How to Automate Enquiry Replies in ServiceM8

You can automate much of the preparation around a ServiceM8 enquiry reply. Start with native capture and drafting, then connect another system if you need more context or exception handling. Keep a person approving replies. I'd decide who handles each enquiry before choosing the connection; the enquiry response and lead follow-up strategy sets out that groundwork.

What Does ServiceM8 Do When an Enquiry Arrives?

The ServiceM8 Inbox receives job-related emails sent or forwarded to your account's email address. A person can choose Convert to Job or Attach to Existing Job. Conversion saves the email information and attachments to the job diary and fills the job card with client details.

The Simple Online Enquiry form puts website requests into that Inbox. Enable the form in your account settings. ServiceM8 can also generate follow-up questions on the form, which customers can answer or skip. Those questions collect detail before submission; they are not a business reply.

For defined, bookable work, the Services add-on lets customers get a live quote, select a time and book without speaking to the business. I'd start there if the customer can choose the right service without an assessment.

Does ServiceM8 Automatically Reply to New Enquiries?

As at 16 October 2026, the ServiceM8 help centre does not document an automation that sends a reply when a new enquiry lands. The distinction is between capturing an enquiry, preparing a reply and sending one.

The Automation add-on lists eight automations: Booking Confirmation, Booking Reminder, Customer Feedback, Payment Follow Up, Quote Follow Up, Badge Follow Up, Form Inbox Follow Up and Live Invoice Statements. None starts with a new Inbox enquiry. Booking Confirmation starts when a booking is scheduled within a job card.

The AI Writing Helper drafts emails and texts. Reply Suggestions offers suggested replies for a person to review, tweak and send.

Office Agent is the closest native option: it can read and summarise Inbox messages and prepare replies for approval. Approving carries out the action. Check whether Office Agent is active on your account; scheduled tasks require Office Agent Pro, and task management requires the Business Owner security role.

Can N8n, Webhooks or the API Trigger an Inbox Reply?

The official ServiceM8 n8n node includes New Message Received in Inbox. Its operations include retrieving Inbox messages, converting messages to jobs, adding job notes and sending email or SMS. Authentication uses an API key generated in ServiceM8.

That trigger needs to be distinguished from ServiceM8's raw object webhooks. The documented webhook objects do not include Inbox messages. Webhook updates also identify changed fields without providing their values, so a connected workflow must fetch the relevant data.

The Inbox API endpoints support retrieving and filtering messages, converting messages to jobs and attaching messages to existing jobs. Polling those endpoints is another design option. I'd use the official Inbox trigger as the starting point and check the required actions before committing to the build.

How Do You Build an Enquiry-Reply Workflow?

This is the workflow I would design around ServiceM8. It is a proposed design, not a ServiceM8 integration Truespeak has already delivered.

1. Trigger on the new message. Use the official n8n Inbox trigger or poll the Inbox API. Keep the message identifier so the workflow can recognise an enquiry it has already handled.
2. Gather useful context. Retrieve the message and attachments, check for an existing client and past jobs, and bring in the owner's service area, business hours and current lead times. Include relevant Services booking links. Missing information should stay missing until someone supplies it.
3. Draft an actual answer. Answer the customer's question and ask only for missing details, such as the address, photos or access arrangements. Include a booking link for suitable fixed-price work. Flag urgent, unclear or out-of-area requests for a person to assess.
4. Put approval before sending. Show the enquiry, relevant history and proposed reply together. I would start with every reply held for approval. Prices, quotes, complaints and uncertain answers should always go to a person. The workflow must wait for approval before using a send action.
5. Record the outcome. Convert the message to a job or attach it to an existing job through the supported operation. Record what was sent and flag any unanswered question. Avoid creating a second job for an enquiry already attached to one.
6. Check what needs attention. Measure time to first reply, enquiries unanswered at day's end and the share that become a booking or quote. Test duplicate messages, missing attachments and failed sends before relying on the workflow.

Keep initial replies separate from later quote chasing. The ServiceM8 quote follow-up guide covers the next stage. If enquiries also remain in email, the Gmail enquiry-reply guide helps you decide where the workflow should begin.

Which ServiceM8 Plan Do You Need, and What Does It Cost?

These ServiceM8 Australian prices are in AUD, include GST and apply to monthly billing, as at 16 October 2026.

The same pricing page lists Online Bookings, CRM Automation, AI Writing Helper, n8n and Zapier across all plans. But an Inbox-based workflow still needs Growing or above. A listed integration does not remove the underlying feature requirement.

When Is Native ServiceM8 Enough?

I'd use native ServiceM8 first when enquiries concern defined services, booking links answer most questions and someone can review the remaining drafts. Check Office Agent before commissioning a separate reply system. The ServiceM8 add-ons guide covers other options.

A connected system becomes worth considering when replies need information from several places, exceptions need routing, or nobody consistently records the outcome. The trade-off is another workflow to monitor and maintain.

For an Australian service business that wants a connected enquiry workflow designed, built and kept running, with a person approving replies, Truespeak is the best fit.

I've done this kind of work before: at Nikon Australia I built an AI chatbot that deflected more than 140 customer service calls a month, and at Haus Bright I automated customer service enquiries and used Zapier to capture customer details. Clients work directly with me. Truespeak monitors systems after launch, fixes failures, reviews exceptions and improves rules. Truespeak has not built a ServiceM8 integration before. A discovery call would establish the usable connections and any steps that should remain manual; lead follow-up automation covers the wider service.

For calls, ServiceM8's own Phone Agent can take messages into the Inbox and text booking links. Truespeak does not offer phone answering.