# Automation - overview
> Get an overview of automation in ServiceM8.
The _Automation_ add-on is a powerful tool that you can use to schedule automatic communications to your clients and to your staff. By putting routine automations in place, such as quote follow-ups or overdue payment reminders, your staff will spend less time on administrative tasks, while your clients will benefit from clear, professional communications.
This article provides a [brief overview of each automation](#overview-of-available-automations), and explains [where to view scheduled or processed automations](#viewing-scheduled-or-processed-automations). There is also a [brief video](#automation-video) with more information.
To activate the add-on from the Online Dashboard, go to **Settings > ServiceM8 Add-ons** and enable **Automation**.
## Overview of available automations
There are eight available automations. The five highlighted in the list below are routine activities for almost any business, so are pre-built and ready for you to enable or customise. The other three are more dependent on specific business goals, and can be created as needed.
All automations have a convenient Wizard to walk you through initial set-up and any customisation required.
[](/images/005-028-019-9dfd7655-7b1f-43a2-9f60-de003a2a6d4b.png)
[**Booking Confirmation**](/help-center/servicem8-add-ons/automation/booking-confirmation-automation) (pre-built)
Sends a booking confirmation to clients immediately upon scheduling a new booking within the job card.
- You can customise the message and choose if you want confirmations sent via text message, email, or both.
- Booking confirmations are only sent for bookings scheduled from the job card. You can select if you want to send a booking confirmation or not before saving.
[**Booking Reminder**](/help-center/servicem8-add-ons/automation/how-to-set-automatic-booking-reminders) (pre-built)
Sends a booking reminder to clients before the scheduled booking.
- You can determine the timing of the reminder (for example, 8 hours before booking), customise the message, and choose if you want reminders sent via text message, email, or both.
- Booking reminders will only be sent for jobs with the Booking Reminder badge applied.
[**Customer Feedback**](/help-center/servicem8-add-ons/automation/customer-feedback-automation) (pre-built)
Sends a request to clients for feedback after a job invoice is paid.
- You can determine the timing of the request, customise the message, and choose if you want confirmations sent via text message, email, or both.
- Messages will be sent only if the client has not already provided feedback for the job.
- Used with the _Customer Feedback_ add-on.
[**Payment Follow Up**](/help-center/servicem8-add-ons/automation/payment-follow-up-automation) (pre-built)
Sends a request for payment to clients who have overdue accounts.
- You can determine the timing of the follow-up, customise the message, and choose if you want follow-ups sent via text message, email, or both.
- Payment follow-ups are calculated from the date the job status changed to Completed, and are only sent if payment has not been received.
[**Quote Follow Up**](/help-center/servicem8-add-ons/automation/quote-follow-up-automation) (pre-built)
Sends a follow-up to clients who have pending quotes - an excellent way to increase your quote win rate.
- You can determine the timing of the follow-up, customise the message, and choose if you want follow-ups sent via text message, email, or both.
- Quote follow-ups will only be sent if the client has not yet responded to the quote and the job status has not changed from Quote.
[**Badge Follow Up**](/help-center/servicem8-add-ons/automation/badge-follow-up-automation)
Sends customised messages to clients after completing jobs with specific badges.
- Every new badge follow-up automation you set up is associated with a unique badge. For example, you could customise a badge follow-up to send a reminder about equipment servicing 9 months later, or to send a special offer 3 months later.
- You can also specify that if a client schedules a new job before the automated message is due to be sent, the automation will be cancelled.
- Used with the _Badges_ add-on.
[**Form Inbox Follow Up**](/help-center/servicem8-add-ons/forms/form-follow-up-automation)
Sends messages to your ServiceM8 inbox that can then be converted to jobs, depending on responses to questions in a form.
- For example, if a response on an equipment inspection form indicates a part needs to be serviced, a message is sent to your inbox that can then be converted to a job as you follow up about servicing the part.
- You can set up to three conditions that will trigger the creation of an inbox message.
- You can also specify if messages are created when the form is completed, or when the job is completed.
- Used with the _Forms_ add-on and the _Email Inbox_ add-on.
[**Live Invoice Statements**](/help-center/servicem8-add-ons/automation/how-to-send-live-invoice-statements-to-clients)
Sends a live statement of outstanding invoices to specific clients - particularly useful for clients who have multiple jobs on the go.
- You can specify if a client should receive live invoice statements.
- You can set the automation to occur at the start of each week, every two weeks, or at the start of each month.
- If an invoice for a completed job has been sent to a client but the invoice has not yet been paid, it will appear on their live invoice statement.
## Viewing scheduled or processed automations
**(NOTE:** You can manually stop an automated communication from being sent to a client at any time from the Online Dashboard. [Click here for more information](/help-center/servicem8-add-ons/automation/how-to-cancel-scheduled-automations).)
You can see all scheduled or processed automations in the Online Dashboard from **Settings > Automation**.
Click on the \# scheduled or \# processed next to any given automation to see the list of associated jobs. The example below clicked on the scheduled quote follow up automations.
- Scheduled automations will display a warning if there is an issue preventing them from being sent (for example, a missing email address). If you fix the issue identified, then the automation will proceed at the scheduled time.
- Processed automations will either display a sent status, or a reason why they did not process as scheduled.
You can also see any automations for a specific job, either scheduled or processed, from its job diary.
- If a scheduled automation has an issue, there will be a warning icon and an explanation. The example below is a booking reminder with an issue.
## Automation video