The Ultimate n8n Automation Stack for Trades: 7 Workflows That Replace a Full-Time Admin

Why UK Tradespeople Drown in Admin

Run a small trades business and you already know the routine. You finish a job at 4pm, drive home, cook tea, and then spend two hours chasing invoices, writing up quotes, and trying to remember whether you sent that payment reminder to the bloke in Solihull. You are essentially doing two jobs: the trade itself and a full-time admin role.

The average small trades business spends between 10 and 15 hours per week on admin. That is the equivalent of nearly two full working days. For a sole trader or a team of five, those hours could be spent on the tools, not a keyboard. What makes it worse is that most of this admin is completely repeatable. The same tasks, in the same order, every single week.

That is exactly the kind of work automation is built for. And n8n is the tool that makes it affordable for a business with 20 employees or fewer.

The job site is where you earn. Admin should not eat into that time.

n8n

ServiceM8

Xero

Google Calendar

WhatsApp

Stripe

What Is n8n and Why Should Trades Care?

n8n (pronounced "n-eight-n") is an open-source workflow automation tool. Think of it as the engine room behind the scenes, connecting all the software you already use and making them talk to each other automatically. Unlike Zapier, which starts at around £20 per month and charges more as you add automations, n8n is completely free to self-host. You install it on a cheap server, set up your workflows, and it runs forever without a monthly bill.

For a trades business, n8n connects the dots between:

• ServiceM8 for job management, quoting, and scheduling
• Xero for invoicing and accounts
• WhatsApp Business for client communication
• Google Calendar for scheduling and staff visibility
• Stripe for payment links and online card payments

Once connected, the workflow runs without you. A new lead arrives, a quote goes out. A job is marked complete, an invoice is raised in Xero. The client gets a WhatsApp message. If they have not paid after seven days, they get a polite reminder. None of this requires you to touch a keyboard.

Manual vs Automated: The Admin Gap

Workflow 1: New Lead to Auto-Quote in 60 Seconds

The first workflow tackles the most painful part of running a trade business: responding to enquiries fast enough to win the job. Research consistently shows that responding to a lead within five minutes dramatically increases your chance of converting them. Most tradespeople reply the next morning. By then, three competitors have already quoted.

This workflow fires every time a new enquiry lands in your ServiceM8 or contact form. Within 60 seconds, the client gets a professional WhatsApp message acknowledging their request and a quote template pre-filled with your standard rates.

1. Trigger: Webhook receives new lead from your website contact form or ServiceM8 job creation event
2. Extract data: n8n Set node pulls the client name, mobile number, job description, and service address
3. Create job in ServiceM8: HTTP Request node POSTs to /api_1.0/job.json with status "Quote" and the client details
4. Send WhatsApp acknowledgement: WhatsApp node sends: "Hi [Name], thanks for getting in touch. We've received your enquiry and will have a quote with you within 2 hours."
5. Draft email quote: emailSend node fires a branded quote summary to the client's email address

Workflow 2: Job Completed to Xero Invoice Automatically

This is the workflow that most trades businesses want first. When a job is marked as "Completed" in ServiceM8, n8n fires automatically: it fetches the job details and client record from ServiceM8's API, creates a matching contact in Xero if one does not already exist, raises a ACCREC invoice in Xero with the correct line items, and sends the client a WhatsApp notification that their invoice is ready. Your accountant gets a tidy Xero file. Your client gets notified instantly. You get paid faster.

The workflow below shows exactly how this connects. The ServiceM8 webhook triggers on any job status change; the IF node filters for "Completed" status only. From there, the chain runs automatically.

With n8n running in the background, the admin handles itself while you focus on the work.

1. ServiceM8 Webhook: Registers a webhook subscription at /api_1.0/webhooksubscription.json to fire on job status changes
2. Get Job Details: HTTP Request GET to /api_1.0/job/{uuid}.json fetches the full job record including total_invoice_amount and company_uuid
3. Get Client Record: HTTP Request GET to /api_1.0/company/{uuid}.json retrieves name, email, and mobile
4. Prepare Invoice Data: Set node maps ServiceM8 fields to Xero invoice format, setting type to ACCREC and status to AWAITING_PAYMENT
5. Create Xero Invoice: HTTP Request POST to https://api.xero.com/api.xro/2.0/Invoices with Contact, LineItems (job description + amount), and 14-day due date
6. WhatsApp Notification: Sends client a message: "Your invoice for job [ID] is ready. Amount due: £[amount]. Payment due within 14 days."
7. Admin Email: emailSend notifies office@yourtrade.co.uk that a new invoice has been raised

Workflow 3: Automated Payment Reminders (No More Chasing)

Late payments kill cash flow. Every trades business owner knows the awkwardness of calling a client to ask for money. Most avoid it. n8n removes the awkwardness entirely: a scheduled trigger checks Xero every morning for invoices that are overdue, and fires a polite WhatsApp reminder automatically. No human involvement, no embarrassment, no forgotten invoices.

