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Locksmith phone script builder

Pick the calls you take, add your hours and prices, and get a script that asks the right questions in the right order. In English and Spanish, ready to print for whoever answers the phone.

Your shop

Example values below. Replace them with your own.

Leave blank to use the one shown.

h

0 to 23

h

22 = 10 p.m.

Towns or areas you cover. Leave blank to skip.

Calls you take

Kinds of calls

How you give prices

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Leave a job blank and the script says the tech prices it on site.

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Blank or 0 to skip

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Blank or 0 to skip

Phone script: Example Lock & Key

Read it out loud a few times. Say it in your own words once it feels natural.

  1. 1. Greeting

    • SayThank you for calling Example Lock & Key. How can I help you?

  2. 2. Safety first

    • AskIs anyone in danger, or is a child or a pet locked inside?
    • ImportantIf yes: “Please hang up and call 911 right now.” Don't book it as a normal job.

  3. 3. Get the basics

    • AskCan I get your name?
    • AskIf we get cut off, what's the best number to call you back?
    • AskWhat's the address? Is there an apartment or unit number, and what's the nearest cross street?
    • NoteWe cover Austin, Round Rock, Pflugerville. If the address is outside your area, say so now, before you book.

  4. 4. House lockout

    • AskIs it a house, an apartment or a condo? Which door: front, back or garage?
    • AskDo you know the brand of the lock, or is it a keypad or smart lock?
    • NoteIf it's a rental, the caller may need the landlord's OK. Many apartment complexes have a manager or maintenance line.
    • SayPlease have a photo ID ready, and something with your name and this address, like a lease or a utility bill. The technician has to see it before opening the door.

  5. 5. Car lockout

    • AskWhat's the year, make and model of the car?
    • AskWhat color is it, and where exactly is it parked?
    • AskAre the keys inside the car? Is the engine running?
    • NoteRental or company car: the rental company or the business may have to authorize the job.
    • SayPlease have your photo ID and the car's registration or title ready. The technician has to see them before handing over the car or a key.

  6. 6. Car key replacement

    • AskWhat's the year, make and model of the car?
    • AskDoes it start with a push button or a regular key?
    • AskDo you have a working key, or are all the keys lost?
    • AskWhere is the car right now?
    • NoteIf they have the VIN (on the dashboard by the windshield, or on the registration), take it. It helps you get the right key.
    • SayPlease have your photo ID and the car's registration or title ready. The technician has to see them before handing over the car or a key.

  7. 7. After-hours emergency

    • AskIs this an emergency, or can it wait until we open?
    • NoteTell the caller about the after-hours charge before you book, not when the technician arrives.

  8. 8. Give the price

    • SayFor a house lockout, the price is usually $85 to $150.
    • SayFor a car lockout, the price is usually $75 to $135.
    • SayFor a replacement car key, the price is usually $150 to $400.
    • SayThere's a trip fee of $45 to come out.
    • SayAfter hours there's an extra charge of $50.
    • SayThe technician confirms the final price with you before starting.
    • AskDoes that work for you?

  9. 9. Book the job

    • SayLet me read that back to you: the address, your name and your callback number.
    • AskShall I send a technician?
    • SayThe technician will text you the arrival time.
    • NoteIf they ask about hours: “We're open every day from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. For emergencies we also take calls after hours.”

  10. 10. Close the call

    • SayYou're all set. Please keep your phone close in case the technician calls. Thank you for calling Example Lock & Key.

Never say

  • Don't say: “It's only $19.” (any price lower than the job will cost)

    Instead: Your real range, and that the technician confirms the price on site before starting.

  • Don't say: “We'll be there in 10 minutes.”

    Instead: “The technician will text you the arrival time.” Or give a window you know you can keep.

  • Don't say: “No ID needed.”

    Instead: “Please have a photo ID and proof you live there or own the car ready.”

  • Don't say: How to open the lock or get around it

    Instead: “The technician will take care of it when they get there.”

  • Don't say: “We'll have to drill it.” (before anyone has seen the lock)

    Instead: “The technician tries to open it without damage first.”

