live, the implementation itself is straightforward and successful.

Scoping and Planning

• Assess current finance and operations workflows
• Identify dependencies between systems (e.g., payroll, inventory, approvals)
• Develop a sequenced implementation plan that minimises disruption and aligns with your reporting cycles

Implementation Readiness

• Legacy system deprecation planning
• Gap data entry procedures
• Risk assessment and mitigation
• Stakeholder communication and training

Guided Trial Testing

• Dedicated test environment for finance and operations apps
• Checklist-driven testing scenarios for both finance and operational processes
• Stakeholder workshops to confirm workflows and integrations
• Document findings and adjust sequencing if needed

Operations System Implementation and Integration

• Implement operational tools (e.g., inventory, rostering, project costing) after finance systems stabilise
• Integrate with finance stack for seamless data flow
• Configure dashboards and reporting for combined visibility

Training and Enablement

• Tailored training for finance and operations teams
• Process documentation and recorded guides
• Post-go-live hypercare support

Ongoing Support

• Help desk and subscription management
• Regular optimisation reviews
• Optional advanced automation and feature enablement

Project Management

• If we’re not leading the implementation, we can manage the project on your behalf, working directly with the vendor to ensure a smooth rollout and the best possible outcome for all parties.

Data Migration Services

• We offer comprehensive data migration and analytics migration services, whether the vendor is implementing directly or RSM is leading the implementation.

We work across a wide range of industries, and understand that the right operations system depends not just on functionality, but also on the tools available for your sector. While we don’t implement every solution on the market, our repertoire is extensive and always growing. You can engage us just for the selection process, and even if we’re not the right fit for full implementation, we’ll point you in the right direction and guide you through the process.

A critical part of our service is helping you narrow down options based on your business needs, industry requirements, and available technology. We partner with leading vendors and conduct thorough market scans to ensure you get a tailored solution—not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Key highlights:

• Guided trial testing included in expansion and full transformation packages
• Phased approach ensures finance systems go live first, followed by operations for minimal disruption
• Custom roadmap tailored to your business size, complexity, and goals
• Extensive documentation and training, including live screenshots and short videos, to embed best practices and support smooth adoption
• Local team members for personalised service and better buy-in, with ongoing change management and support

Providers we work with: 

We follow a structured, collaborative approach to ensure your custom reporting solution delivers real value:

1. Project establishment and scoping

• Collect and review your existing data with your team.
• Review available platforms on the market and integration options.
• Define the reporting/dashboard requirements and project scope.

Deliverable: System and data review report.

2. Data discovery, validation and modelling

• Connect to your data sources and validate data accuracy.
• Model and transform the data to prepare it for visualisation, applying business rules and calculations as needed.
• Provide training to your internal team throughout this phase.

Deliverable: Data connectivity and validation documentation.

3. Reporting / dashboard visualisation

• Build the reporting/dashboard solution as scoped in phase 1.
• Allow for several iterations and refinements based on user feedback.
• Provide further training to ensure your team can use and maintain the dashboards.

Deliverable: Final dashboard.

• Datasights: Automated data pipelines for Xero and beyond.
• Power BI: Advanced analytics and visualization.
• Qlik: Flexible, scalable dashboards for complex data sets.
• Microsoft fabric: Unified analytics platform for data integration, transformation, and reporting at scale.

• Typical projects: 4–8 weeks depending on complexity
• Investment starts from $10,000 for a single dashboard suite

Our custom reporting and analytics services help organisations bring together data from Xero and their operational or CRM systems, creating unified dashboards and actionable insights. Here are some examples of how we support clients:

• Large childcare centre groups: We use reporting tools like Power BI, Qlik, DataSights, or Microsoft Fabric to pull financial data from Xero and operational data from their childcare CRM and management platforms. This enables consolidated reporting on occupancy, revenue, staffing, and compliance—all in one dashboard.
• Fit-out and construction companies: We build dashboards that combine financial data from Xero with project and operational data from platforms like Procore. This allows for real-time tracking of job costs, project progress, and profitability.
• Aged care and disability service providers: We create custom reports that blend Xero financials with rostering and workforce data from platforms such as ShiftCare, giving management a complete view of funding, staff utilisation, and service delivery.
• Trade and field service businesses: We develop reporting suites that bring together Xero data and job management metrics from SimPRO or AroFlo, supporting better decision-making around invoicing, scheduling, and resource allocation.
• Property management firms: We design dashboards that combine Xero financials with property data from Re-Leased, enabling automated reporting on rent roll, arrears, and property performance.
• Professional services groups: We consolidate multiple Xero entities and pull in project data from tools like Projectworks or WorkflowMax, providing holistic financial and operational reporting for leadership teams.

No matter your industry, our custom reporting solutions help you combine data from Xero and your operational systems, giving you the insights you need to grow, adapt and make informed decisions.

A large property group with complex intercompany transactions and legacy systems needed a scalable, integrated finance solution. RSM conducted a full system review, ran guided trials, and implemented a tailored Xero ecosystem with AP automation and analytics. The project delivered real-time consolidated reporting, robust approvals, and significant cost savings through negotiated vendor discounts. Customised training and change management ensured smooth adoption and compliance.

An investment firm required a seamless migration from a legacy ERP to a cloud-based finance stack. RSM led the conversion to Xero, integrating payroll, approvals, and reporting tools. The solution improved efficiency, reduced manual work, and provided leadership with timely, actionable insights.

A healthcare organisation faced challenges with disconnected systems and manual processes. RSM

designed and implemented a modern ecosystem, including job management, payroll, and AP automation. The transformation streamlined operations, improved reporting accuracy, and enhanced scalability for future growth.

A specialist contractor relied on outdated systems and manual workarounds for job costing and payroll. RSM performed a thorough assessment, recommended a cloud-based ecosystem, and ran guided trials for staff. The project delivered integrated operations, reduced manual workloads, and increased team confidence through hands-on training and phased implementation.

A contractor operating across multiple states struggled with paper-based processes and disconnected systems. RSM migrated payroll to a modern platform, moved accounting to Xero, and implemented job management and reporting solutions. The transformation eliminated manual entry, improved financial reporting, and set the foundation for ongoing operational improvements.