Xero Roadshow 2025: Technology is Leaping ahead….
Walking into the Xero Roadshow 2025, the energy was electric. Everywhere you looked were demonstrations of generative AI in accounting, automation bridging data gaps, predictive forecasting models baked into dashboards, and integration layers promising seamless client workflows. The message was clear: the tools are here, more powerful than ever.
But as I sat through sessions, chatted with peers, and tested demos, one refrain kept emerging: the real challenges lie not in access to technology, but in tailoring, adopting, and monetising it.
Here are the key reflections I brought home:
Tailoring Technology to Your Clients
Yes, these tools can do amazing things, but not everything.
The firms that stand out aren’t those pushing a one-size-fits-all “Xero + AI” stack. They are those thinking, “How do I adapt this to my client segments?”
For example: a retail client’s needs will differ drastically from a construction client’s needs. The KPIs, data flows, tolerances for error, compliance nuances all vary.
That means you’ll need to be selective: which automations do you turn on? Where do you keep human review? What custom rules or exceptions must be built?
The firms that succeed will combine off-the-shelf technological horsepower with configurable building blocks, and know when and how to tweak or override.
Talent & Capability: the Human Guardrail
A powerful tech stack doesn’t eliminate the need for skilled people, it shifts the nature of what’s needed.
You’ll need people who can interpret algorithmic outputs, spot anomalies, and translate insight into action.
That means training, reskilling, and possibly reconfiguring roles. Someone who used to reconcile might now be an insights reviewer.
The mindset matters: some will resist, saying “we’ve always done it this way.” Leadership must foster curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to failAligning fast.
Aligning Operations & Processes
Even the best technology and talent will fail if your operations can’t keep up.
If your internal workflows, change control, or escalation paths don’t adapt, you’ll end up with mismatches, bottlenecks, or rework.
You’ll need clear governance: who owns the model? Who gets to override it? How do you audit decisions?
Also, be realistic about integration timelines, data cleanup, and change management. The “big bang” flip can be perilous, incremental rollouts often win.
Mindset Shift: Embracing a New Way of Working
This is not an “add-on.” It’s a pivot.
You’re moving from “providing outputs” (e.g., reports, reconciliations) to “providing insights, foresight and guidance.”
That requires letting go of some control, trusting the technology, and shifting where human focus lands.
It also requires patience: early outputs won’t be perfect. The value compounds over time as models learn, as feedback loops sharpen, as trust builds.
Commercial Model: Charging for Value, Not Just Effort
This might be the hardest piece.
If you continue billing purely on time (or inputs), you’ll struggle to capture the upside of what tech enables.
The firms doing it well are rethinking: “What is the value we are delivering? How do we package and price it?”
Think in outcome-based fees, subscription models, tiered advisory offerings, or “health check” retainers.
You’ll need clarity on ROI, for clients and for your firm, so you can justify budgeting and investment.
What You Can Do Now: Turning Excitement Into Execution
The Xero Roadshow wasn’t just a showcase of tools, it was a reminder that transformation happens through disciplined experimentation. Here’s how to start translating what you saw into meaningful progress.
Begin with your clients.
Audit your client base and map out where automation and AI can have the biggest impact. Identify two or three client segments or use cases where technology can genuinely move the needle, whether it’s automating data entry, accelerating reporting cycles, or surfacing new insights. The goal isn’t to overhaul everything at once, but to create playbooks for specific client types that you can scale later. When 30–50% of your clients can clearly benefit from a defined automation or analytics process, you know you’re building momentum in the right direction.
Invest in your people.
Choose a few internal champions to lead the charge. Train them not just on using the tools, but on interpreting what the technology produces, identifying exceptions, anomalies, and insights that go beyond what’s on the screen. When those champions start suggesting improvements or uncovering insights that tech alone couldn’t provide, you’ll know the transformation is taking root.
Pilot before you scale.
Rather than launching firm-wide, start with one team or vertical. Define how governance will work, who can override decisions, and how feedback loops are captured. Measure outcomes and track time savings and accuracy. If the pilot delivers measurable improvement over a few months, that’s your green light to scale further with confidence.
Build a culture of experimentation.
Host short, focused sessions where teams can test new workflows, share learnings, and even celebrate failures. Encourage people to play with tools, run scenarios, and discuss what works. When your team begins proactively suggesting ways to improve processes rather than waiting for instructions, you’ve unlocked the real mindset shift that drives innovation.
Evolve your commercial model.
Finally, experiment with how you deliver and charge for the value this technology unlocks. Design one new offering, perhaps a predictive insights report, performance dashboard, or quarterly “financial health check”, and link it directly to measurable outcomes rather than time spent. Once you sign your first client under this model, track satisfaction and ROI closely. This will help you refine pricing and scale a model that captures the value of impact, not inputs.
Final Thought: Leap With Intention, Not Impatience
The technology leaps we saw at the Xero Roadshow are breathtaking, and necessary. But the firms that win won’t be the ones chasing every shiny feature. They’ll be the ones who thoughtfully bridge it to their clients, adapt their people and processes, shift their mindset, and build a commercial model that captures the value they now deliver.