If you’re using Xero Practice Manager for the first time with the New Proposal Editor, Please read this guide to ensure your settings are optimised for utilising this integration.
Client imports & data syncing
Before connecting your XPM and Ignition accounts, it's important to understand how client records are created and synced between the two systems.
PRO-TIP: We recommend that you choose ONE app to create your clients so that your records are consistent so you minimize the risks of duplicate records.
Client imports function differently, depending on which system is used to create the client first.
Take a look (5 min video) at how this works between both systems:
What happens when you create your clients in XPM?
If your XPM account has all of your client information and you connect to Ignition, we will import all Clients & Prospects in XPM as a Lead in Ignition.
If you have active clients in your Ignition account, the system will attempt to match and map the records based on an exact name match.
If you have not connected XPM and Ignition yet, please read through our scenarios before connecting for the first time!
Once the client record has been imported from XPM this will activate a two-way sync immediately.
We’d recommend archiving any client records that you do not want to import before connecting your XPM with Ignition.
What happens when you create your clients in Ignition?
Clients that are created in Ignition first, will only create a record in XPM if they are an Active client (i.e. once they have accepted a proposal).
Once they have been created in XPM, then information can then be synced between the apps.
Leads that have been created from Ignition will not create or update in XPM.
What information is synced between the apps?
Once the two way sync is activated (which is triggered by a client being Active in Ignition), the Client name can be updated from both systems and will honour the most recent change.
The contacts and contact emails can also be updated in both apps.
Ignition does not import the client email field, instead we associate emails from the contact record.
(Click the image below to expand)
Setting up XPM and Ignition - Scenarios
Please read the following scenarios carefully before connecting
or reconnecting your XPM and Ignition accounts!
Scenario 1
I’m new to Ignition and have no clients in my account
All my client records are in XPM
Next Steps:
Check your XPM client records are up to date and that your contacts & contact email fields are filled out correctly
Connect your Xero Practice Manager Account
Scenario 2
I have clients in BOTH Ignition & in XPM
I have never connected my Ignition account to XPM before*
*To check if your account has previously connected to an XPM account in the past, export your Ignition client list, and check the XPM ID Column.
If it is completely blank, you are in the clear! If you have any existing data, please proceed to Scenario 3.
Next Steps:
Ensure all client names are exactly matching in both apps
Connect your Xero Practice Manager Account
Scenario 3
I have clients in Ignition & in XPM
I have previously connected to XPM in the past but I am currently disconnected
Next Steps
Contact your Account Manager before proceeding with connection to ensure duplicates are not created.
If you have previously connected to an XPM account before, we want to make sure your records will match correctly and avoid duplications.
Scenario 4
I have clients in Ignition & not in XPM
I have never connected to XPM before
Next Steps
Check your client records in Ignition (only active clients will be synced to XPM)
Connect your Xero Practice Manager Account
Once you are ready, please connect connect to Xero Practice Manager - click here for more information.
Client duplications and client mapping
If you’ve ever connected to Xero Practice Manager and noticed duplicate client records in your account - then it may be time to do a clean-up of your account. Even if you have previously archived these records, it’s important that your clients are correctly mapped so that information is flowing correctly between the two systems.
Correct Client Mapping
Incorrect Client Mapping
If an active Ignition client is mapped to an archived XPM client, all deployed jobs and invoices will assign to the archived XPM client.
What if I have two active clients in Ignition?
If you have multiple active records in Ignition, we suggest you contact your Account Manager to assist in merging these records.
Note: We are unable to merge records if both have invoices raised against their record. Payment details can also only be retained on the primary record.
Client mapping and re-mapping
If your client records are not mapped correctly between both systems, you can remap the records through Ignition.
To change which client in XPM that your client in Ignition is mapped to, just navigate into the specific client → Edit Client.
From here click on the Apps tab, and click on the XPM drop down. Here you can search the client name to select the right record to map.
What if I have two clients with the same name in XPM?
Each record will also have a unique ID referenced in the drop down (see image above).
To find the XPM ID on a record, you can check the URL when viewing the client in XPM and then re-map the correct one accordingly.
Syncing Rules
If you are remapping a client from Ignition, make sure all the information against the Ignition client is up to date as all fields that are synced will override based on the Ignition record.
We recommend only mapping to one client at a time. You should archive any additional records that may have been previously linked to that record.
Need help?
If you have a lot of duplicate records that need to be remapped then reach out to your Account Manager for assistance in managing these records.
