DeskSide Assets

What is DeskSide Assets?

DeskSide Assets brings ServiceM8’s mobile asset-testing workflow to the desktop. Open it from any job and you get the same shape of flow the field app gives you on a phone: every asset on the job’s site, a green tick on the ones you’ve already tested on this job, asset detail with photo / fields / location / history, and a tap-to-test form that writes straight back to ServiceM8 as a form response linked to the job and asset.

Built for fire, electrical, HVAC and compliance contractors who want the mobile asset-list experience while working at the desktop — for catching up on outstanding tests, reviewing prior results, or writing up reports.

Before you start

• You need the ServiceM8 Asset Management addon enabled on your account.
• You need at least one asset type configured with assets attached to client sites.
• To run inspections, you need at least one form template configured in ServiceM8.

Trial & billing

• Every new install gets a 7-day free trial — no credit card up front.
• After the trial, DeskSide Assets is $5.99 AUD/month, billed externally from ServiceM8 via Stripe.
• Open DeskSide Assets and use the Settings / Manage billing link to set up or update your payment.
• If you don’t add billing details before the trial ends, DeskSide Assets stops opening on jobs. Your existing form responses and asset data are never affected.
• Cancel anytime from the Stripe billing portal. Cancelling never affects your ServiceM8 data.

Opening DeskSide Assets

Step 1: Open a job

In ServiceM8, open any job that has assets on its client / site. (If the job’s site doesn’t have any assets, DeskSide will tell you and there’s nothing to do.)

Step 2: Click DeskSide Assets in the job actions

Click the DeskSide Assets action on the job. It opens in a modal over the job card.

The asset list

You see every active asset on the job’s site. Each row shows:

• Status indicator — a green tick for assets that already have a completed form on this job (red cross if that form reads as a fail).
• Asset name — from ServiceM8.
• Asset type — on the right, so you can scan by category.

Use the search box at the top to filter by name, code, type or any custom field value. The filter icon next to it lets you narrow to a specific asset type.

Asset detail

Click any asset row to open its detail view.

You’ll see:

• The asset’s saved photo at the top (loaded on demand from ServiceM8 attachments).
• Every custom field on the asset type, with values, neatly rendered for desktop.
• An inline Edit link to jump to the asset record itself in ServiceM8 (in case a value needs correcting).

Scroll down for the location map and full prior-test history:

• Location — an OpenStreetMap pin at the asset’s coordinates (if set).
• History — all prior tests — every form response ever submitted against this asset across every job, with date, technician, and a PASS / FAIL chip.

Viewing a prior test

Click any entry in the history list to view the full test record.

You get every answer the technician recorded, plus any captured photos (Failure Image, Reference Image, etc.) rendered inline. The form name, completion timestamp, asset and overall result are shown at the top.

Running a new test

Click the green + New test button at the top of the asset detail.

1. Choose a form template — pick from any form configured in your ServiceM8 account.
2. … or repeat a past test — select an earlier test from this asset’s history to copy its structure.
3. Fill in the answers — text inputs, dropdowns, checkboxes are all supported inline.
4. Upload any file fields — e.g. failure images, where the form template asks for them.
5. Click Submit test. The new form response is written straight back to ServiceM8, linked to both the job and the asset, exactly as the mobile app would do it.

Once submitted, the asset will show a green tick (or red cross) on the asset list back at step 1 — without needing to reload.

What about photo & signature fields?

Form fields of type photo or signature are captured in the ServiceM8 mobile app, not in DeskSide. For those fields, DeskSide Assets shows a note in the form so you know they’ll need to be filled in on-site rather than at the desk.

Tips

• Search by custom field value — e.g. type in a serial number, model code or location string to jump straight to the asset.
• The green-tick / red-cross indicator is scoped to this job — an asset that’s been tested on a different job will show as untested here, which is intentional.
• Use “repeat a past test” when you’re doing periodic inspections — saves picking the same form each time.
• The asset detail is lazy-loaded — nothing fetched until you click into an asset — so the asset list opens fast even on big sites.
• Inline Edit on the asset detail takes you to ServiceM8’s own asset editor — changes flow back through the asset list.

Need Help?

If you run into anything broken or have an asset-testing flow you can’t crack, get in touch.

Get Help