Cradle for Xero Practice Manager
Cradle is the cloud phone system for accounting firms running on Xero Practice Manager. Inbound calls match against your XPM client list so you see the client name before you answer, and any phone number in an XPM client record becomes a click-to-call link in the Cradle desktop app.
Try Cradle in your browser
Click through the call log, in-call screen and messages. Every contact-bearing row shows the XPM badge so you can see what the integration looks like before booking a call.
How Cradle works with Xero Practice Manager
Five views: what Cradle does, what's coming in 2026, how Cradle compares to generic VoIP for XPM firms, how to set it up, and answers to common questions.
What Cradle does inside Xero Practice Manager today
The integration covers three jobs: showing the right client when a call comes in, saving everyone a step when calling out, and tracking how much time you're spending with each client.
- Caller identification.When the phone rings, Cradle matches the inbound number against your XPM client list and shows the client name and primary contact before you answer. No fishing through XPM mid-conversation, no "sorry, who am I speaking with?"
- Click-to-call. Phone numbers in XPM client records become click-to-call links. The Cradle desktop app picks up; the call dials. Saves a copy-paste each time someone calls a client back.
- Call-time tracking against XPM clients. Every call's direction and duration is logged in Cradle's admin reporting against the matching XPM client. You can see how much time the team is spending with each client and make sure you're billing for it.
Simple to use, gives clients a better experience because the team always knows who's calling, and gives the partners a clear view of where the call hours are going.
Coming in 2026
Deeper activity logging is in development for the second half of 2026. The shape of the work:
- Every call writes an activity to the matching XPM client, with direction, duration, recording link and AI-written summary.
- Voicemail transcripts attach to the client's activity feed.
- Optional billable time-entry draft posted to the right XPM job, ready for partner review at month-end.
We're bringing XPM up to speed with our other integrations. If you need full activity logging today, check out Cradle × FYI — it's live and covers the same shape of integration today. Many firms run XPM and FYI together; Cradle works with both.
Cradle vs generic VoIP for Xero Practice Manager users
Most generic VoIP providers (3CX, RingCentral, MS Teams Phone, 8x8) don't integrate with Xero Practice Manager at all. The phone system records the call; XPM has no idea the call happened. Inbound calls show as anonymous numbers, and there's no click-to-call from client records. Your team copies and pastes phone numbers, or doesn't bother.
Cradle is built for accounting firms. The XPM integration is included on every paid tier, configured in five minutes, and runs from then on without anyone thinking about it.
| Capability | Cradle | Generic VoIP |
|---|---|---|
| Caller ID enriched from XPM client list | Yes | No |
| Click-to-call from XPM client record | Yes | No |
| Setup time | Five minutes | Engineering project |
| Included in monthly subscription | Yes | Often a bolt-on |
| Number porting (AU/NZ) | Yes — onboarding team manages it | Varies |
See also: how Cradle integrates with FYI for firms running FYI alongside XPM (full activity logging is live on the FYI side today), and the dedicated phone system for accountants page for the broader workflow story. If you want to model the ROI for your firm, the Cradle ROI calculator takes about 90 seconds.
How to log in to Xero Practice Manager with Cradle
Cradle's XPM integration takes about 5 minutes to set up, and stays with you no matter where you're working from. You don't log in to XPM through Cradle — you sign in to XPM the same way you always have, then connect Cradle to it once. The process is as simple as:
- Set up your Cradle account. The fastest path is to book a 30-minute call so we can provision your number, users and basic routing while we're on the line. If you'd rather self-serve, the 7-day trial is at cradle.io/get-started.
- Open Cradle Admin. Go to admin.cradle.io and sign in with your Cradle credentials.
- Add the Xero Practice Manager integration. From the admin sidebar, choose Integrations, then click "Add integration" and pick Xero Practice Manager. Cradle redirects you to xero.com to log in.
- Sign in to Xero. Use your Xero credentials (the same ones you use for Xero Practice Manager). If your firm uses single sign-on, sign in via your identity provider.
- Authorise Cradle.Xero asks you to confirm that Cradle can read your XPM client list. Click "Allow access".
- Choose your XPM organisation. If you administer multiple Xero organisations, pick the one with your Practice Manager data. Cradle will sync the client list automatically, usually within a minute.
You're done. Inbound calls will start showing XPM client context immediately. Firms with more than 5,000 XPM clients may see the initial sync take up to ten minutes; Cradle emails the admin who set up the integration when the sync completes.
Frequently asked questions
Does Cradle work with Xero Practice Manager?
Will Cradle log calls automatically into XPM client and job records?
Does Cradle integrate with Xero (the accounting product) as well as Xero Practice Manager?
How do I log in to Xero Practice Manager with Cradle?
Can I bring my own phone numbers?
What happens to call data if I cancel?
Is the integration available on the Standard tier or only on higher plans?
Talk to the Cradle team
Bring your team size, your XPM setup, and any questions about porting your numbers. We'll model the roll-out for your firm on the same call. Self-serve 7-day trial available if you'd rather kick the tyres yourself first.