How One Accounting Firm Cut Their Xero Admin Time 50% – And Streamlined 200+ Emails A Day Into Workflows.

The Challenge: 400+ Hours Lost Each Year to Email, Slow Workflows and Duplication

Serenity Accounts runs a Xero-based practice handling 200+ client emails a day, alongside a constant stream of documents, approvals, and signatures.

Before Workiro:

• ⌛ Client requests lived in email
• ⌛ Documents were saved manually into folders
• ⌛ Adobe was used for signing, requiring follow-ups and version checks
• ⌛ Workflow status lived in people’s heads or spreadsheets
• ⌛ BrightManager held client records, but documents lived elsewhere

This created a daily tax on time and attention:

“If someone asked something in an email, I’d file it again somewhere else. It’s duplication — and over a year, it’s a huge amount of time.”

• 🔴 The same work was done twice — once in email, once in the system
• 🔴Signatures slowed everything down, requiring repeated chasing
• 🔴No single view of status, leading to uncertainty and re-checking
• 🔴Constant context switching between inbox, Adobe, folders, and Xero

Serenity didn’t need another tool.

They needed a way to turn email-led work into visible, trackable workflows that fit around Xero.

Solution: One Workflow Change That Fixed the Gaps Around XPM

Serenity implemented Workiro to sit alongside Xero and BrightManager — not replace them — bringing structure to the work already happening in email.

What made the difference:

• ⚡ Emails captured directly into the right client matter
  Important client emails are filed straight from Outlook into Workiro, keeping correspondence, documents, and approvals connected — without saving the same thing twice.

“If someone asks something in an email, it’s already where it needs to be. I’m not filing it again somewhere else.”

• ⚡ Adobe replaced with built-in signing and clear status visibility
  Documents are sent, viewed, and signed in one place, with real-time visibility of what’s outstanding — removing version confusion and repeated follow-ups.

“I know instantly what’s been sent, what’s been signed, and what’s still waiting. I don’t have to chase anymore.”

• ⚡ A single, visible workflow for every document
  Each document shows its full lifecycle — sent, viewed, signed, completed — so nothing relies on memory or checking multiple systems.
• ⚡ Seamless BrightManager access without searching
  From BrightManager, staff can open a client and pull up all related Workiro documents with a single click — no jumping between systems or re-keying information.
• ⚡ Less context switching, less mental load
  Emails, documents, approvals, and tasks stay together, giving the firm confidence that nothing is missed or duplicated.

“Before, if something wasn’t finished, it just sat in my head. Now I can see everything — what’s been sent, what’s signed, and what’s outstanding. That peace of mind is huge.”

Workiro didn’t change how Serenity worked with clients.
It removed the friction between Xero, email, and signing.

“Workiro is easy to use, easy to set up, and solves problems accountants have dealt with for years. The Xero PM integration, the email capture, the filing structure - it all saves huge amounts of time.”