1. Schedule Trigger: scheduleTrigger node fires every morning at 8am using a cron expression: 0 8 * * *
2. Query Xero Overdue Invoices: HTTP Request GET to https://api.xero.com/api.xro/2.0/Invoices?where=Status=="AWAITING_PAYMENT"
3. Filter by Due Date: Code node checks DueDate against today's date, flags invoices overdue by 1, 7, or 14 days
4. IF Branch by Severity: IF node routes to different message templates based on how many days overdue (gentle reminder at 1 day, firmer at 7 days, final notice at 14 days)
5. WhatsApp Reminder: WhatsApp node sends the appropriate message with invoice amount and a Stripe payment link
6. Log to Google Sheets: googleSheets node records each reminder sent for your records

Workflow 4: Post-Job WhatsApp Review Request

Google reviews are gold for trades businesses. A five-star rating from a client who mentions your name and area can be worth thousands in organic search traffic. Yet most tradespeople never ask for reviews, not because they do not want them, but because they forget in the rush of the next job.

This workflow sends a review request automatically, two hours after a Xero invoice is marked as paid. The timing matters: the client has just settled up and is at peak satisfaction. They are far more likely to leave a review at that moment than they would be a week later.

1. Trigger: Xero webhook fires when invoice status changes to PAID
2. Wait Node: 2-hour delay (allows client to process the payment receipt)
3. Send WhatsApp: Message reads: "Hi [Name], thank you for choosing us. We hope the work is exactly what you needed. If you have 30 seconds, a Google review would mean the world to us: [your Google review link]"
4. Log Review Request: Set node records client name and timestamp in a Google Sheet for tracking

Workflow 5: Google Calendar Auto-Scheduling Sync

If you use ServiceM8 for job scheduling and Google Calendar for personal and staff visibility, keeping them in sync is a constant headache. A job gets moved in ServiceM8 but the calendar does not update. A staff member books holiday in Google Calendar but the job still shows them as available. n8n bridges this gap with a real-time sync workflow.

1. ServiceM8 Webhook: Fires on any job booking or reschedule event
2. Extract Booking Details: Set node pulls job date, time, address, assigned staff member UUID, and job description
3. Google Calendar Create/Update Event: googleCalendar node creates or updates the event on the relevant staff member's calendar. Event title format: "[Client Name]: [Job Type], [Address]"
4. WhatsApp to Staff: WhatsApp node sends the assigned engineer a message: "New job booked for [date] at [time]: [address]. Check your Google Calendar for full details."
5. Confirm to Client: emailSend node sends the client a booking confirmation with date, time, and engineer name

Workflow 6: AI-Powered Parts and Materials Ordering

This is the most advanced workflow in the stack, and also the one that gets the most raised eyebrows when you first hear about it. An n8n AI Agent node, powered by OpenAI, reads the job description from ServiceM8 and automatically generates a parts list for that job type. It then checks your supplier's price list (stored in Google Sheets) and flags anything that is running low in stock.

For repeat job types, this works extremely well. An annual boiler service requires the same filters and O-rings every time. A bathroom install has a predictable materials list. The AI is not guessing; it is pattern-matching against your own historical data.

1. Trigger: ServiceM8 webhook fires when a job moves to "Work Order" status
2. AI Agent Node: OpenAI o4-mini receives the job description and system prompt: "You are a UK trades materials estimator. List the standard parts and quantities needed for this job type."
3. Cross-Reference Stock Sheet: googleSheets node reads your current stock levels from a live spreadsheet
4. IF: Stock Low? IF node compares required quantities against available stock
5. WhatsApp Alert to Van Driver: Sends a message listing parts to pick up from the trade counter before the job
6. Email Parts Order Draft: emailSend node sends the suggested order to your supplier contact

Workflow 7: Referral Request Automation

Word of mouth is still the primary growth channel for most UK trades businesses. But asking for referrals feels awkward face to face. This workflow sends a carefully timed WhatsApp message asking the client to refer you to a friend or neighbour, three days after the job is marked complete in ServiceM8. Three days gives the client time to check the work, notice it is done properly, and feel good about recommending you.

1. Trigger: ServiceM8 webhook fires on job completion
2. Wait 3 Days: n8n Wait node holds the workflow for 72 hours
3. Check for Review: Optional: IF node checks Google Sheets to confirm a review was already left (so you are not over-messaging)
4. Send Referral Request: WhatsApp node sends: "Hi [Name], hope the [job type] is all working well. If you know anyone in [area] who needs the same, we'd love the recommendation. We offer a £25 discount to any client you refer."
5. Log in CRM: HTTP Request node POSTs the referral request event to ServiceM8 as a job note for your records

Before vs After: 12 Hours a Week Back

When you add up all 7 workflows, the time savings are significant. Most trades businesses running this full stack report recovering between 10 and 15 hours of admin per week. Here is a rough breakdown of where that time comes from.

What You Will Need to Get Started

Before you set up your first workflow, here is what you need in place:

• n8n instance: Self-hosted on Railway.app (free tier available) or a DigitalOcean droplet at around £4 per month. Alternatively, n8n Cloud starts at £17 per month if you prefer not to manage hosting.
• ServiceM8 account: Any paid plan gives you webhook access for automation triggers
• Xero account: Any paid Xero plan with API access enabled
• WhatsApp Business API: Register through Meta for Business; a WABA account typically takes 1 to 2 days to approve for UK numbers
• Google Calendar API credentials: Enable the Google Calendar API in Google Cloud Console, generate OAuth2 credentials, and add them to n8n
• OpenAI API key: Required only for Workflow 6 (AI parts ordering). Sign up at platform.openai.com

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