--- title: "Locksmith dispatch app with live drive times · LockCommand" description: "A locksmith dispatch app with a live map of techs and jobs, the closest qualified tech by real drive time, and manual or AI dispatch with timed job offers." url: https://lockcommand.com/features/dispatch --- [Dispatch](https://lockcommand.com//features) # Send the tech who can get there first. A live map of your techs and jobs. LockCommand ranks techs by live drive time, skills and workload. You assign, or let AI suggest, offer or assign for you. [Get early access](mailto:support@lockcommand.com?subject=LockCommand%20early%20access) ## Pick how much the AI does Four modes for the whole shop. Start on Manual and move up when you trust the ranking. - Manual is the default - Offer timer from 30 seconds to 3 minutes, one minute to start - Each tech holds one open offer at a time ## A job never sits on one phone If an offer runs out or the tech passes, it moves to the next best tech. After three techs or three minutes, your dispatchers get a push alert. - Emergencies go to whoever can get there first - Location is shared only on shift or on a job - Going off shift withdraws any open offers ## How it works Step by step, in the order it happens. 1. **A job comes in**: From the AI receptionist, or created by a dispatcher. The address goes on the map. 2. **LockCommand shortlists techs**: Only techs who are on shift, can take offers, have the skill the job needs and are inside your service area. A tech finishing a job in the next 20 minutes still counts. 3. **It ranks them by drive time**: Live traffic-aware drive times for the closest ten, with a small penalty for a busier day than the rest of the team or a location that has gone stale. Emergencies go to whoever can get there fastest. 4. **The job goes out your way**: Manual: you pick. Suggest: the best tech is pinned on the job and a person assigns. Offer: the best tech gets a timed offer. Auto: the best tech is assigned straight away. 5. **No answer, next tech**: If an offer runs out or the tech passes, it moves to the next best tech, up to three techs or three minutes. Then the job is flagged for a dispatcher with a push alert. 6. **The customer hears about it**: When a tech is assigned, the customer gets a text with the arrival time, and another when the tech is on the way. ## What you control All of it is set in the app, most of it by the shop owner or an admin. - Dispatch mode: Manual, Suggest, Offer or Auto, for the whole shop. Manual is the default. - Offer timer: How long a tech has to accept an offer: 30 seconds to 3 minutes. The default is one minute. - Service area: A center point and a radius from 5 to 60 miles. Jobs outside it are flagged. - Tech skills: Tag techs with the work they do. A tech with no skills set is treated as an all-rounder. - Scheduled jobs: Booked-ahead jobs go out on their own before the start time, 45 minutes ahead by default. - ID check rule: Turn on “Require ID check before completing” in Shop details so no job closes without ID and proof on file. ## Honest limits Worth knowing before you set it up, so nothing surprises you on a job. Choosing dispatch software? The buyer's guide lists what matters for a locksmith shop. [What to look for in locksmith dispatch software](https://lockcommand.com//locksmith-dispatch-software) - Dispatch modes and the live map come with Dispatch plans. On the Solo plan, every job is yours. - Each tech holds one open offer at a time. - Ranking needs a recent location. A tech whose phone hasn't reported in more than 10 minutes is ranked a little lower. - If live drive times can't be fetched, LockCommand estimates from distance until they come back. - The arrival time a caller hears is an estimate from live traffic, not a promise. In Manual mode the AI doesn't give one. - Techs need the LockCommand app on their phone, with location allowed while they're on shift. ## Dispatch questions ### How does LockCommand pick the closest tech? It takes the techs who are on shift, have the right skill and are inside your service area, gets live traffic drive times for the closest ten, and ranks them by when each one can arrive. A heavy day or an old location moves a tech down a little. For emergencies, the fastest arrival wins. ### What's the difference between Suggest, Offer and Auto? Suggest pins the best tech on the job and a person presses Assign. Offer sends the best tech a timed offer on their phone and moves on if they don't accept. Auto assigns the best tech straight away with no confirmation. ### What happens if no tech accepts the job? An AI offer moves to the next best tech, up to three techs or three minutes from the first offer. After that, the job is marked as needing a dispatcher and your dispatchers get a push alert. ### Is my techs' location tracked all the time? No. Location is shared only while a tech is on shift or driving to or working a job. Going off shift deletes the shared location and withdraws any open offers. ### Can I keep assigning jobs by hand? Yes. Manual is the default mode. Suggest mode also leaves every assignment to a person, with the best tech pinned on the job as a hint. ## Keep reading - [Locksmith dispatch software What to look for in dispatch software for a locksmith shop, and how LockCommand handles each point.](https://lockcommand.com//locksmith-dispatch-software) - [Dispatch shops How a shop with dispatchers and techs runs calls, dispatch, roles and books in one place.](https://lockcommand.com//for/dispatch-shops) - [Customer texts Booking confirmations, ETA texts, receipts, review requests, missed-call text-back and AI reply drafts.](https://lockcommand.com//features/customer-texts) - [AI receptionist An AI that answers your calls in English or Spanish, quotes from your price book, books the job and transfers to your cell.](https://lockcommand.com//features/ai-receptionist) - [Pricing Monthly plans by team size, included AI minutes, per-minute prices, boosters and top-ups.](https://lockcommand.com//pricing) ## Let the AI pick up. You pick the lock. LockCommand is opening to locksmiths now. Email us and we'll get your shop set up. [Get early access](mailto:support@lockcommand.com?subject=LockCommand%20early%20access) [See pricing](https://lockcommand.com//pricing)