Keep tabs on your business relationships without fuss. Connect and collaborate seamlessly with your contacts. That’s what you get from the tighter integration of Xero and Google Apps for Work announced today.

Google welcomed the development saying, small businesses are rapidly adopting business applications in the cloud, so they can shift their focus on growing their business from managing IT. “The integrations launched by Xero, built using Google Apps APIs, will make small businesses more efficient and secure. Users can now get a unified view of their business data and activities across Xero and Google Apps, said Rahul Sood, Managing Director Google Apps for Work.

Start running your business from within Xero

Xero is evolving to become an even more robust business platform. With a deeper integration to Google Apps for Work – which includes Gmail – small businesses can view and send emails to contacts without leaving Xero, export content to Google Docs and Google Sheets, use Hangouts to collaborate with advisors, and build smart lists for sales and marketing campaigns. All of this can be done anytime, anywhere, on any device.

The latest updates extend the range of integrated services that Xero and Google already offer. “They provide a smarter and simpler way for small businesses to manage the daily workflows associated with all aspects of their operation,” said Angus Norton, Chief Product Officer at Xero.

Know your contacts from A-Z with an all-encompassing view

A single-screen view of each contact shows you everything you need to know when reviewing their financial status and your business relationship with them. See a complete transaction history and a cash-in graph. Use the information to get insights that help you make smart decisions and choose the best course of action.

See the latest Gmail exchanges with your contacts

See live Gmail messages displayed alongside other contact details so you have an up-to-date view of your current and prior communications with your customers or suppliers. You can initiate a new invoice or quote from a Gmail message in Xero. And you can save a Gmail message inside Xero for future reference.

Drive new opportunities with smart lists

Smart lists let you select Xero contacts with things in common and use the data about those contacts to do things like find revenue gaps, chase debt, create email sales campaigns, or identify opportunities.

Get the convenience of a single sign-on (SSO)

Xero users can sign in once to access both Google Apps and Xero using your Google ID, and seamlessly navigate between the two without having to log in twice.

Find your business contacts on-the-go with Google Maps

Xero integrates with Google Maps on the web and mobile. You can use a Xero contact address to pinpoint a location in Google Maps, get directions and see estimated travel time.

Take actions on your business with reports

You can export reports from Xero to Google Docs so you can do further analysis, share them to collaborate more widely, and use them in other documents such as sales proposals or board reports.

Use invoices to promote your Google+ page

If you use the Google+ social network, you can promote your page in your invoices by including a Google+ icon that links customers directly to your page. It’s one more way to promote your brand and keep in touch with your customers.

Chat, meet and share on Hangouts

Hold video meetings using Hangouts on your laptop, tablet or phone. Hangouts works for anything from informal chats or catch-up with customers or employees, to formal meetings with up to 15 people. You can share your screen, so others can see and watch what you’re doing in Xero.

Do business anywhere with Xero for Android

Xero’s mobile app gives you easy access to the essential tools for doing business on the move. You can get paid faster by sending an invoice the minute you’ve finished a job, capture receipts and submit your expenses on the go, and stay on top of your cash flow by reconciling bank transactions.