Industries and Trades That Use ServiceM8
ServiceM8 is an invoicing and job management app that allows small businesses to find jobs, give price quotes to clients, document their work, and give an overall sense of satisfaction to those they work for. If you have been on the hunt for a quick and efficient way to not only improve your business and have the ability to find out where jobs are up to quickly, then ServiceM8 is the way to go. However, is the industry you work for even going to be compatible with ServiceM8, and will customers even use ServiceM8 to ask for help?
ServiceM8 is the perfect app for those who work in field industries and trade contracting businesses. Those in industries such as pest control, home repair, electrical, plumbing, IT service, pool service, cleaning, HVAC, and a dozen other similar industries are the most common users of ServiceM8.
Using ServiceM8 to expand your business is most assuredly a smart move because it eliminates the need for paperwork and all that bothersome stuff. If you are newly starting you may feel a little overwhelmed and underinformed, but that is perfectly fine. Below you will find some tips on using ServiceM8, some pros/cons, and several other details which, hopefully, will help you to feel like a pro in no time.
ServiceM8: What Does it Offer?
As mentioned before, there are plenty of industries that use ServiceM8 which means your options are wide open. Keep in mind, however, that this app is best suited to those in field industries. There are several different pricing packages that ServiceM8 offers which means there should be something out there to suit your business.
ServiceM8 offers packages five packages ranging from Lite to Premium Plus. Each of these has different pricing, different benefits, and different downsides. Because there are different pricing ranges, you will likely find something here to cater directly to your needs. To help you get an idea of which package and what level you should start with, read on!
Trial
This isn’t a package, just an option that everybody is encouraged to take advantage of. The ServiceM8 trial run lasts for fourteen days and will allow you a glimpse into what you can expect from using it regularly. As with just about all software, we strongly recommend using the trial run before purchasing a plan.
This is one of the nicest things about ServiceM8. You will not feel at all pressured to make a premature decision, and if you decide that ServiceM8 is simply not for you, you shouldn’t feel like you have salespeople on your tail trying to convince you to come back.
It will give you a good glimpse into the inner workings of ServiceM8 and give you an idea of what to expect in the future. If you don’t like what you’re getting, you will have the option of canceling all associations with ServiceM8 and never have to look back. If you decide it is the right option for you and your business, you will have the chance to choose from one of the following packages.
Lite
As you may have guessed, the Lite package is the basic starter package that will allow you to experience some basic perks and benefits. At just nine dollars a month, you can expect to enjoy job management, automation, accounting integrations, online booking, credit card payments, staff scheduling, quoting/invoicing, and quite a few other things.
You will, unfortunately, miss out on electronic forms, progress invoicing, recurring jobs, and several other things that might prove helpful. However, for only nine dollars a month, you will still get to reap the benefits of doing most of your work online. This makes it a very convenient way to go because, as mentioned before, it gets rid of any need to do tedious amounts of paperwork. You will be able to appreciate about fifteen jobs a month with the Lite package.
Starter
At $29 a month, you will be able to experience all the benefits listed above as well as progress invoicing and recurring jobs. You will be paying $20 more, it’s true, but you will also get to experience the benefits of being able to create 50 jobs a month . By now you have probably guessed that the more money you pay, the more jobs and benefits you will experience.
The Starter package, unfortunately, does not have asset management, electronic forms, or job profitability, but it does make it twice as easy to do all your work online. If you are out to get more benefits, you can explore the next two options as likely solutions to your problems.
Growing
With the Growing package, you will have the benefit of being able to create 150 jobs a month. This will undoubtedly be the most profitable for your business. You will be paying $79 a month for this package, but it may be worth it because you will only be missing out on margin billing, job profitability and only a few of the other features of the higher priced packages. Aside from that, there are plenty of benefits.
Premium
For just $149 a month the Premium Plan, you will get to experience the Premium package which is an all-benefits-included option that ServiceM8 offers but excludes branded SMS that is only available on the Premium Plus Plan. You and you alone can decide what works best for you, but just know that the Premium package will offer you unlimited staff and up to as many as 500 new jobs a month! You will be paying more money, but your options will be more open and greater in number if this is the route you go with. When you reach 500 new jobs a month you can move over to the Premium Plus Plan which allows you up to 1,500 new jobs a month
ServiceM8’s primary purpose is to cut time and save you time on all the work you’re doing. ServiceM8 also strives to please its customers as much as possible. You can learn more about the different packages plans at ServiceM8.com!
Premium Plus
The Premium Plus Plan is $349 a month. For this, you will move up to being able to create 1,500 new jobs per month and have branded SMS. Once you hit 1,500 new jobs a month, for an extra 20 cents per job you can continue to use ServiceM8 beyond this limit.
