New Zealand-based Xero says more than 13,500 accountants and bookkeepers signed into the system within 72 hours of its release. Xero said that pairing SMBs with advisors provides the businesses with chance to improve operations significantly. "Xero Signals research tells us that small businesses who use an accountant grow their net profit 23 percent faster than those who do not," Doug LaBahn, the software company's global VP of partner marketing, said in a prepared statement.