{"id":59,"date":"2026-09-22T22:05:28","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T22:05:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/errorx.co.uk\/?page_id=59"},"modified":"2026-09-22T22:05:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T22:05:28","slug":"better-error-messages","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/errorx.co.uk\/?page_id=59","title":{"rendered":"Better error messages"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Real example<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Better error messages<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

One real error message from Xero, what\u2019s wrong with it, and what a best-in-class version could look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Original Xero error message<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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You have reached the limit of invoices you can approve.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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What\u2019s wrong with this error message?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  • No error number<\/strong>
    Hard to reference or search for help.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Unclear and vague<\/strong>
    Doesn\u2019t explain why it happened.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • No solution<\/strong>
    Doesn\u2019t tell you how to fix it.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • No helpful context<\/strong>
    Doesn\u2019t explain the invoice hasn\u2019t been approved.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • No links or resources<\/strong>
    You have to find help yourself.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • No support contact<\/strong>
    No way to get in touch for assistance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Frustrating for users<\/strong>
    Leaves you confused and uncertain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
    \n
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    What does a best-in-class error message look like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n

    Error 005 \u2013 Monthly invoice limit reached<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Sorry, you can\u2019t approve this invoice right now.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Your Xero subscription has reached its monthly invoice allowance, so this invoice hasn\u2019t been approved. Don\u2019t worry, it\u2019s not lost \u2013 you can approve it once the limit resets or after upgrading your plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    What\u2019s the cause?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Your current Xero plan has a monthly limit on the number of invoices that can be approved. The limit is based on the invoice date, not the date it was created.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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    How to fix it<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    You can either:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • Upgrade your Xero subscription to a plan with a higher or unlimited invoice allowance, or<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Wait until your monthly allowance resets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
      \n

      More information<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      See Xero\u2019s help article on invoice limits:
      https:\/\/www.xero.com\/uk\/pricing-plans\/<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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      Need help?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      Our support team is here 24\/7<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Call 0800 246 7890<\/strong> (24\/7)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Chat with us on WhatsApp<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Or visit: https:\/\/www.xero.com\/uk\/support\/<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Got it<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Real example Better error messages One real error message from Xero, what\u2019s wrong with it, and what a best-in-class version could look like. Original Xero error message You have reached the limit\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"errorx-editable","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-59","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/errorx.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/errorx.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/errorx.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/errorx.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/errorx.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=59"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/errorx.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/59\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/errorx.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=59"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}