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ServiceM8 how-to

How do you set up a ServiceM8 asset register with QR labels?

Turn on the Asset Management add-on (Growing plan and up), order ServiceM8's own QR labels from Settings, Assets (usually under 15 cents each), set up asset types, then scan each label in the app to create the asset. The Asset Register is a PDF you produce per client or site from Settings, Assets.

Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.

Yes, natively

Yes, natively on the Growing plan and up: ServiceM8's own QR labels, asset types you define, and a per client Asset Register PDF.

Step by step

  1. Check your plan. Asset Management is listed from the Growing plan (A$79 a month including GST) upward.
  2. Turn it on in Settings, ServiceM8 Add-ons, Asset Management.
  3. Order labels in Settings, Assets, Order Labels. To test first, print the 9 sample QR codes from ServiceM8's ordering article.
  4. Create asset types in Settings, Assets, Setup Asset Types. Keep fields to what every asset of that type will have, because all fields are mandatory.
  5. Click Template Setup on each asset type and choose up to 10 report columns, plus a title and notes (for example the standard you inspect to).
  6. On site, stick a label on the item, open the job in the app, tap Assets (apply the asset type's badge to the job if the menu is missing) and tap the barcode icon to scan.
  7. Choose the asset type, drag the map pin to the exact spot, take a photo and fill in the fields. Save.
  8. Back in the office, go to Settings, Assets, Asset Register, choose the client or site and the asset types, and generate the PDF. It saves to the client diary.
  9. If you already have a spreadsheet of assets, use Settings, Assets, Bulk Import (one asset type for one client per file), then link each imported asset to a label on the next visit with Complete Asset Setup.

Gotchas

  • Assets can only be created in the iOS app, by scanning a label. There is no way to add a labelled asset from the Online Dashboard.
  • The Assets menu only appears on a job that has the asset type's badge applied. Add the badges to your job templates so techs are not hunting for it.
  • Imported assets are not usable for forms until someone scans a label onto them on site and completes the setup.
  • A damaged label can be replaced from the asset's details (Replace Asset Label), but only with a label that has never been linked to another asset. You cannot move a label from one asset to another.
  • Subcontractors cannot scan your assets. ServiceM8 says assets cannot be shared between accounts, even through a Network Request.
  • The map pin is static. For portable items such as power tools, the location shown is wherever it was when the asset was created or last updated.

What the official help article misses: It says some plans do not include Asset Management without naming which, does not say whether you can print your own QR codes, and leaves the register, label replacement and bulk import to separate articles. It does not warn that techs cannot save an asset if they cannot answer every field. Read ServiceM8's article.

What the register actually is

In ServiceM8 an asset register is not a list you type up. It is a PDF that ServiceM8 builds from the assets your techs have already created on site, for one client or one site at a time. Each asset exists because someone stuck a ServiceM8 QR label on it, scanned the label in the app, chose an asset type, dropped a pin on the map, took a photo and filled in the fields.

That order matters. You cannot create an asset from the Online Dashboard, and you cannot create one without a label. So the setup work is mostly in the office (asset types, report columns, a label order) and the data entry happens on the first visit to each site.

When you produce the register, you pick the client or site and which asset types to include. Each asset type starts on a new page, and a copy saves to the client's diary automatically, so the next person who opens the client card can find it without asking.

Labels: which stock works

The QR code is the asset's identity in ServiceM8, and the help centre only describes one kind of label: the ones ServiceM8 sells. They carry a globally unique code, printed with UV resistant ink on a durable backing with a strong adhesive. You order them from Settings, Assets, Order Labels, where the wizard shows the current price for your country. ServiceM8 says the cost is usually under 15 cents a label and orders usually dispatch in 1 to 2 business days. ServiceM8's 2018 launch post described them as 25mm by 30mm, sold in rolls of 500 or 1000; check the order wizard for what is offered now.

The help centre does not describe printing your own QR codes on your own label stock, so do not plan on a Brother or Dymo printer replacing the ServiceM8 roll. What you can print yourself is a second label beside it: your business name, phone number and "scan for service history". That second line earns its place, because ServiceM8 says customers can scan the asset label to see the asset's service history and report a problem straight to your business.

For a trial before you buy a roll, the ordering article has 9 sample QR codes you can print on paper and scan.

Setting up asset types before the first site visit

An asset type decides which fields each asset has, for example Make, Model and Serial Number for an appliance, or odometer and VIN for a vehicle. Fields can be Text, Numeric, Date or Multiple Choice, and every asset gets a Name field automatically.

Every field on an asset type is mandatory when a tech creates the asset. That is the single most common setup mistake: an office adds ten fields, and a tech on a roof cannot save the asset because the install date is unknown. Keep types lean, and add a "Not applicable" choice to multiple choice fields. Split into separate types only where the information genuinely differs (refrigerant type on a fridge, loader type on a washing machine).

Set up the report columns at the same time. Each asset type has its own Template Setup, with up to 10 columns drawn from the asset's fields and from answers on forms completed against it.

Sources

  1. ServiceM8 asset labels carry a globally unique QR code printed with UV resistant ink on a durable backing; they are ordered from Settings, Assets, Order Labels, usually cost less than 15 cents each, and usually dispatch within 1 to 2 business days. Nine sample QR codes are available to trial. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  2. Customers can scan a ServiceM8 asset label to view the asset's service history and report issues to the business. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  3. Asset types can have Text, Numeric, Date or Multiple Choice fields, every asset has a Name field, all asset type fields are mandatory when creating an asset, and assets can only be created in the ServiceM8 mobile app after scanning a label. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  4. The Asset Register is a PDF of all assets for one customer or site, produced from Settings, Assets, Asset Register; each asset type starts on a new page, a copy saves to the Client Diary, and reports can show up to 10 fields including answers from forms completed on the asset. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  5. On ServiceM8's Australian pricing, Asset Management is listed from the Growing plan, which is A$79 a month including GST. ServiceM8, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  6. A replacement asset label must be one that has never been associated with another asset; the feature cannot move a label between assets. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  7. Subcontractors cannot scan or complete forms against another business's assets, because assets cannot be shared between ServiceM8 accounts. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
  8. ServiceM8's 2018 announcement of the Asset Management add-on described the labels as 25mm by 30mm and sold in rolls of 500 or 1000. ServiceM8 Blog, checked 25 Sep 2026.