ServiceM8 now has an integration with Workato and Zapier, two similar but separate “web app integrators” which give everyday people the ability to make their cloud-based applications talk to one another, automatically.
In this era of cloud technology, businesses are relying more and more on cloud-based software and apps. But while all of these apps may be great at what they do, they don’t all talk to each other and exchange data. This is where app integrators like Workato and Zapier come in.
What do they do?
Workato and Zapier are user-friendly software platforms for connecting and automating workflows across cloud-based apps. With them, you can build your own customised connections between supported apps, without needing to hire an IT developer — just ‘set and forget’.
These connections between apps work on a cause and effect basis i.e. you configure the software to detect a certain event in one app, which then “triggers” a certain action in another app. You can even trigger multiple actions in the one app, or across different apps. Each of the apps you can connect has a list of triggers and actions which they support.
Here are a couple of examples of possible connections using these integrators:
- Let’s say your field staff use Expensify to record the cost of specific materials bought for particular jobs, and you’d like to streamline the way you add these material costs to each job.
With Workato, you can build an automated process which will automatically add the cost of these job materials to the job, by importing the cost from Expensify and adding it as a separate ‘Materials’ item in the ServiceM8 invoice (with an added profit margin if needed).
- Now, let’s turn it around with an example of a ServiceM8 trigger (using Zapier this time). Let’s say you want to keep a closer eye on how your field staff are dealing with high risk job safety issues.
With Zapier, you can create an automated process which will automatically send you an email whenever a staff member assesses a job site risk as “High” or above when filling out a Job Safety Analysis form in ServiceM8.
Across the number of cloud apps your business uses, and the number of triggers and actions possible within each app, there are likely dozens of potential connections you can create to save time, increase productivity and streamline your business workflows, your own way.
With Workato, combinations of triggers and actions to connect apps together are called ‘recipes’.
Check out this video for a quick overview of how to create a ‘recipe’ for an app integration in Workato:
Workato supports integrations across 150+ popular apps – you can search them here.
Here are some of the ServiceM8 triggers and actions supported by Workato:
Triggers
Any of these certain events in your ServiceM8 account can trigger actions in other apps you’re integrating ServiceM8 with:
- Client updated
- Contact created
- Job activity created
- Job quoted
- Job updated
- Material created
- Staff created
Actions
Any of these ServiceM8 events can be triggered by events in other apps:
- Add job
- Add job material
- Add staff
- Create client
- Create contact
- Create material
- Update client
- Update contact
- Update job
- Update material
- And more!
You can browse ServiceM8 recipes that the Workato team and user community have created here. You can copy or adapt one of these recipes to suit the workflow you want to automate, or create your own from scratch!
You can click here to find out more about how Workato works, and here to see their plans and pricing (TIP: get a feel for how it works with a free trial).
You can also check out a breakdown of Workato and user reviews on comparison site GetApp.
What is Zapier? Check out this video:
With Zapier, combinations of triggers and actions to connect apps together are called ‘zaps’.
Zapier supports integrations across 500+ apps! Check them all out in the Zapbook.
Here are some of the ServiceM8 triggers and actions supported by Zapier:
Triggers
These certain events in ServiceM8 can trigger actions in other apps you’re integrating ServiceM8 with:
- New job
- New client
- ServiceM8 form completed
Actions
These ServiceM8 events can be triggered by events in other apps:
- Create job
- Create client
You can browse existing ServiceM8 zaps here, or build your own.
You can click here to find out more about how Zapier works, here to see their plans and pricing, and here to create a trial account. A great thing about Zapier is that you can create and use up to five basic zaps for free!
You can also check out a breakdown of Zapier and user reviews on comparison site GetApp.
Both Workato and Zapier are designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, empowering people to connect their business apps on their own. So, if you think setting up some integrations with Workato or Zapier could help streamline your business, create a trial account and have a go at doing it yourself.
If you can’t spare the time, consider contacting a ServiceM8 Partner for setup assistance – because they’re already familiar with ServiceM8, they’ll likely be able to build on your ideas for connections and find even more ways to automate and streamline your workflows.
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