Power Your Trade Business With ServiceM8 & AI Automation

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How trades businesses in the UK that use ServiceM8 can save hours every week with smart, connected workflows.

TL;DR Summary

If your team already runs on ServiceM8, you’re sitting on a goldmine of data. By layering AI + automation on top of ServiceM8’s API, trades firms can cut admin, respond faster, and turn more quotes into booked jobs – without changing tools.

[Updated 26th October 2025]

Who is this for?

Plumbing, heating, electrical, glazing, roofing, landscaping, pest control and similar trades businesses.
Teams using ServiceM8 for quotes, jobs and invoicing.
Owners/ops leads who want fewer manual tasks, faster cash collection, and better customer comms.

Why ServiceM8 Is The Perfect Foundation For Trades

ServiceM8 probably already powers your job scheduling and management if you own a trades business – from scheduling quotes, customer comms to invoicing clients. AI automation doesn’t replace any of that, it accelerates it. Think of it as upgrading what you already have with a reliable teammate who:

Never forgets to follow up
Sends the right message at the right time
nudges customers to confirm, pay and review
and keeps your team in the loop automatically

Using powerful ServiceM8 integrations, including its own API – almost any business task involving ServiceM8 tasks can potentially be automated to save time, costs and manual admin.

A day in the life – before vs. after

Before

A lead arrives from Facebook at 9pm. Nobody sees it until morning.
Quotes go out late because you’re short-staffed.
Clients chase ETA updates. Engineers call the office for addresses.
Invoices wait for someone to ‘get to them’, then you’re chasing payments manually.
Reviews happen ‘When we remember’.

After

The moment an enquiry lands, the customer gets a friendly auto-reply (email/SMS) with next steps and a link to self-book.
Quotes are quickly turned around, with a clear note on optional upgrades.
Customers get SMS reminders the day before and on the day to avoid no show issues.
When the job is marked complete, the invoice and payment link go out automatically.
Happy customers are invited to review automatically. Unhappy customers are routed to your customer service to resolve any issues.

There’s no new tech or app for your team to learn. ServiceM8 automations run entirely in the background, upgrading your existing processes.

Where We See Wins Quickly

More jobs won from the same leads
- Small, timely nudges can make a big difference. Automatic follow-ups after a quote, and a simple “Any Questions?” message – or a one tap booking link can life acceptance rates by 5-15%.
Fewer no-shows and wasted visits
- Clear pre-visit messages (preparation, access, H&S, parking, directions) and day-of reminders reduce last-minute cancellations, changes and ‘nobody home’ moments. Often by 20-40%.
Faster cash in the bank
- Instant invoices with payment links (sent the moment a job is closed) trim your late payment rates by at least 3-7 days to get paid.
Better customer reviews
- When a job goes well, invite reviews from the client while goodwill is fresh. If a customer isn’t delighted, route them to a human first. Expect review volume to climb by 10-30 per month.
Happier engineers, and a calmer office
- Your engineers get clear briefs from ServiceM8 integrations, and your office gets fewer ‘what’s the address’ calls. Everyone spends more time doing the work that matters.

ServiceM8 Automation Examples

1) AI Voice Agent → Takes direct bookings, answers customer queries

Imagine a fully autonomous customer service agent that can provide a quote, check availability, book a job, and answer common technical questions over the phone. That’s what an AI voice agent can do.

At flowio we can build out custom AI Voice Agents that integrate directly into your ServiceM8 platform, enabling a natural sounding AI to speak to customers, tapping into your existing availability, booking calendar and pricing – and if the agent can’t deal with the request they hand over to a human so you always have cover.

With both voice and SMS capabilities – ServiceM8 + AI Voice Agents can level up your job booking process, enabling you to capture more leads – even out of office hours.

Key Benefits Of ServiceM8 Voice Agents

Faster response times
24/7 hours call coverage
Reduced call centre time (staff costs)
Instant bookings and data capture
Less time spent answering common questions and pricing
Emergency response management (out of hours)

2) Enhanced Job Service Automation → Sequence flows to remind, and assist clients for booked jobs

Streamline your job experience for clients with a sequence of smart workflows integrated directly into ServiceM8. For instance, when a quote is sent to a client, we schedule nudges via SMS or email offering to answer any questions about the quote.

When a client accepts a quote, ServiceM8 integrations automatically schedule best available engineers who is sent the job directions, prep checklist and job details. For the client, we can send confirmation of booking, arrival windows and what to expect plus reminders via SMS leading up to, and on the day of the job.

Simple automatic improvements to the way you use ServiceM8 for both clients and engineers can significantly improve your customer experience, reduce no-shows and help engineers do their jobs in a more streamlined way.

Key Benefits Of Enhancing ServiceM8 Jobs

Improved Customer Experience
Reduced no-show or missed visits
Less frustration in finding client addresses
Improved acceptance of quotes
More positive client reviews

3) ServiceM8 Invoice + Finance Automation → Auto invoicing, Payment Reminders + Links

Reduce late payments and frustration of missed invoicing through automation + ServiceM8 integrations. You’ve probably already experienced having missed an invoice, or have spent valuable time chasing late payments. With a couple of automations, we can help turn late payments into cash in the bank.

When a job is completed, an automation will automatically issue the invoice and payment link – if the client takes more than X days to pay, the automation will nudge with SMS and email within a sequence.

Once the client has paid, you receive an alert to your phone, WhatsApp or email that the cash is in the bank – and the client receives an invitation to review.

For recurring service jobs such as a boiler service, sequences can be started to remind clients to book their next appointment 3 months out from the annual date.

Key Benefits Of ServiceM8 Finance Automations

Turn late payments into cash in the bank
Eliminate missed client invoices
Get paid for jobs quicker
Turn recurring jobs into secure income
Know exactly when you are paid

Do we need to change the way we work?

No. The best automations simply extend ServiceM8. You don’t need to change systems, or change the way that you operate – integrating automations with ServiceM8 simply buys back you and your office staff’s time.

How flowio Implements This

We have extensive experience in building ServiceM8 integrations, including the SM8 API and AI to build scalable automations for trades businesses. A recent ServiceM8 automation that we’ve implemented for a Heating & Energy client has saved 250+ hours of manual admin time within 2 months of implementation.

Whether you simply use ServiceM8, or combine this with other systems like Go High Level, or even manual processes – we map out the best process integrations to suit your business.

The best part is that you don’t have to change the way you work, and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg – in fact it typically costs about one-third of a new boiler depending on the size of your business!

Curious to understand how AI automation can improve your trades business? Book a chat, or visit our Trades page to see some examples.

Every trades business, from plumbers to electricians and more that uses ServiceM8 can benefit from smart workflows, and AI automation to reduce manual admin, and improve job bookings.

Interested in finding out how you can upgrade your own business? Book your free ServiceM8 integration call.