ServiceM8 15: What's Worth Switching On (and What Can Wait)

ServiceM8 15 landed in September, and it's one of the biggest updates in years. There's an AI assistant, a new booking window, a full Android app, team chat, new pricing tools and cheaper card payments.

The question I'm getting most from owners isn't "what's new?" It's "what should I actually do about it?"

So here's my take as a ServiceM8 Certified Partner: what's worth switching on now, what only works once your setup is clean, and what can wait until January.

The Quick Version

• Switch on now: the new booking window, the Android app for your team, Staff Chat, and a quick check of your ServiceM8 Pay rates.
• Switch on once your setup is clean: Office Agent and Pricing Strategies.
• Can wait until January: your bulk price increase, and playing with every new schedule view.

Switch On Now

1. The New Booking Window

If you or your office book jobs over the phone, this is the one to start with. The booking window shows your team's availability next to the customer's, so you can see what actually fits before you lock it in. Fewer clashes, less driving back and forth across town.

It works with your existing staff and job setup, so there's very little to configure. Book your next few jobs through it and you'll see the difference straight away.

2. The Android App for Your Team

Until now, Android users got a cut down version of ServiceM8. That's over. The Android app now does the lot, including job cards, photos and forms, Staff Chat, Office Agent and Tap to Pay.

If anyone on your team has been working around it in a browser, get them to update the app this week and check they can see their jobs, add photos and complete forms.

3. Staff Chat

Staff Chat gives your team direct messages, group channels and threads, all inside ServiceM8 and linked to jobs. It's an easy replacement for the group texts and "what did the customer say again?" phone calls.

Set up one channel for the whole team and one per crew if you have them. Then make it the rule: if it's about a job, it goes in the job or in Staff Chat.

4. Check Your ServiceM8 Pay Rates

ServiceM8 Pay rates have come down, with card processing from 1.19%. If you already take card payments through ServiceM8, there's nothing to change. If you use a separate card machine, it's worth comparing what you pay now.

ServiceM8 Pay also has card payment limits and settings for the new surcharge rules that started on 1 October. Check those settings while you're in there. For pricing decisions, talk to your accountant.

Switch On Once Your Setup Is Clean

Office Agent

Office Agent is ServiceM8's new AI assistant. It works inside your job cards and client history, and drafts emails, texts, quotes, invoices and status changes for you to approve or decline. It can also run recurring tasks in the background, like a morning check of open jobs.

It can be a real time saver. But it's only as good as the setup underneath it. If your job statuses don't match how you work, your templates are out of date or your processes live in your head, Office Agent is guessing.

Before you lean on it:

• Tidy your job statuses and queues so they match how work really moves.
• Update your quote, invoice and email templates.
• Write a few Knowledge articles (this is an add-on) covering how you do things, so its drafts sound like you and follow your process.
• Start with one recurring task, like the morning check, and keep approvals on until you trust what it sends.

Pricing Strategies

Pricing Strategies apply fixed or tiered markup rules to the supplier price lists you import. If your materials pricing is a mess of manual changes, this can save a lot of time and stop you under charging.

It's worth it once your price lists are clean and you've decided how you want to mark up. If they aren't, sort that first, or the rules just spread the mess faster.

What Can Wait Until January

• Your bulk price increase. ServiceM8 can increase your Items and Services prices in bulk. If you're putting prices up for the new year, do it once in January rather than piecemeal before Christmas.
• Every new schedule view. The schedule has been rebuilt with day, week and month views and drag and drop rescheduling. It's good, but your team doesn't need to learn every view during the busiest month of the year. Pick the one view that suits you now and explore the rest in January.

And before the break, have a read of the Christmas shutdown checklist for your systems, especially if you've switched on any new automations.

Not Sure Where Your Setup Stands?

New features work best on a setup that's already doing its job. If you're not sure yours is, start with the ServiceM8 Health Check. It's 25 quick checks and takes about 15 minutes.