How to Use ServiceM8: Becoming a Pro
Naturally, your next question might be how exactly do I use ServiceM8? Getting started could very well seem a bit overwhelming to you, but the truth is, there are plenty of resources and help available to help you get started. ServiceM8’s website is packed with plenty of tutorials and helpful information that will assist you along your journey. Here are some important tips.
The first and most obvious step is, of course, to start an account with ServiceM8. As mentioned earlier, it is probably best that you take advantage of the free trial option before actually purchasing a package. That way, if you decide ServiceM8 isn’t the program for you, that will be no money lost unnecessarily. The instructions for starting your account can be found on the ServiceM8 app or the official website. Follow those, and once you’re done, you will be ready to get started!
Creating a job card is another thing you should do. This digital card will hold all the information for the job as well as the client’s information (name, address, problem, etc.). Once you have created a job card, you can send it off to one of your staff members so they can take care of it.
From there, you can create job checklists (with simple instructions and tasks) and take notes on and for each job. These notes and checklists are important because they will help you to keep track of what needs to be done. This will also ensure that neither you nor your staff members will forget anything important and the job will get done right the first time.
Creating Jobs
You will be able to create jobs by simply clicking on the + icon in the top corner of your app’s screen (the app is recommended over the website for common, day-to-day use, but the website is best if you need instructional information). Once you have selected the option for a new job, you can fill in the client and job description.
This will be automatically filled in for you if the client already exists in the system. You will also have the option to view all of your assigned jobs on the menu at the top of the app screen. Most of the tasks on the app are straightforward, so you shouldn’t have very many problems trying to figure it out.
ServiceM8 was engineered to be as helpful to its users as possible, so you should have a relatively frustration-free experience when you use the app. Any questions you may have can usually be found on ServiceM8’s website (ServiceM8.com) which contains tutorials, how-to articles, and all the help you could ever need. See ServiceM8.com for additional details and help with using your app correctly.
ServiceM8: The Pros and Cons
Of course, ServiceM8 isn’t perfect and has its fair share of glitches as well as perks. Keep in mind that it is largely used for a reason (and the reason is that it works!) and is highly spoken of for the most part. There are just a couple of things that you may want to know about before you decide to use ServiceM8. Here are a few of the most important ones you should know. Hopefully, knowing these will help you to make an informed decision!
Pros
First and foremost, we have to talk about ServiceM8’s customer service. Most of the research done for this article was taken from the ServiceM8 website and the words of the employees. I and several other customers found the service to be great and incredibly helpful. As mentioned before, you will not feel overly pressured or forced into using ServiceM8 as an option for your business.
We encourage you to use the free trial before doing anything else, and if you decide that it’s not going to work, you can drop it and move on to something else. If you do decide that it’s worth a shot for your business, you will likely find a lot of help and support, especially when you’re just starting! The help and customer service are easily ServiceM8’s biggest strengths.
Additionally, the system is very user-friendly and easy to use. The app was designed with simplicity in mind and gives users very easy-to-follow instructions. Plus, any help that you can’t find in the app will likely be offered on the website. As mentioned before, the website offers instructions on everything, from creating jobs to seeing your assigned jobs. If you feel overwhelmed now, you won’t need to feel overwhelmed for long because using the app and the site are not difficult undertakings.
ServiceM8 will also keep you updated on everything you could ever need to remain updated on. You will know about new job opportunities, you will know if your invoices are past due, plus options to customize your emails and invoices. Additionally, there are thousands of different benefits that you can take advantage of as a member of ServiceM8.
As mentioned above, you will be able to experience online billing, electronic forms, recurring jobs, automation, and dozens of other benefits as well. Of course, you will need to remember that the benefits do vary by package, but there are all-inclusive options that will allow you to experience all the benefits in full.
Cons
ServiceM8 does have its strengths, but unfortunately, it does have a couple of weaknesses to consider as well, the chief among them being the mobile app only work on most Apple devices. So if your onsite technicians are already fitted out with Android tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy or Lenovo Tab, it may require a lot of up front capital expenditure and training to implement ServiceM8 into your business for the mobile staff. Although only working on Apple devices can be viewed as a weakness, it has allowed them to concentrate of delivering the best mobile product they can on the Apple platform.
The website’s navigation functions could also prove difficult and time-consuming to navigate, especially when first starting out. They are somewhat indirect and will often take a bit of extra time to get you where you want to go. This is more of a minor issue for most people, and becomes less noticeable once you get more experienced at using the product.
Whether or not you use ServiceM8 is a personal decision and one that you should make carefully depending on the needs of your business. You can expect to experience imperfections (as you would with any program or app) but hopefully, for the most part, you will find that ServiceM8 accommodates each of your needs well.
