In this episode of What One Thing AI, hosts Hayley Baxter and Phil Davenport sit down with Ian Phillips, Head of Sales UK at Xero, to explore the most underutilised feature in Xero: payments integrated directly into invoices.

Ian shares why enabling simple payment options (Stripe, GoCardless and others) can dramatically reduce debtor days, improve cashflow, and enhance professionalism in client relationships. He also highlights the surprising number of UK businesses still not using bank feeds and data capture tools, and explains the difference between digitalisation and digital transformation.

Looking ahead, Ian provides an insider’s view on Xero’s AI roadmap (Jax), the company’s OpenAI partnership, and how automation will allow bookkeepers and accountants to step up from transactional tasks to trusted advisory roles — giving directors real-time financial insights to drive growth.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

· Why invoice payments are still underused — and the impact on cashflow

· Practical onboarding tactics to get clients using automated payments

· How bookkeepers can move from admin to advisory conversations

· What’s next for Xero with AI, Jax, OpenAI, and e-invoicing (PEPPOL/Tickstar)

· Why valuing bookkeeping as the “foundation” of business finance is essential

💡 If you’re a business owner not yet using Xero’s payment and bank feed functionality, this conversation could save you time, money, and stress.

🔗 🔗 Connect with Us

Ian Phillips

Phil Davenport Affirm IT Services

Hayley Baxter Corbar Accounting

Link to Xero's report referenced in the podcast get it here

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