The problem
Daily cash-and-carry runs, packaging and fuel receipts and a few supplier invoices end up in a bag, then get typed in late. If a takeaway has 60 documents a month and each takes 4 minutes to key in and code, that's 240 minutes, 4 hours a month, and real food costs stay unclear.
What the AI does
Dext is bookkeeping software. Its site says you can send receipts and invoices by mobile, email, WhatsApp or desktop, it reads the supplier, line items and due date, categorises them by rules you set and sends them to your accounting software for you to approve. Its FAQ names Xero as one integration. You photograph each receipt when you buy, forward supplier emails, check what it read, and approve. Product specification and allergen documents from suppliers go in your food safety records, not here.
A worked example
A takeaway in Preston with 5 staff has about 60 documents a month: 26 cash-and-carry receipts, 14 supplier invoices and 20 packaging and fuel receipts. The owner already pays for Xero Grow at £39 a month.
Before
4 minutes per document to key in and code: 60 x 4 = 240 minutes, 4 hours a month
After
About 1.5 minutes per document to check and approve: 90 minutes, 1.5 hours a month
What it's worth
About 2.5 hours a month saved (150 minutes), worth around £50 if your time is worth £20 an hour. Dext's default of 250 documents and 5 users is £24.17 a month excluding VAT, billed annually at £290; monthly billing isn't shown on the page; estimated at roughly £30 (the page says annual is up to 19% cheaper). A smaller document allowance may be cheaper if Dext's slider offers one, so check. Xero Grow at £39 is assumed already paid; without it the two together cost more than this saves at 60 documents.
How to set it up
- Check with your accountant that you'll use Dext with your Xero file.
- Start a Dext trial and connect it to Xero.
- Photograph each receipt on the day and ask suppliers to email invoices to your Dext address.
- Set rules for regular suppliers so they land in the right cost category.
- Each week, check what Dext read against the paper and approve into Xero.
What goes wrong
- Xero says smart document capture is included on all plans (xero.com/uk/accounting-software/store-files). Try that first on your trial and pay for Dext only if it saves real time.
- Dext can misread amounts. Check each figure before you approve.
- Dext is priced by documents and users, so count how many documents you really handle before you choose a band.
- Different foods and packaging can have different VAT treatment, so ask your accountant how to code them.