New here? Start with how it works, screen by screen, then come back for the detail.
The add-on puts your WhatsApp number inside ServiceM8. Messages from customers land on the right job, photos attach themselves to it, your whole team can see the conversation instead of one person’s phone, and, if you want it, an assistant answers new enquiries and books the job.
Pick the topic you need below. If you are setting up for the first time, start with Getting started and work down. The topics are in the order you will meet them.
Everything here is written for the people doing the job, not for developers. If something is unclear, that is worth telling us about: email admin@onspecsoftware.com and we will fix the page as well as answer you.
Common questions
Do I get charged for the WhatsApp messages?
Meta charges for messaging directly to your own WhatsApp Business account, on your own card, at Meta's published rates. It is not billed through us and we do not add anything to it. Your ServiceHQ subscription covers the add-on itself. From 1 October 2026 replies inside the 24-hour window are charged too; replies from the app on your phone stay free.
Can I keep the number I already use?
Yes, if it is on the WhatsApp Business app. Press "My number is on the WhatsApp Business app" when connecting and the app on your phone carries on working exactly as now, with up to six months of your existing chats brought across. A number on ordinary WhatsApp has to move to the Business app first, which takes a couple of minutes and keeps your messages.
Does the AI reply to customers on its own?
Drafts never do. On any conversation the AI writes a suggested reply and a person reads it and decides whether to send it. The booking assistant is different: switch it on and it answers new enquiries itself, says it is your assistant in its first message, books what you have told it to, and stops the moment a member of staff types. It never touches a conversation that is already on a job.
Why can I only send a template sometimes?
WhatsApp allows normal replies for 24 hours after a customer's last message. After that it only allows an approved template until they reply again. It is WhatsApp's rule, not ours, and it applies to every business on the platform.
Will my customers know I am using a system?
No. Messages arrive from your business number and look like any other WhatsApp message. Nothing is branded and nothing says ServiceHQ. The one exception is the booking assistant, which says it is your assistant, because pretending to be a person would be worse.
What happens to the photos customers send?
They are attached to the job in ServiceM8 automatically, so they end up where the work is recorded rather than on somebody's phone.
Which ServiceM8 plan do I need?
One with the Inbox, which is Growing or above at the time of writing. New enquiries land in the Inbox, so without it they have nowhere to go.
What if I stop paying or cancel?
Sending stops. Receiving does not: messages still arrive and are still there when you come back. We never lose a customer's message because of a billing problem.
Can I use the same number on more than one ServiceM8 account?
No. A WhatsApp number belongs to one account at a time. Connecting it somewhere new releases it from where it was.