21 September 2018, Darwin, Australia – The release of iOS 12 this week sees the introduction of Siri Shortcuts, the ability to use Siri with third-party apps. It opens up whole new possibilities to access information, communicate, and complete tasks with apps, using only your voice. The personal and lifestyle applications are exciting (think: “Hey Siri, order my favourite pizza”). However, there are also business apps immediately supporting Siri Shortcuts, delivering real voice-activated control and automation to help people get work done.
ServiceM8, an Australian job management app for field service businesses, sees Siri Shortcuts as the next big step in how contractors manage their jobs, staff, customers and invoicing. Their users are constantly on the move and working with their hands, so it’s a segment well-placed to leverage voice-activated and hands-free technology.
ServiceM8 CEO, Mr Kim Ford, explains: “Siri Shortcuts is huge for trades and home services. Imagine you’re a plumber, doing six jobs a day. Think about every time you need to stop, open and interact with your iPhone throughout each day — navigating to jobs, reviewing your schedule, letting clients know you’re on the way, and so on. There are apps to do all these things, but the ability to set up workflows, even between different apps, and then ask Siri to action them — that’s technology which can transform how you work, all day, every day."
It’s all made possible using SiriKit, Apple’s toolkit for developers to open their apps to Siri. For apps which support Siri Shortcuts (like ServiceM8), it means users can build custom connections between Siri and specific actions in an app, and even link several actions across different apps, then ask Siri to make it happen. One of ServiceM8’s suggested shortcuts will check a technician into their next scheduled job for the day, send their client a preset text that they’re on the way, then open Apple Maps for navigation assistance to site.
Mr Ford believes field service industries are a natural fit for Siri Shortcuts: “Field service business like electricians, plumbers and cleaners do thousands of jobs every year. Across that kind of job volume, if a technology can help them get to the next client faster, make a job easier, or get paid sooner, it’s going to deliver real business benefits.”
ServiceM8’s immediate “Day Zero” support of Siri Shortcuts with the release of iOS 12 is joined by their next major application of Apple’s ARKit technology, with the iOS-exclusive app also introducing a new way to view and locate client-owned assets across a site in Augmented Reality. The innovation is set to streamline the task of locating and servicing any kind of asset or equipment, from fridge compressors to rodent bait stations.
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About ServiceM8:
ServiceM8 is an app for contractors & home services like electricians, plumbers, locksmiths & cleaners. With powerful scheduling, communication, job notes & photos, invoicing & on-site payments, ServiceM8 frees field service businesses from paperwork to run a more productive, professional operation, and enjoy a better lifestyle.
Field staff use the software via a native app for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. The ServiceM8 app is exclusive to Apple mobile devices.
Media contact:
Michael O’Neill
Communications Manager, ServiceM8
Email: michael.o’neill@servicem8.com
