Bringing Back the Best Bits from the Xero Roadshow 2025
Earlier this month (7 October), we were in London at the Xero Roadshow — part education, part launchpad, part showcase. We walked away with fresh ideas, new tools, and a strong sense of where accounting is heading.
Below is a deeper take on what stood out and how we’re already thinking about applying it at Brisan to deliver more value to you.
🤖 AI in Your Practice: The Rise of JAX as a Financial Superagent
One of the biggest shifts on show was how JAX (Just Ask Xero) is evolving from a conversational assistant into a true AI financial super agent.
Here’s what this means in practice (and what we’re most excited about):
- Orchestrated AI agents — JAX will coordinate multiple “mini-agents” behind the scenes, so it can handle tasks like auto-reconciliations, data import, smart suggestions, and more. It’s not just one assistant, but a system working in tandem.
- “Just Done” automation with oversight — Routine tasks like bank reconciliation, matching, data entry, and invoice drafts can be flagged and resolved automatically, with you retaining final control and review.
- Beyond static reports to proactive insight — JAX will pull in external data (tax rules, market trends, business benchmarks) and combine it with your internal data to offer not just statements, but action-focused insights. For example: “Your cashflow is trending down — would you like to model the impact of cutting costs by 5%?”
- Built-in governance and control — Xero is placing emphasis on trust, auditability and error control. Their “JAX Assure” mechanism is designed to reduce hallucinations and maintain accuracy, so AI outputs are reliable and transparent.
For us, that means more time freed from repetitive tasks — and more headspace to deliver insight, challenge assumptions, and engage in strategic dialogue with clients.
🛠️ New Tools for You and Your Clients: Partner Hub, Workpapers & Seamless Compliance
The structural backbone for our future workflows is getting a considerable refresh. Xero Partner Hub is the flagship of that is a unified workspace for the whole practice. This means we can work smarter, with better insight across our client, we’ll have a single source of truth, meaning we can spend more time delivering the all important value and support that small business owners need.
📊 Using Analytics in Xero: Syft, Forecasting & Actionable Metrics
Data is powerful — but only when it’s smart. The analytics side of the Roadshow showed how Xero is doubling down on turning numbers into narratives.
Key enhancements include:
- Embedded Syft Analytics — Xero has integrated Syft so analytics are no longer an add-on, but part of the core workflow (for eligible plans).
- More predictive tools — improved forecasting, multi-entity consolidation, scenario modelling (what if costs rise, revenues dip, etc.) are being baked in.
- Business health scoring & external data fusion — metrics like website traffic or client engagement may be layered alongside financials, helping paint a fuller picture of performance.
- Comparisons, benchmarking and variance analysis — see how clients stack up to their peers, and where they’re over- or underperforming vs plan.
In short: smarter dashboards, richer forecasting, stronger narrative context. That means we can go deeper, earlier — spotting issues before they become problems, and leaning into opportunities sooner.
🔍 Deeper Themes We Want You to See
Beyond specific tools, some underlying shifts stood out — and I think they point to how we’ll work together differently going forward:
- From transaction to advisory
The whole point of automation, AI and connectivity isn’t to remove accountants – it’s to free them. To move from data entry to insight, from compliance to strategy. The events emphasized that the future of accounting is advisory-first. - Technology built with, not just for, users
Xero explicitly said much of this is driven by partner feedback – they surveyed thousands of accountants and brought that voice into the design process. - Governance, trust & control are non-negotiable
With AI doing more, the Roadshow reinforced that oversight must scale too. Trust frameworks, audit trails, explainability – these will be just as vital as speed. - Phased adoption & change management matter
New tools won’t rollout all at once. Xero is planning phased access, pilots, educational support, webinars, documentation — and acknowledging that practices need time to absorb change.
🚀 What This Means for Brisan & Our Clients
All of these tools and shifts aren’t theoretical – they’ll fundamentally change how we deliver value to you. Here’s what we’re already planning:
- We’ll pilot JAX-assisted workflows internally (reconciliations, draft insights) to see where it reliably adds speed, then overlay it on client work where appropriate.
- As Partner Hub and deeper workpapers integration arrive, we’ll consolidate our internal toolchain — fewer handoffs, fewer sync errors, and a more coherent client experience.
- We’re building new dashboards and forecasting models using the enhanced analytics so that we can deliver “what-if” scenarios ahead of time, not just monthly reports after the fact.
- We’ll intentionally phase these rollouts with clients — starting with willing early adopters, learning lessons, tuning workflows, and then scaling across the client base.
- We’ll double down on the advisory side — more proactive check-ins, business challenge sessions, scenario planning — powered by data, not just gut feel.
Because, at the end of the day, accountancy without the B.S. is more than just crunching numbers. It’s helping you see patterns, make choices, and act with confidence.
Talk to us about how we can support you with Xero, so you can get more clarity and insight over your numbers.
