How can a locksmith stop losing jobs to missed calls?
Send an automatic text within seconds of every missed call that gives your name, says you’re on a job and asks where they are and what’s happened. A person locked out at night rings the next result almost straight away, so the reply has to be instant and look like it came from a real local locksmith.
By Sammy Morgan, who runs M1 Studio in Chichester. Updated .
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- Industry
- Locksmiths
- Problem
- Missed calls
- The fix
- Missed-Call Rescue, £800
- Do it yourself?
- Yes, the first steps below
Why it happens to locksmiths.
- Lockouts can’t wait
- Someone standing outside their home at night, or with a child locked in a car, rings until someone answers. A call back in twenty minutes is often too late.
- You’re often mid-job
- Drilling a lock or fitting a new cylinder is not a moment to answer the phone, and calls often come in bunches in the evening.
- The next number may be a call centre
- Some national operators pose as local locksmiths. If you don’t reply, the customer may end up with one of them, and the MLA warns that their low advertised prices can rise on arrival.
- Callers don’t leave voicemails
- In an emergency people hang up and dial the next number. You’re left with a missed call and no idea if it was a lockout or a quote request.
What to do, in order.
Test your number at night
Ring yourself from another phone during an evening job. Note how long it rings and what the caller hears.
Write a reply that sounds local
Your first name, your town, that you’re finishing a job, and a question: what’s happened and what’s the postcode? That separates you from anonymous call centres.
Give a straight price
If you have a standard call-out charge, put it in the text or on a page the text links to. People who have heard about rising prices value a clear one.
Ring back in order of urgency
A lockout or a break-in comes before a quote for a lock upgrade. The replies tell you which is which.
Automate it
Missed-Call Rescue (£800) sends your text to every missed call on its own, logs each enquiry and reminds you who to call back. Text and app fees are paid at cost or directly by you, and listed before you agree.
Where M1 can do it for you.
Fixed prices, or a fixed quote before any work starts. No VAT is charged. Any running costs are listed before you agree.
- Missed-Call Rescue £800
It texts every caller you miss within seconds, in your own words, so a locked-out customer hears from a real local locksmith before they ring on.
Missed calls get a text back, automatically.
- Website Chat Assistant £1,800
It answers late-night questions about call-out charges and areas on your website, then passes people to you on WhatsApp.
Questions answered day and night, then passed to you on WhatsApp.
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Before you decide.
Something else? Ask Sammy on WhatsApp.
What should my missed-call text say?
For example: “Hi, it’s [your name] from [your business]. I’m just finishing a job. Reply with your postcode and what’s happened and I’ll ring you straight back.” Keep it personal and give a real time. The guide to what to text when you miss a call has more examples.
How much do missed calls cost a locksmith?
Try the missed-call cost calculator with how many calls you miss a week and what a typical job is worth.
Should I use an answering service instead?
An answering service takes a message, but the customer still waits for you. A text back reaches them straight away, shows who you are and gets the details you need to decide which job to go to first.
Keep reading.
Know what to fix. Then decide.
Sammy writes down what’s holding your business back and what to fix first. The Foundation Blueprint is yours within 5 working days of your answers.
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