Xero connects with over 1,000 apps that help small businesses and their advisors succeed, with most available in the Xero App Store. Each month we celebrate an app partner who stands out for helping small businesses thrive. Find out more about becoming a Xero app partner here.

It’s October, and we’re stoked to share Xero’s app partner of the month is Square – a powerful integration that connects Xero with the Square platform to help small businesses take and manage payments.

Built by trusted Xero app partner Amaka, and working closely with Square and Xero, the new integration replaces an older integration (read more about this here), and makes tracking and reconciling payments between Square and Xero simpler than ever.

The old Square + Xero integration is being retired on 30 November 2021. If this sounds like it affects you, check out these resources from Amaka about making the switch.

Partnering to help small businesses succeed

Founded in 2009 by Jack Dorsey and Jim McKelvey, Square has grown to become one of the global leaders in small business technology, with a strong focus on helping businesses of all sizes get paid the way that they’d like – whether in-person, digitally, or on mobile.

“Square helps sellers of all sizes start, run and grow their business with a suite of simple management software and hardware tools,” says Shawn Jonhson, Square’s Head of Australian Partnerships. “By automatically syncing Square with Xero, we can give our customers more time back in their day.”

With a previous integration between Xero and Square needing a serious upgrade, it was clear a new approach was needed. Square enlisted the help of Xero app partner Amaka to create an improved and more powerful tool. With previous experience building to the Xero platform, and a deep understanding of global accounting standards, the team at Amaka were a solid choice.

“At Amaka, we connect business systems to cloud accounting software, helping to minimise manual, time-consuming bookkeeping processes across all types of industries,” explains Gian Ottavio, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Amaka. “It’s been an exciting opportunity to work so closely with Square and Xero to deliver this integration.”

Keeping data up-to-date and accurate

Payments are a crucial part of a small business’s cash flow, and with Square offering such a range of different payment options, keeping a track of transactions across each payment method can be time consuming.

“Manual bank reconciliation of payments can cost business owners and accountants over 5 hours per week,” says Gian.

Square by Amaka works by syncing sales data between Square and Xero on a daily basis, and matching transactions to the bank feed in Xero automatically. Reconciliation is then a breeze, with no manual data-entry required.

“The sales synchronisation process is fast-tracked for accountants, bookkeepers and business owners,” says Shawn.

A new payment module allows users to offer Square as a payment option for invoices that they issue from within Xero.

“This means that small businesses can provide an easy payment method to their customers, so they can have their invoices paid and settled in a more timely manner,” adds Shawn.

Partnering to help small businesses

By partnering with Amaka, Square is able to ensure that their customers are getting a top-notch product and the right support.

“Through our partnership with Amaka, our customers have access to dedicated customer support and integration experts, who can help them with setup, troubleshooting and optimisation,” says Shawn.

With the integration being available across multiple countries, understanding the needs of merchants in each region was crucial.

“Throughout the development process, we worked very closely with Square and Xero to ensure the integration was in line with expected behaviours from merchants in different regions,” says Gian. “Meeting local requirements and customer needs, while maintaining a consistent and seamless experience for customers around the globe, was imperative.”

Building and improving

With a 5-star rating on the Xero App Store, the new integration is proving to be a success already.

“It’s been great to see such positive feedback from our users, especially from those who have moved from the old integration to the new one. They’re really impressed,” says Gian.

Continuously improving the integration is a top priority for the Square, Xero and Amaka teams.

“We’re always checking customer feedback through our support channels and Square’s seller community, and closely monitoring additional feature requests. The business landscape and technology is always changing, and we’re taking proactive steps to stay ahead of the curve,” finishes Shawn.

Accurately track and reconcile your payments through the new Square integration in the Xero App Store.

Please note that the Square by Amaka integration is currently only available to subscribers in Australia, Canada, Ireland, UK and US.