Mapping team members in Ignition
If you are connecting XPM to Ignition, we highly recommend that you add all of your team members in both systems and link them.
Why connect your team members?
Connecting your team members in both systems means that you can leverage efficiencies of the integration - such as:
Allocating a Manager/Partner to a client record from both systems
Assigning a Manger/Partner and staff members to a job
Do all users need Ignition access?
If your team members need to be assigned to jobs, but don’t need access to Ignition - you can still set them up as a user without giving them access to your account.
FAQ's
If I am using both New & Classic proposals for a client, what will happen to my invoice allocation?
New Proposals will only have one billing job per client, but if you still have active classic proposals these will still allocate invoices as normal to their corresponding jobs.
Can I deploy multiple jobs from one New Proposal?
Yes - you can set-up multiple jobs to deploy from one proposal, however you can only nominate one billing job per client.
How can I choose which job is the billing job?
There are two ways to nominate a billing job:
Automation (setting up a job from a proposal) → Workflow → Billing Group Settings → (choose) Non-billing job / Billing job
Workflow (client record - undeployed + future jobs) → Edit Workflow → Billing job → (choose) Non-billing job / Billing job
I have already set my billing job, will I be able to identify and change this if I create a new proposal?
Yes - you will be notified that a billing job has already been assigned for this client and you will also have the option to override this and create a new billing job.
Can I allocate invoices to more than one job?
Currently no - we are working on delivering multiple billing job functionality! For now we support one billing job per client.
With Classic Proposals, we support one billing job per proposal.
Can I setup different workflows if using Proposal Options?
If using options, you can only set-up one workflow per proposal. We suggest creating the workflow for the option you want your client to select.
Are my job templates still mapped to my services?
Yes - job templates can still be mapped on a service level within the service library. If services that have been mapped are added to a proposal, the job templates will automatically be added to the workflow and you will be able to customize (add, remove) as needed on a proposal by proposal basis.
I’ve created my workflow structure, but have since updated the job template mapping to my services. Will this update automatically?
No - if workflow has already been initiated, any changes that are made to a service level mapping will need to be manually updated in the automation tab. You can either update them manually or rebuild the entire workflow from scratch.
When will my jobs deploy?
Job deployment is dictated by the job start date - we will automatically deploy jobs 1 day prior to the job start date (if the auto-toggle is on). For jobs starting in the past or on-acceptance they will deploy immediately.
I’ve deployed a one-time job but it’s not visible in the workflow tab?
Workflow that has been deployed by Ignition that has no future recurring jobs will be accessible under the inactive workflows toggle. The reason is because Ignition can only edit the workflow settings for future jobs that have not yet deployed.
Once the job is deployed, you will have to manage the job within XPM.
Can I edit a job that has already been deployed from Ignition?
No - we can only make edits to workflows that have not yet deployed. We can update all fields, however once a job is deployed we only have visibility over the job settings and cannot make any edits.
My jobs are not appearing under the correct client - what can I do?
If you can see a job that has deployed from Ignition but is not under the right client, then it’s possible that there is a duplicate record in your XPM account that needs to be merged. Contact your Account Manager for further support!
What happens if I have two jobs with the same Client Order Number?
XPM will only allocate invoices to the most recent job deployed.
What do I do if the proposal was created and accepted as a ‘Non-Billing’ job. Because of this, the credits are not coming across to XPM. How do I fix this so the credits come across?
When XPM brings in invoices from Xero (including the ones from Ignition), it checks the 'Reference' fields of those invoices and puts them against the jobs that have the matching 'Client Order Number'.
When you set up an Ignition proposal correctly to create a billing job and allocate the invoices at a proposal level, it simply does the following:
Creates a job in XPM with a 'client order number' that matches the invoice's 'reference' fields
Creates invoices in Xero using the proposal identifier (e.g. PROP-1234) so they go to the right job (matches the client order number of the job created from the same proposal).
To fix this, → open an invoice that relates to the right proposal/client → copy the value in the 'Reference' field of the Xero invoice. (you have to open the invoice in Xero):
Note: You should see a client identifier (e.g. CLI-1234) in the 'Reference' field due to the settings in place in your proposals that we're working our way around.
Then go into XPM → open the relevant 'non-billing' job that was created thru the Ignition NPE proposal(s) → paste the value you copied from the Xero invoice's 'Reference' field into the XPM job's 'Client Order Number' field.