A lockout is a 2 AM call. The caller is standing outside their car or home and panicking. They call the first locksmith who answers and lets them know pricing. If you are driving to another call asleep or with the ringer off, you lose the job. Shopbell answers every call within one ring, captures the lockout details, gives pricing from your rate card, and routes emergencies so you never lose a lockout to whoever was awake.

The Problem

Locksmithing is an emergency, mobile, and price-sensitive business. The caller who is locked out of their car in a parking lot at 11 PM calls three locksmiths and takes the first one that answers. The Associated Locksmiths of America found that 70 percent of lockout calls go to the first locksmith who picks up. Price matters, but speed of answer matters more.

The mobile nature of the business is the problem. You are driving. You cannot safely take a call. Or you are at another lockout with the phone in the truck. The next call goes to voicemail. Lockout callers do not leave voicemails. They call the next locksmith on Google.

Commercial and residential rekey calls are also valuable. A home rekey is $150 to $300. A business rekey is $300 to $800. A safe opening is $200 to $500. These calls come during business hours, when you are at another job. The phone rings out. The caller finds another locksmith who answered.

The Solution

Shopbell answers every call to your locksmith business within one ring, 24 hours a day. It greets callers, captures the lockout type (auto, home, business, safe), the location, gives pricing from your rate card, and routes emergencies to your on-call tech immediately. You get a text with every detail so you arrive already knowing the job and the price.

You tell Shopbell what services you offer (auto lockout, home lockout, rekey, lock install, safe opening, smart lock install), what your pricing is for each, what your service area is, and what your emergency criteria are. When someone calls locked out of their car, Shopbell asks the location, the vehicle, gives the price from your card, and routes to your on-call tech. When someone calls for a home rekey, Shopbell captures the address, the number of locks, gives the price, and books the slot.

After hours, Shopbell keeps handling lockouts. The 2 AM car lockout caller gets pricing, a human voice, and a tech on the way. The daytime rekey caller gets a booked slot and pricing confirmed. You never lose a lockout because you were driving or asleep.

Sample Call

Below is a sample Shopbell call showing how the agent handles this specific business type.

Sample call: A locked-out car owner calls at 1 AM

Bella (Shopbell): Thank you for calling QuickKey Locksmith. How can I help?
Caller: I locked my keys in my car and I am stuck in a parking lot. Can you come right now?
Bella: I am sorry to hear that. We can help. What is your location?
Caller: I am at the Walmart on Miller Road, in lot B.
Bella: Walmart on Miller Road, lot B. And what is the vehicle, year, make, and model?
Caller: It is a 2020 Honda Civic.
Bella: 2020 Honda Civic. Okay. Our auto lockout service is $85 and we can have a tech there in about 20 minutes. Are you safe where you are?
Caller: Yes, I am fine, I just need to get in.
Bella: Good. Can I get your name and a callback number?
Caller: Tom, 555-772-1190.
Bella: Thank you, Tom. I am dispatching the on-call tech now. He will call you when he is on the way. The total will be $85, and you can pay the tech by card or cash when he gets you in. Are you parked near any specific landmark?
Caller: I am near the garden center entrance.
Bella: Noted, near the garden center entrance at Walmart on Miller Road, lot B. The tech will be there in about 20 minutes. He will call you at 555-772-1190 when he is on the way. Stay safe, and thank you for calling QuickKey.
Caller: Thank you so much.
Bella: You are welcome, Tom. Hang in there.

The Real Cost of Missed Calls

$3,640/month
Auto lockouts, home rekeys, and business lock servicing from calls missed while driving or after hours.

How It Compares

The Alternatives

Voicemail at 2 AM loses every lockout. An answering service does not know that a smart lock install costs more than a rekey. A 24-hour dispatcher costs $3,000 a month. Shopbell gives pricing, routes, and books for $99 a month flat.

Key Features

What Shopbell Does for This Business

Auto and home lockout triageCaptures the lockout type, the location, the vehicle info, or the property type. Routes the right tech.
Pricing transparency from your rate cardTells the caller the price before the tech arrives. No surprises, no haggling at the door.
On-call tech routingRoutes emergencies to your on-call tech with the caller's location and details already captured.
Service area and ETA estimatesTells the caller the ETA based on the tech's current location. Manages expectations before the tech arrives.
Smart lock and security system captureSchlage Encode, Yale, August, Ring Alarm. Captures the brand and books the right service.
Safe opening and specialty captureCaptures the safe type and the issue and flags it for your specialty tech.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can it handle commercial lock jobs?

Yes. Different greeting and routing. Commercial lock work, panic bars, master key systems, restricted key systems all handled.

Does it take payments for service over the phone?

Yes. Shopbell integrates with Stripe to take service deposits or prepayments over the phone.

What about car key programming and fobs?

Capture the vehicle, key type and program need. Routed to the right tech with the right equipment.

Can it handle safe openings?

Yes. Captures the safe brand and the issue and routes to your safe tech.

How does it handle multiple lockout calls at once?

Shopbell scales to unlimited simultaneous calls. Routes each to a different tech based on location.

Stop Missing Calls Today

$99 a month flat. No contracts. No per-minute fees.

Get Started  Read More