The problem
Receipts for wax, lash glue, towels and stock end up in a drawer and get typed in once a quarter. If a salon has 50 receipts a month and each takes 4 minutes to find and key in, that's 200 minutes, 3.3 hours a month.
What the AI does
Dext captures receipts and supplier invoices from a phone, email or WhatsApp, reads the details and sends them to accounting software such as Xero for you to approve. Staff photograph the receipt when they buy the stock; you check each one in Dext and approve it. Dext needs accounting software, priced separately; this example assumes you already pay for Xero Grow at £39 a month, because Xero's Ignite plan is capped at 10 bills. The Business plan's default on Dext's page is 250 documents and 5 users for £24.17 a month on annual billing (£290 a year); a smaller allowance may be cheaper if the page offers one.
A worked example
A beauty salon in Newcastle with three therapists buys wax, nail products, towels and retail stock, about 50 receipts a month, and keeps its books in Xero Grow.
Before
50 receipts x 4 minutes = 200 minutes, 3.3 hours a month
After
50 receipts x 1 minute to check = 50 minutes a month
What it's worth
About 2.5 hours a month saved (150 minutes), worth around £63 if your time is worth £25 an hour. Dext is £24.17 a month on annual billing; monthly billing costs more (estimated at about £30, as the page doesn't show it), so the net is about £33 to £39. Xero Grow is £39 a month, extra, and assumed already paid.
How to set it up
- Open a Dext account and connect it to your Xero organisation.
- Tell the team to photograph every stock receipt on the day, or forward emailed invoices to your Dext address.
- Check each item Dext reads (supplier, date, total, VAT) and approve it.
- Keep the paper receipts as your records require.
- At month end, compare Dext with your bank feed in Xero for anything missing.
What goes wrong
- Dext works with accounting software, priced separately. Xero's Ignite plan is limited to 10 bills, so check which plan you need.
- The default plan is for 250 documents and 5 users, far more than a small salon needs; it may be cheaper at a smaller allowance, if the page offers one.
- Dext reads receipts but can misread totals or VAT. Check every one before approving.
- Monthly billing costs more than annual, which is £290 a year.