The tools every business needs to save time, minimize mistakes, and make better decisions—faster.

As a business owner, your time is your most valuable resource. The good news? You don’t have to spend it buried in spreadsheets, chasing receipts, or stressing over payroll. Thanks to smart automation tools, you can now run your business finances with more clarity, control, and confidence.

Here are 6 essential tools that every forward-thinking business owner should consider to streamline and automate their finance and accounting operations:

1. Xero – Your Accounting Command Centre

  • What it does: Cloud-based accounting software for invoicing, expense tracking, payroll, and reporting.
  •  Why it’s essential: With bank feeds and smart transaction rules, Xero keeps your books current—without the manual entry.
  •  Bonus: Real-time dashboards and seamless integration with over 1,000 apps.

At Virtual Heights Accounting, Xero is our go-to for client collaboration (we are Gold Partners with Xero!) —it’s user-friendly and CPA-approved.

2. Plooto – Streamlined Payments In and Out

  • What it does: Automates accounts payable and receivable with built-in approval workflows.
  • Why it’s essential: Stop writing cheques and sending e-transfers manually. Plooto handles it all—securely and automatically. This allows you to delegate the payable process and ensure approvals are still required based on your criteria.
  • Bonus: Easy integration with Xero and audit-friendly tracking.

3. Wagepoint – Payroll Made Simple 

  • What it does: Manages employee payroll, CRA remittances, and year-end slips like T4s and ROEs.
  • Why it’s essential: It removes the guesswork and guarantees timely, accurate pay runs.
  • Bonus: Great support, intuitive interface, and it syncs seamlessly with your accounting system.

4. Stripe or PayPal – Get Paid Faster Online

  • What it does: Enables online payments via credit card, bank transfer, or digital wallets.
  • Why it’s essential: Speeds up cash inflow, reduces friction for customers, and improves collection rates.
  • Bonus: Automatically matches payments to invoices in Xero.

5. Zapier or Make.io– Connect and Automate Your Workflows

  • What it does: Links your business tools together so they can work behind the scenes.
  • Why it’s essential: Example: A client signs a proposal → auto-create invoice in Xero → add to your CRM → send onboarding email.
  • Bonus: No coding needed—just plug and play automation.

6. ChatGPT – Your AI-Powered Finance Assistant 

  • What it does: Generates emails, explains tax terms, builds financial checklists, drafts policies, and assists with research or analysis.
  •  Why it’s essential: Save hours on admin, communication, and financial content creation—without hiring a full-time assistant.
  • Bonus: Ask it to explain “what is a T2125” or summarize your CRA notice—instant support, 24/7.

At Virtual Heights, we use AI responsibly to support our clients with clarity and speed—not to replace real advice, but to enhance it.

Final Word: Automation Gives You Back Control

You don’t need to be tech-savvy to benefit from automation. These tools are built for small business owners who want to spend less time on admin and more time on growth.

Looking to simplify your finances with the right systems? At Virtual Heights Accounting, we help Canadian business owners build tech-savvy, stress-free finance systems that scale with them.