Sending WhatsApp Appointment Reminders from ServiceM8

If you use ServiceM8 to run your jobs, you can connect it to Broadcaster and send automatic WhatsApp reminders to clients before each appointment. Once connected, Broadcaster reads your ServiceM8 schedule and handles the reminders, nothing to send manually.

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What your clients receive

Your client receives a WhatsApp message from your business number ahead of their job. The message includes their name, the appointment date and time, and any details from your reminder template. You choose when reminders go out, a few days before, the day before, the morning of, or a combination.

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How to connect ServiceM8 to Broadcaster

ServiceM8 provides a calendar feed for each staff member through the External Calendars add-on. This is the feed Broadcaster uses to read your upcoming jobs.

Step 1: Enable the External Calendars add-on in ServiceM8

1. Log into your ServiceM8 account on a desktop browser
2. Go to Settings and then Add-ons
3. Find External Calendars and enable it

Note: the External Calendars add-on costs 5 job credits per month in ServiceM8.

Step 2: Get your ServiceM8 iCal feed URL

1. In ServiceM8, go to Settings and then Staff
2. Click on the staff member whose calendar you want to connect
3. Copy the Calendar URL from their profile

If you have a team, you need the calendar URL for a staff member who is assigned to all jobs — or connect multiple feeds if your work is split between staff members. Each staff member has their own unique URL.

Step 3: Add the feed to Broadcaster

1. Log into your Broadcaster account
2. Go to Integrations in the left-hand menu
3. On the ICS Calendar Feed card, press Add connection, then paste your ServiceM8 calendar URL into Calendar URL and choose how often Broadcaster should check it: every hour, every 6 hours, or twice a day
4. Press Add calendar feed

ServiceM8 calendar feeds typically refresh every 15 minutes, which is faster than most other sources.

For full details on the iCal connection process, see our calendar connection guide.

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What gets synced

What syncs	Notes
Job date and time	Yes
Job type / title	Yes, from the job description in ServiceM8
Client phone number	Used to find the matching contact. If nobody matches, the visit is held until you add the person, or Broadcaster can add them for you
Client name	Matched from Broadcaster by phone number, then email, then name
Job notes	Yes, from the job details field

Broadcaster matches a calendar event to a contact by phone number first, then by email, then by name. If nobody matches, the visit is not booked: it is listed on your Integration Activity page until you add the person, and then books itself. If you would rather Broadcaster added the person and booked the visit straight away, choose that option in the feed’s settings under Integrations.

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Does this work for my trade?

ServiceM8 is popular with sole traders and small teams across electrical, plumbing, HVAC, pest control, and cleaning businesses in the UK. It works well with Broadcaster if you are running a job-based business where clients book specific time slots, the reminder goes out automatically before each one.

ServiceM8’s 15-minute feed refresh rate also means Broadcaster picks up new bookings quickly, which matters if you are booking jobs at short notice.

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Ready to connect ServiceM8 to Broadcaster?

Start your free trial and follow the steps above. Most businesses are up and running within the same day.