As a locksmith, you inevitably are going to take a lot of phone calls and will need to be ready to service your customer’s lock upon arrival. In this two part series, we will take a look at some essential questions to ask your customers over the phone before arriving on the scene. The first part will consist of home and office, while our next blog will look at vehicle jobs.

The Essentials Questions

The first determining factor was mentioned just above; will you be servicing a vehicle or a building lock? Asking customers other questions are just as important as the first. These include:

• What type of lock or locks will be serviced, such as a deadbolt, lever, mortise, or knob?
• What brand is the lock?
• How many locks will need serviced?
• Is there a master key system in place for the building?
• If locks are being added or replaced, what finish do the existing locks have?

Often, customers will have little idea of the brand, type, number, etc. of their locks. Learning to explain some things in common terms can be another helpful tactic in getting important details before you arrive on the scene without all the things you expected. Many things can be broken down to common english, such as using the term “color” in replace of “finish”. A locksmith may also gain a lot of information by having their customer send a photo of the lock or locks that need serviced. Many people have smart phones that can quickly send a photo to another phone or email ( a few challenging high security home and office lock outs have been made easy with photo messaging. Someone with an existing key not present can send a photo of the key to be made by code).

There you have it, a list of helpful questions to add to your phone call log and job tickets. Don’t leave the shop without asking all the right questions and having all the right tools!

About CLK Supplies

CLK Supplies is committed to providing all the necessary locksmith tools, supplies, key machines, and more for locksmiths and technicians at wholesale prices. For more, go to www.clksupplies.com!