Xero Blog

Last updated 11 May 2023

We’ve now turned off the Explorer functionality in Xero HQ as part of our work to continuously update the technology that underpins our platform. Switching off this feature means we can progress towards creating a single source of truth for your client records.

You can still view the information you’re looking for in Xero. For connected apps, go to the client’s organisation. To see banks and industries, customise your Xero HQ client list.

Xero HQ: Explorer

Take a look behind the best business relationships and you’ll usually find an understanding that goes much deeper than just a basic grasp of a client’s operations. Scratching the surface to understand and identify the how’s and why’s of what makes a business tick is integral to a successful advisor/client relationship. That’s why we’ve introduced the new explorer feature in Xero HQ, giving you a layer of information that’s previously been difficult to obtain.

Explorer is a new way for you to get insights across all of your clients for the apps they use and the industries they operate in. Explorer visualizes the client data Xero already has, letting you easily spot trends and patterns, and can help you to advise clients, upskill staff in your practice and publicly promote the areas your practice excels in.

For example, explorer shows you which apps are most popular across your clients, so you can  focus on learning those.

That knowledge can also be passed on to clients who are in a similar business and looking for advice on which apps might be beneficial to them .

If you need to communicate new legislation or compliance requirements to specific customer segments, you can use explorer to identify the clients in that industry

Explorer can also help you promote your practice and attract new customers, by providing a way to show off your practice specialties in apps and industries served: they’re all reflected in your Xero Advisor Directory listing.

This exposure will become even more valuable as more and more apps join the Xero platform, and become part of Xero HQ. Watch this video and read on for a more indepth view on how explorer can benefit you.

Apps: Leverage the Xero Ecosystem

We now have over 500 apps in the Xero marketplace, specializing in all sorts of business functions such as financial reporting, bills and expenses, CRM, and many more.

As incredible as that choice may be, it does present a certain challenge for advisors wanting to keep up to date with which apps an individual client may be using. Until now, there was no simple way of telling which apps are more popular for your client base.

Explorer gets this information to you in a single, simple interface.

Apps screen in Explorer: what apps are your clients using, and how many are using that app

The bar chart shows you which apps are currently being used by all of your clients, ordered by the most popular. Scroll through all available apps to see how they stack up.

By having a good knowledge of the features of the most popular apps for your clients, you and your staff members are better able to help your entire client base get the most benefit from them.

You can also scroll through the client list to see which industry your clients are in and the apps they each use.

Want to filter the list for a specific app? Simply click on it in the bar chart, or in the client list. This will open up a page just for this app. It will show what how many of your clients use it, and also what industry it is mostly commonly used in.

Need to get more familiar with this app? Click on the logo to go to their website to read up on them.

App page: which clients are using this app and what industry are they in

The list of clients will be filtered to include only those who use this particular app.

You can further filter the list for a specific industry using the drop-down above the client list.

Industry: Discover insights and opportunities for your clients

The Industry tab works the same as the Apps tab but instead quickly shows you which industries your clients are in.

Industry screen: what industries are my clients in, and which do not have any industry set

Click on an industry in the chart, or the industry label in the client list, to open a page specifically for that industry.

Industry page: which clients are in this industry and which apps are they using

As well as seeing how many of your clients are in this industry, you’ll also learn which app they’re most commonly using.

Do you have clients in this industry that don’t use this app? Perhaps they’re missing out. Explorer puts that information in your hands, giving you the ability to add even more value as an advisor.

Client Industry data: helping you attract new clients

The industry tags of your clients directly influence the industry expertise your practice is shown to have within your Xero Advisor Directory listing. Together with your practice’s location this helps prospective clients in those industries search for and find the best advisor for their business.

If any of your clients do not have an industry set, or if it is incorrect, you can fix it up right from the explorer interface. No need to dig around in the client’s Xero settings. Nice and easy.

Adding an industry: quick and easy

What do you think?

We are confident explorer will enable you to better serve your clients by identifying apps that can help their businesses, and can help you attract more clients through the Xero Advisor Directory, and we’d love to hear what you think. Post your thoughts below.