MenuStart a projectStart

Payments & finance

ServiceM8 quote deposits with GoCardless and Xero

Quote deposit automation requests a deposit as soon as a customer accepts a quote, using a secure bank payment link from GoCardless. Once the payment is confirmed, it records the deposit in Xero and marks the job in ServiceM8 as ready to schedule.

An example of how the studio would build it. No live services are connected.

From an accepted quote to a deposit received and a job ready to book.

  1. Step 01

    Quote accepted

    ServiceM8 reports the change to the job through a webhook, where your account allows it, with the customer and quoted total.

  2. Step 02

    Deposit worked out

    Calculate the deposit from your rules for each type of job, and hold unusual amounts for the office to confirm.

  3. Step 03

    Payment requested

    Create a one-off GoCardless Instant Bank Pay request and send the customer the secure link.

  4. Step 04

    Payment confirmed

    When GoCardless confirms the payment, record the deposit against the job and in Xero, in the way your accountant prefers.

  5. Step 05

    Ready to book

    Mark the job as ready to schedule in ServiceM8 and let the office know materials can be ordered.

The result

Materials are ordered against money already received.

One deposit request is created per accepted quote, keyed to the job, so a repeated webhook cannot ask the customer twice. The workflow only requests money: the customer authorises every payment in their own banking app.

Before we connect it.

Where this is useful

Useful for trades such as kitchen fitters, roofers and landscapers who order materials before starting work and chase deposits by phone or text. A sensible first version requests deposits only on jobs above a set value, with the office checking each amount before the link goes out.

What we need to connect

  1. 01ServiceM8 access to jobs, quotes and job status changes, with webhooks enabled where your account allows it.
  2. 02A GoCardless account with Instant Bank Pay available, plus webhook access to payment events.
  3. 03Your deposit rules, how deposits should be recorded in Xero and approved wording for the payment request.

What needs careful handling

A customer may pay the deposit by card or bank transfer instead, so the office can mark it as received and stop any further request. A quote revised after acceptance needs the deposit recalculated by a person rather than a second request sent automatically. A payment that fails or is abandoned leaves the job unscheduled and alerts the office, which decides whether to follow up.

Questions people ask.

Why a bank payment rather than a card link?

Bank payments suit larger deposits because the customer approves them in their own banking app, with no card details involved. Fees differ by provider and plan, so it is worth comparing them for your typical job values. A card link can still be offered to customers who prefer it.

Can ServiceM8 take deposits on its own?

ServiceM8 offers ways to take payments, depending on your plan, and they may be all you need. This flow helps when you want deposits by bank payment, recorded in Xero in a particular way, or tied to rules about which jobs need one.

Quote sent → Owner notified
Automation 06

Automated quote follow-ups

Failure received → Final step taken
Automation 39

Failed Direct Debit recovery automation

All automation examples