How Locksmith Dispatch Software Can Help Your Business

Stacks of paperwork and time-consuming scheduling slow you down. Field service dispatch software is designed to simplify service business operations, taking manual processes and automating and digitizing them. Industries ranging from HVAC to plumbing already experience significant gains from leaning on technology, so why couldn’t your locksmith business win too?  

Unlock new ways to do more for customers and improve your profits. Dip your toes into five ways locksmith service dispatch software can help your business. 

How Do Locksmith Leads Benefit Your Business?

Before we get started on the ways to generate locksmith leads, let’s get the basics out of the way.

First off, what is a locksmith lead? And follow-up question: why is lead generation important to your locksmith business?

Check out this Locksmith Invoice template by Service Fusion

1. Optimize routes.

Planning manually or based on the order in which jobs come in? Locksmith software improves routing, even when life throws a few curveballs. With it, you can: 

Determine efficient routes. 

With locksmith service dispatch software as your right hand, it’s easier to figure out the best way to get jobs done efficiently. That’s because it enables your team to map out routes in advance and in real time, running route scenarios either for a specific job and vehicle or across the whole fleet. 

Road work on Route X or an accident on Route Y? Send drivers another way. Advanced software tools allow your team to be more adaptable and account for the unexpected, reducing mileage and improving performance. This creates a trickle-down effect because your technicians aren’t driving around more than they need to or sitting in traffic, saving on fuel and vehicle wear and tear and helping the business get more jobs done in a day.  

2. Create estimates and jobs quickly. 

Scouring the service catalog and pricing database and crunching numbers by hand leaves customers waiting in limbo, and it can cost you jobs. Locksmith service dispatch software allows you to say, “Let me check that,” and generate estimates and jobs right away. With it, your business can: 

Provide options. 

With the way the economy is presently, sticker shock is very real, and customers need to balance the right solution with how much it’ll cost. But that’s easy to account for because locksmith service dispatch software helps your team come prepared with options. With it, you can anticipate various levels of need by creating multiple estimates—such as good, better, and best—from one screen. 

Share their way. 

Some customers prefer having records they can hold in their hands. Others don’t own a printer and do everything digitally. Your business shouldn’t isolate either side, so the locksmith service software you choose should provide the flexibility to do it all: email, print, or download estimates. And for the digital-savvy customer, the option to allow them to approve their choice via digital signature is a cherry on top. 

Convert estimates to jobs. 

Moving from estimate to job doesn’t have to mean initiating an entirely new process. Instead, locksmith software can make the transition seamless by converting one or more estimate options into jobs in seconds rather than hours. That’s helpful not only for the back office but in the field as well because technicians can produce new estimates on the fly if the scope of work changes. 

Social proof is vital in convincing customers to buy services or products. Customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. And up to 90% of customers read online reviews before visiting a business.

Engaging leads can help your business gather lots of online reviews and testimonials. Do this by encouraging your website visitors or social media followers to rate or share their experiences with your locksmith brand.

3. Schedule and dispatch with ease.

Juggling the influx of jobs, employee time off, and required skills is time-consuming on paper or in a spreadsheet. And if you need to make a change? The whole system could be impacted. But trusting locksmith dispatch software improves the process while enabling your business to: 

Keep technicians in mind. 

Are technicians stretched too thin or not challenged enough? Locksmith management software helps you assign jobs fairly by referencing their schedules to avoid under- or overbooking. With it, you can perform drag-and-drop job scheduling from a calendar view and even factor in technician skills to improve efficiency and produce the best outcomes. 

Stay in touch with customers. 

You know dispatching doesn’t end when a technician leaves the lot. Instead, the focus shifts to customers, and the weight of that relationship falls on technicians. Luckily, the right software helps keep the lines of communication wide open, generating on-the-way alerts so customers never have to question their service window and allowing for SMS messaging so both customers and technicians can stay in contact before, during, and even after the job.  

4. Access customer information and job history. 

Don’t let anything slip through the cracks. Going digital means centralizing customer data so you never lose track of job progress and records and have easy access to the tools to provide customer satisfaction. 

Maintain digital records for each customer. 

Trying to move away from physical files? Store everything from documents to job photos digitally and gain a greater sense of organization. Locksmith service dispatch software even lets you maintain customer preferences, including billing and additional contacts and locations, so your business can best handle jobs from beginning to end. 

Incorporate online support. 

Imagine how frustrating it must be for customers to try to reach you only to be entered into a long queue or even hear a busy signal. Take the weight off your phone lines with software features dedicated to customer support. Text-me-back widgets add interactive functionality to your website, letting customers start conversations online while you take time to craft personalized responses. And for one-and-done inquiries, chatbots provide automated answers that help customers get what they need and be on their way. 

5. Improve the payment process. 

Invoices that never went out or customer checks lost in the mail? Close these gaps and go from invoice to payment to accounting without breaking a sweat.  

Manage invoices and payments. 

Keep the wheels of commerce turning. The most robust locksmith service dispatch software doesn’t just handle jobs but also the flow of money surrounding them. With it, you can generate and send invoices—including progressive or recurring invoices—quickly and easily. And if you want to provide payment flexibility, the right platform can also process credit, debit, and ACH payments—even in the field.  

Sync with QuickBooks. 

Stop playing digital hopscotch, bouncing between your locksmith dispatch software and accounting software to make sure they’re aligned. Bring the two together when your system is compatible with others, such as QuickBooks. Your back office can refer to a single source of truth without leaving the platform because payment and invoice data is synced and consolidated. 

Elevate your operations and profitability with Service Fusion. 

Locksmith operating expenses grew 1.3% in 2021, leaving businesses like yours searching for innovative solutions. Locksmith service dispatch software provides flexible options—from routing to job scheduling to invoicing and beyond—to streamline operations and boost profitability. 

But you have to take action to reap the rewards. So start by doing the prework, such as determining your budget and must-have features. Then, look for providers who check all the boxes (Hint: Service Fusion does) and narrow your search all the way down to the perfect match.  

Need more guidance in the meantime? Check out our resource to help you choose the right software.