ServiceM8 form
ServiceM8 job checklist template for any trade
This is a base ServiceM8 Checklist in five stages: arrive, safety, work, clean up and sign off. Items containing the word photo become photo tasks that open the camera, check in and check out reminders put each item in front of the tech at the right moment, and ServiceM8 logs who ticked each item and when in the job diary.
Last checked 25 Sep 2026 against the sources listed at the end of this page.
Free form
Job checklist form for all trades
A ticked, time stamped list on the job diary for every visit, with arrival, concealed work and completion photos, and a client signoff.
The form: 16 questions
| Section | Question | Type | Req. | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Arrive | Call or SMS customer with arrival time | Checklist item Reminder: Navigate to Job | Yes | |
| 1 Arrive | Confirm scope with customer on site | Checklist item Reminder: Check In | Yes | Anything new goes on a variation before work starts. |
| 1 Arrive | Arrival photo of work area as found | Photo task Reminder: Check In | Yes | The word photo makes it a photo task. Shows existing damage before you touch anything. |
| 2 Safety | Site hazards checked and controlled | Checklist item Reminder: Check In | Yes | Attach your JSA or SWMS Form here as a Form requirement if your work needs one. |
| 2 Safety | Isolation or lock out applied where needed | Checklist item | Yes | |
| 2 Safety | Customer, pets and children kept clear of work area | Checklist item | ||
| 3 Work | Materials checked against job before starting | Checklist item | Yes | |
| 3 Work | Photo of concealed work before closing up | Photo task | Yes | Wiring, pipework or fixings that will be hidden. The photo most often needed later. |
| 3 Work | Extra materials added to job card | Checklist item | Yes | Unbilled parts are the usual leak. |
| 3 Work | Tested and working | Checklist item | Yes | Replace with your trade Form as a requirement if it records tests. |
| 4 Clean up | Rubbish and offcuts removed | Checklist item Reminder: Check Out | Yes | |
| 4 Clean up | Area vacuumed or swept | Checklist item Reminder: Check Out | Yes | |
| 4 Clean up | Completion photo of finished work | Photo task Reminder: Check Out | Yes | |
| 5 Sign off | Walk customer through the work | Checklist item Reminder: Check Out | Yes | |
| 5 Sign off | Client signoff collected | Checklist item Reminder: Check Out, assign to lead tech | Yes | Use the Client Signoff job action; the signature saves to the diary. |
| 5 Sign off | Work completed notes written for invoice | Checklist item Reminder: Check Out | Yes |
Set it up in ServiceM8
- Activate Job Templates in Account > Features & Integrations, then open Account > Settings > Job Templates and create a template called Standard job.
- Copy the checklist items above into a text file, one per line, each line starting with a hyphen (-).
- In the job template's Checklist, right-click + New Item and Paste. Each hyphenated line becomes an item.
- Use the checklist menu (the three dots) to split the list into five named checklists: Arrive, Safety, Work, Clean up, Sign off.
- Hover each item and set its Reminder and Assignee as shown in the table.
- If you use Forms, add your JSA or trade report as a Form requirement by searching its name when adding an item.
- Create a test job from the template on the app and run through it, checking the photo tasks open the camera and the diary logs each tick.
A checklist, not a form
ServiceM8 has two ways to guide a tech through a job. A Form produces a PDF report for the customer. A Checklist is a list of tasks on the job card that the tech ticks off in the app, with each tick recorded in the diary against the staff member and the time. For the everyday steps every job shares (turn up, keep the site safe, do the work, leave it clean, get it signed off) a checklist is lighter and faster, and it does not generate paperwork the customer never reads.
The checklist below is deliberately trade neutral. It is the layer every electrician, plumber, HVAC tech or handyman does on every job. Add your trade's specific steps as a sixth checklist, or better, attach your trade's Form as a checklist requirement so the report cannot be forgotten.
Photos where the arguments start
Most callbacks and disputes come down to three moments: what the site looked like when you arrived, what was behind the wall before you closed it up, and how you left it. ServiceM8 turns any checklist item containing the word photo into a photo task. When the tech taps it the camera opens, taking the photo ticks the item, and the photo is saved to the job diary. The template puts a photo task at each of those three points, so the evidence exists on every job without anyone having to remember.
Timing with reminders
Each item can carry a reminder. Navigate to Job fires when the tech sets off, Check In when they arrive, and Check Out when they finish. That lets one list serve the whole visit: the call ahead item pops up on the way, the hazard check at arrival, and the clean up and sign off items as they try to leave. You can also assign an item to a specific staff member, which matters on two person jobs where only the lead collects the signature.
Visibility follows the security role. By default Staff see their own and unassigned tasks, while Contractor roles see only tasks assigned to them, so assign the items a subcontractor must do.
Making it automatic
Typing the list on each job defeats the point. Build it once, then put it in a Job Template so every new job of that type starts with it. ServiceM8 also lets you paste a list from a document straight into a checklist, as long as each line starts with a hyphen, which is how you load the list below in one go. Sign off itself uses ServiceM8's Client Signoff job action, which saves the customer's signature to the diary and, on templates that support it, prints it on the invoice.
What this form will not do
- Checklist items are ticks and photos only. Readings, answers and customer facing reports belong in a Form.
- Only the word photo creates a photo task; a checklist item cannot require more than the one photo it takes.
- Contractor security roles see only tasks assigned to them, so unassigned items are invisible to subcontractors.
- Checklists in existing jobs do not update when you change the Job Template.
- This checklist is general. It is not a safe work method statement and does not replace one where your work requires it.
Sources
- ServiceM8 Checklists can be added to a job card online or in the iOS app; when field staff mark an item complete, the staff member and the time are recorded in the job's Diary. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- A checklist item containing the word 'photo' becomes a photo task: tapping it in the app opens the camera, taking the photo marks the task complete and saves the photo to the Diary. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Checklist reminders can be set to Navigate to Job, Check In, Check Out, Today, Tomorrow, Monday or a custom date and time; items can be assigned to staff, and completing a specific Form can be added as a checklist requirement. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- When pasting multiple rows of text into a ServiceM8 checklist, each row must begin with a hyphen (-) to register as a new item. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- In the ServiceM8 app, default Staff roles see My Tasks and Unassigned Tasks, Contractor and Strict Contractor roles see only My Tasks, and Business Owners and Finance see all tasks. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- Job Templates pre-fill new jobs with job requirements, checklists, documentation and materials; the add-on is activated in Account > Features & Integrations > Job Templates. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.
- ServiceM8's Client Signoff job action captures the customer's signature on screen and saves it to the job Diary; some quote and invoice templates place the signature on the document automatically. ServiceM8 Help Center, checked 25 Sep 2026.