How a five-person online homewares store stopped typing 60 supplier invoices a month into Xero

About 60 invoices a month, typed in by hand

We work with a five-person online homewares store that buys from a long list of makers and suppliers. About 60 supplier invoices arrived each month, mostly as PDFs in the shared inbox. Each one had to be opened and typed into Xero as a bill, with the supplier, the amount, the due date, and the right account.

The bookkeeper did this a few invoices at a time through the week, which meant the store never quite knew what it owed until month end.

What we set up

We started with automating repeat work (the industry calls it workflow automation). Supplier invoices that land in Gmail are picked up as they arrive. Then an AI helper (the industry calls it an agent) reads each invoice and drafts the bill in Xero, with the supplier, amount, GST, due date, and account filled in.

Every bill stays a draft. Once a week the bookkeeper opens Xero, checks each draft against its invoice, and approves them in one sitting.

What didn’t work the first time

Our first version treated every invoice the same. A few suppliers send photos or poor scans, and the AI helper read some of those wrong without saying so. Now it marks any invoice it can’t read clearly, and the bookkeeper checks every figure on those.

What changed, and what still needs a person

The bookkeeper now checks and approves the month’s bills in one sitting a week instead of typing them in through the week.

The bookkeeper still approves every bill. Invoices from overseas suppliers in other currencies are still done by hand, because the exchange rate and fees need a person’s call.

Where this fits

This is automating repeat work, with an AI helper doing the reading and the typing. If invoices pile up in your inbox, get your AI Starter Plan and tell it where your week goes.