Keep up to date with the latest updates and information from oms…

Not For Profits

National Volunteer Week (NFW) is being held 15-21 June. NVW honours the collective energies and efforts of volunteers across New Zealand. It’s a time to recognise and thank the millions of people who give their time and skills to our communities. This Year’s Theme: Whiria te tangata – weaving the people together - celebrating the power of volunteering to bring people together.  At OMS we support many charities by volunteering our time, or helping them with their financials.

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Business Mentors

It was valuable to hear in their latest webinar about talent strategies for small business, including how to attract star talent and the importance of making the right hire.  I highly recommend you watch this webinar here.

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Xero Files can be used to have a defined folder structure for key financial records. This enables you to share documents with outside contacts that need access to these records, ie accountants, bookkeepers!

* Consider having a default set of folders in Xero files. Ie ACC, assets, loans, vehicle HPS. 

* This is a great to share documents for EOFY

* It depends on Xero user permissions who can see Xero files, so be mindful of commercially sensitive documents and who can view,

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Fergus Favourites

Favourites allows you to build templates for jobs you do often.  Group items and labour and save as a Favourite to build quick, repeatable quotes. Add your markups and you're away.  Change markups as necessary.  Build quotes in minutes. Need a hand with this? Reach out, we are here to help!

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Employers take note..

The Regulatory Systems (Immigration and Workforce) Amendment Act 2025 was inserted into section 64(2A) & 64(5)(b) of the Employment Relations Act 2000 and became effective 30 March 2025.

In summary, these changes have imposed more onerous and/or heightened legal obligations on employers to keep and provide easy access to a copy of an employee’s employment agreement.

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AI Agents

ChatGPT recently introduced "Operators," AI agents that can book hotels, order food, and shop online, while other platforms are launching autonomous AI assistants that handle complex multi-step tasks without human intervention.

This involves defining the agent's purpose, choosing the right tools, setting up the AI model (ChatGPT), training it with custom data, and building the interface. Ironically you can ask ChatGPT to help you.

We love keeping you aware of what is happening in our bookkeeping world. If there is anything in particular you would like us to keep you informed of, please let us know. kathy@omsolutions.co.nz

While AI may seem intimidating, Leanne Berry from MYOB emphasized at The AI Powered Bookkeeper workshop that embracing AI is essential to maintaining a competitive edge. AI is already integrated into various features of our accounting software, but it can also be leveraged independently to enhance business efficiency.

Here are just a few helpful business functions that AI can help you with:

• Client onboarding                              

• Instruction manuals

• Meeting note summaries

• Information gathering

• Data analysis

• Google on steroids

• Automating Customer Service

• Personalised Marketing

ChatGPT and Copilot are two leading AI applications, both available for free, with paid versions offering enhanced customization and more intuitive responses. Copilot stands out as a business-friendly option, seamlessly integrating with Microsoft applications and benefiting from Microsoft’s robust security measures to protect your data.

Many AI-powered applications are designed to simplify tasks and enhance productivity. Suri is just one example, alongside others like Dext, N8N, Google Notebook LM, Betterpic.io, and Fathom Notetaker. Exploring these tools could open up new possibilities and transform the way you work!

Ensuring security in AI is crucial, as any information entered could potentially become accessible to others.  To protect sensitive data, it is essential to establish clear guidelines for staff, regularly update your staff manual, and provide ongoing training.  Without proper oversight, employees may use AI tools without your knowledge, increasing the risk of unintended exposure.

If you’re new to AI, attending a training course can be a great way to discover its powerful capabilities—and understand potential challenges. Learning how to use AI effectively can open up exciting opportunities while helping you navigate its risks with confidence. After all, being well-prepared is the key to making the most of new technology.

AI is already shaping the way we work and interact, and those around you are leveraging its benefits. Embracing AI can help you stay ahead, unlocking new efficiencies and opportunities to enhance your business and daily life.

Written by Kathy with the help of AI