  • Don't say: A guess when you don't know the answer

    Instead: “Let me check with the technician and call you right back.”

  • Don't say: “We're licensed.” (when you aren't, or without the number)

    Instead: Your license number, in states that license locksmiths.

Why each “never say” matters

  • “It's only $19.” (any price lower than the job will cost). A low phone price that turns into a much bigger bill on site is the locksmith scam the Better Business Bureau warns consumers about. Callers who have been burned hang up on it.
  • “We'll be there in 10 minutes.”. A missed arrival promise is the fastest way to a cancelled job and a bad review.
  • “No ID needed.”. Opening a door for the wrong person can make you part of a break-in or a car theft.
  • How to open the lock or get around it. You don't know who's on the other end of the phone.
  • “We'll have to drill it.” (before anyone has seen the lock). Drilling is a last resort, and promising it scares off callers and invites a dispute.
  • A guess when you don't know the answer. A wrong answer on a key or a price becomes the promise you're held to.
  • “We're licensed.” (when you aren't, or without the number). Claiming a license you don't have is false advertising. Check what your state requires with the license tool.

LockCommand's AI receptionist asks these questions on every call, in English or Spanish, and quotes only from your price book.

Set up the AI receptionist

How to use it

A good phone script does two jobs. It gets the details the technician needs before they drive, and it keeps the price talk honest so the caller isn't surprised at the door. The builder above writes one for your shop. It opens with an example shop so you can see a full script right away; change the details and it updates as you type.

How to use it

  1. Type your shop name. Leave the greetings blank to use the default, or write your own in each language.
  2. Set your hours, or tick Open 24/7, and the towns you cover.
  3. Tick the kinds of calls you take. Each one adds its own set of questions.
  4. Choose how you give prices. With ranges, enter a low and high price for each job, the same numbers as your price book. Leave a job blank and the script says the technician prices it on site.
  5. Switch between English and Español, then copy the script or print it.

The order matters

The script always runs greeting, safety, basics, the job questions, price, booking and close. Safety comes first on lockouts: if a child, a vulnerable person or a pet is locked in, the caller should hang up and call 911, not wait for a van. The name and callback number come next because a dropped call with no number is a lost job. The price comes after the job questions, because a range for a 2021 push-to-start Camry key is different from one for a 2008 Corolla with a turn key.

A worked example

The example shop takes house lockouts, car lockouts, car keys and after-hours calls, open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. with emergencies after that. A caller says they're locked out of their car at night. The dispatcher asks about anyone locked inside, takes the name, callback number and address, asks the year, make, model and color, and reminds them to have their ID and registration ready. Then the price: “For a car lockout, the price is usually $75 to $135. There's a trip fee of $45 to come out. After hours there's an extra charge of $50. The technician confirms the final price with you before starting.” The caller knows the most it should cost before they say yes.

What never to say

The list under the script is the part to train on. A phone price far below what the job costs is the pattern behind most locksmith complaints: the Better Business Bureau describes quotes as low as $15 that turn into bills hundreds of dollars higher on site. Arrival promises you can't keep cost you the job and the review. Skipping the ID check can make you the one who opened the door for a burglar. If your state licenses locksmiths, say your license number, not just “we're licensed”; the license tool shows which states do.

Sources

Questions

Should I give prices over the phone?
Give the range you really charge for that job, then say the technician confirms the final price on site before starting. Callers hang up on “it depends” with nothing else, and they get burned by a low number that triples at the door. A real range sits between the two.
Why does the script ask for a callback number so early?
Calls drop, especially from a parking lot or a cell with low battery. If you have the number before the address and the price, you can call back and still book the job.
What proof of ownership should the caller have ready?
For a home: a photo ID and something with their name and that address, like a lease or a utility bill. For a car: a photo ID plus the registration or title. Telling them on the phone saves a wasted trip when they can't show it.
Is the Spanish script a word-for-word translation?
No. It's written the way a Spanish-speaking dispatcher would say it, using usted with customers, in neutral Latin American Spanish that callers from Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America all understand.
Does anything I type get saved or sent?
No. The script is built in your browser, and nothing is stored or sent. Copy it or print it before you close the page.

More for your shop

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