ServiceM8 Setup Checklist | ChanAutomation

Most businesses spend a few hours in ServiceM8, set up a couple of job types, and hand the phone to their first tech. Three weeks later they're wondering why the dispatch board is a mess and their invoices look different every time.

The setup work is not glamorous. It takes 6 to 12 hours across a week or two, depending on your team size and how your business runs. But every hour you skip here costs you more time on the other side.

This is the ServiceM8 setup checklist I run through with every client before their first live job.

Step 1: Company Settings and Account Configuration

Before anything else, get your account details right. This is the foundation everything else pulls from.

Business name, logo, and business number are entered correctly
Company address and contact details are set (these pull into your quotes and invoices)
Default currency and tax settings are configured
Time zone is correct
Email sending domain is set up so emails don't come from a generic ServiceM8 address
Notification preferences are set for each staff member

If you're paying someone for a ServiceM8 setup service, this is usually the first session.

Step 2: Job Types and Categories

Job types are how ServiceM8 organizes work on the dispatch board. Get these wrong and your team won't know what they're looking at.

All job types are named clearly, not just "Job" or "Service"
Job types reflect how your business actually categorizes work, not how ServiceM8 defaults
Color coding is assigned if you have multiple teams or trade types
Default duration is set per job type (this affects scheduling)
Job types that require specific forms are linked to those forms (set this up after Step 5)

Step 3: Staff Accounts and Permissions

Every staff member who touches ServiceM8 needs an account before go-live. This is also where you control who can see what.

Accounts created for all field and office staff
Permission levels set correctly (field techs typically shouldn't have access to billing)
Each staff member has received their login and tested it
GPS tracking preferences are set if you're using them
Staff photos added if you use client-facing arrival notifications

Step 4: Quote and Job Card Templates

Templated quotes and job cards are where you reclaim time on repeat work. Every job type you do regularly should have a template.

At least one quote template built for your most common service
Line items include standard materials and labour with correct pricing
Terms and conditions are included on quotes
Job card templates built for recurring job types
Default notes or instructions for field staff are included in job card templates where relevant

Step 5: Custom Forms

Custom forms are the most underused part of ServiceM8. They replace paper checklists, site visit reports, and anything else your techs currently fill out by hand.

Site visit report or inspection form built, if applicable to your trade
Safety or compliance checklist built, if required
Any form that currently lives on paper or in email has a ServiceM8 equivalent
Forms are linked to the correct job types so they appear automatically when a tech opens a job
Forms have been tested on a mobile device by someone on the field team

Step 6: Invoice Template

Your invoice is the last thing a client sees. It should look like your business, not like a generic ServiceM8 output.

Logo is sized correctly and displays cleanly
Business name, address, and contact details are correct
Payment terms are stated clearly (net 7, net 14, due on receipt)
Bank account or payment link is included
Invoice numbering sequence is set (if you're coming from another system, start from a number that continues your existing sequence)
A test invoice has been sent to yourself and reviewed

Step 7: Job Status Workflow

The job status workflow is how work moves from booked to invoiced. If you don't define this before launch, your team will invent their own statuses and the dispatch board becomes unreadable fast.

Default statuses are reviewed and renamed to match how your team talks about work
Statuses you won't use are hidden or removed
The sequence from enquiry to invoiced reflects your actual process
Staff know what each status means and when to change it
Automation triggers are attached to the correct status changes, if applicable

Step 8: Integrations

ServiceM8 connects to accounting software, payment processors, and a handful of other tools. Configure these before your first job or you'll be manually reconciling later.

Xero or QuickBooks is connected and chart of accounts is mapped
Payment processing is set up (Stripe or ServiceM8 Payments)
Any other integrations required for your workflow are connected and tested
A test transaction has been run through the payment integration
If you offer service agreements or maintenance plans, recurring billing is configured before you go live

Step 9: Client Records

If you're coming from another system, your client records need to be in ServiceM8 before you go live. If you're starting fresh, set the standard for how records should be created.

Existing client records are imported or manually entered for active clients
Client records include phone, email, and correct billing address
Notes or history worth preserving are attached to the relevant client record
Staff know the standard for creating new client records and which fields are required
If you're migrating to ServiceM8 from another platform, data has been reviewed for accuracy after import

Before You Go Live: Run a Test Job First

Don't go live on a real job until you've run a complete test. Create a fake client, book a job, dispatch it, complete the forms, generate a quote, convert it to an invoice, and send it.

Test job created from enquiry through to invoiced
Forms completed on a mobile device
Invoice sent and reviewed (check layout, logo, payment link)
Accounting integration verified (test job appears correctly in Xero or QuickBooks)
At least one field staff member has walked through the full job flow on their phone

If anything breaks in the test, it's far easier to fix now than after you've taken 20 real jobs.

Want Someone to Run This With You?

This checklist covers the configuration work. The decisions behind it are where most businesses get stuck: which job types to build, which forms you actually need, how to structure your workflow for your specific trade.

If you'd rather have a certified ServiceM8 consultant work through this with you, book a discovery call and we'll figure out what your setup actually needs.

Book a discovery call