How to Automate Quote Follow-Up in ServiceM8

Start with ServiceM8's own Automation add-on if you need scheduled quote reminders. Consider a connected system when the follow-up needs to account for the conversation, prepare a call task or wait for approval. I'd settle the reminder rules first, then decide whether AI has a useful job to do.

Can ServiceM8 Follow Up Quotes Automatically?

Yes. The Automation add-on's Quote Follow Up feature sends customisable emails, texts or both about a quote you've provided. ServiceM8 says reminders only send while the customer has not responded and the job remains in Quote status.

The reply rule deserves attention. Scheduled follow-ups are cancelled when a customer replies and you haven't responded to or dismissed that reply. Online acceptance, specified status changes, manual cancellation and resending the quote to someone who isn't a saved contact also stop the sequence. ServiceM8 lists the cancellation conditions here.

I'd assign someone to review replies before switching reminders on. A customer asking about access to the site needs an answer from the business before another request to accept the quote.

How Do I Set Up Quote Reminders in ServiceM8?

1. Enable Automation. From the Online Dashboard, open Settings > ServiceM8 Add-ons and enable Automation. Check the add-ons listed for your plan there. ServiceM8's activation instructions cover this step.
2. Open Quote Follow Up. Go to Settings > Automation and click Edit beside Quote Follow Up, following ServiceM8's setup guide.
3. Configure the messages. Choose email, SMS or both and customise the follow-up sequence using the message settings. I wouldn't fill every available follow-up slot by default. Agree the timing and wording with whoever handles quote enquiries.
4. Decide how to handle stale quotes. ServiceM8 lets you choose whether unaccepted quotes become Unsuccessful and set the timeframe. I'd agree that rule with whoever owns the sales conversation.
5. Inspect a test job. Scheduled messages appear in the job's Diary, and scheduled automations show warnings for problems such as a missing email address. Check the recipient, wording and schedule before relying on the sequence.

My suggested first message is simple: "Hi [name], following up on the quote for [job]. Is there anything you'd like us to clarify before you decide?" Replace the bracketed text with the customer's name and job description.

Which ServiceM8 Add-Ons Help with Quote Follow-Up?

Start with Automation. For broader workflows, ServiceM8 also points to n8n for actions triggered by job-data changes. These options involve different levels of setup:

ServiceM8's add-ons page doesn't show the Automation add-on price; check Settings > ServiceM8 Add-ons for your plan.

Can AI Write Quote Follow-Up Messages for ServiceM8 Jobs?

Yes, as part of a connected workflow you design. ServiceM8's help centre doesn't describe an AI drafting feature for quote follow-ups. ServiceM8's official n8n node supplies useful connection points, including Quote Sent to Customer, Customer Accepted the Quote and New Message Received in Inbox.

For a kitchen or bathroom renovator, the useful context might be a question about the quoted scope or an agreed site visit. Here's how I'd design it (I haven't built this one for a ServiceM8 client yet):

1. Trigger: start when a quote is sent, or review quotes still awaiting a decision after a business-defined interval. Check eligibility again before preparing contact.
2. Data needed: gather the job description, quote value and items, relevant site notes, previous messages and enquiry source. Confirm access to each required field during scoping; leave unavailable steps manual.
3. What gets drafted: prepare a message addressing a recorded question or clarifying the next step. Suggest a call task when a conversation would be more useful. Don't invent a customer's objection.
4. Who approves: hold every proposed message for the owner or nominated staff member. Pause the sequence when the customer replies, and recheck the job before sending an approved draft.
5. What gets recorded: add the message and outcome to the job as a note. Flag stale quotes for review, with agreed rules for any status update.

There's a technical detail worth pricing into the build: ServiceM8 webhook updates identify changed fields but don't contain their new values. The connected application must retrieve the record through the REST API. A notification alone isn't enough context to write or send a follow-up.

I'd also give each reminder one sending workflow. If native reminders and custom drafts cover the same quote, explicitly coordinate them before launch. The wider lead follow-up workflow should make ownership and stop conditions clear.

How Do I Track Accepted and Declined Quotes in ServiceM8?

Online acceptance prompts an account notification and automatically converts the job from Quote to Work Order. Questions submitted through the Online Quote portal appear in the ServiceM8 Inbox and relevant job card.

For an explicit decline, I'd record the customer's decision and reason, then update the job status under your agreed process. Keep an explicit "no" distinguishable from a quote that simply aged out. ServiceM8 allows unaccepted quotes to become Unsuccessful automatically; a subsequent customer reply returns those jobs to Quote status.

That distinction belongs in your CRM upkeep rules. Silence tells you less than a customer declining because the scope changed.

Where Does Truespeak Fit?

I'm Sonny Hovsepian, Truespeak's founder, born and raised in Australia; I grew my own e-commerce business, Haus Bright, past $1 million a year within three years.

For an Australian service business that wants automation designed, built and then run, with a person approving anything sensitive, Truespeak is built for exactly that. Clients work directly with me.

Truespeak works with existing tools and keeps running the system after launch: monitoring, fixing failures, reviewing exceptions and improving rules. Where a tool has no usable connection, that step stays manual.

I'd start a discovery call with an actual quote and its conversation history. If a standard reminder covers the need, start there. If the next message depends on what the customer has already said, scope the context and approval steps before choosing the technology.