How much does covering a locksmith line cost?

Phone answering begins at $29/month billed annually. Pro includes the on-call schedule needed for rotating coverage. The answering service cost guide compares billing models.

Can she tell the customer which technician is closest?

She uses the assigned contact and service zones you configure. A nearest-tech or arrival statement requires current dispatch information you provide; she does not infer it from the caller’s address.

Who verifies that a caller may enter?

Your technician checks identity and authority under your policy. Penny explains the requirement and records relevant details, including when documents are locked inside. That note does not waive the check.

Will she promise to open a lock without damage?

The technician decides the entry method after assessing the hardware and authorization. Penny collects the situation and relays only the pricing or service terms you have approved.

Can she separate lost car keys from keys locked inside?

Yes. She asks whether keys are inside, lost, broken, or present but not working and captures the vehicle identity. Your approved make/model list determines which key and programming requests can be booked.

How does she handle master-key or disputed-entry work?

Those requests go to the authorized owner or commercial contact. Penny records the request without deciding tenancy rights, disclosing access credentials, or treating a claimed relationship as authorization.

What happens when several lockouts come in at the same time?

Penny can take concurrent calls. Each request gets its own safety check, location, callback number, and lockout details. Your office or on-call technician decides the order and truck assignment from those requests; answering another call does not promise another available truck.

What happens when a child or pet is locked in a vehicle?

Penny says to call 911 immediately and follow the operator’s instructions before continuing the locksmith request. She passes the available location to your on-call contact after that safety instruction; a technician transfer does not replace the emergency call.

AI receptionist for locksmith businesses

Give your on-call tech a complete lockout request through Penny’s locksmith answering service.

“I’m in the shopping-center lot” still leaves your technician looking for the caller. Penny gets the entrance, cross-street, and vehicle details into the handoff. Planned rekeys and new-key requests get the equipment and authorization details your shop needs before the visit.

A question she asks

For a parking-lot lockout, Penny asks for the entrance and a cross-street so the technician has more than the shopping-center name.

Try Penny free

14 days of Pro included. No credit card.

Or call her from your phone: (630) 324-4620

The demo line

Hear her intake on the demo line, then test your own coverage rules

The live demo uses Summit Heating, a fictional HVAC business. Listen to her intake here; test your own trade’s rules in your Penny account.

(630) 324-4620

On your configured test line, give a parking-lot name and check that she asks for an entrance or cross-street.
Ask for three exterior locks to be rekeyed after moving in and listen for the hardware and permission questions.
In your account, test a child locked in a car and confirm that the 911 instruction interrupts the request.

Dispatch

The north entrance and cross-street are on the handoff

A parking-lot lockout needs the entrance and a cross-street, not just the shopping-center name. Penny captures those details and uses your on-call schedule and service zones for the handoff. The technician confirms the location and supplies the arrival estimate.

pennyassistant.com/dashboard/dispatch

Open call

Open while the caller is on the line

Caller: Oswin Calder
Location: Harbor Arcade parking · north entrance
Cross-street: Lake Street at Ash Avenue
Vehicle: 2018 Honda Civic · keys on seat
Safety report: No person or animal inside
Next action: Transfer to scheduled on-call technician

Sent to the scheduled on-call technician

Whoever rolls has the location before they leave.

Example calls

The key request starts with the vehicle or property

Everyday call
New homeowners want the exterior doors rekeyed.
The caller hears
How many locks are there, and do you have a working key?
Penny does
Captures the hardware and property details for an assessment; your technician verifies permission and compatibility.
Everyday call
A driver needs another key for a supported vehicle.
The caller hears
What are the year, make, and model, and do you still have a working key?
Penny does
Uses your supported-vehicle list and books the appointment type you approve for that key request.
Everyday call
Keys are on the seat of an empty car in a shopping-center lot.
The caller hears
Which entrance are you near, and what vehicle should the technician look for?
Penny does
Captures the location and callback, checks for immediate danger, and uses your zone’s on-call contact without inventing an ETA.
Emergency
A child or animal is locked inside a vehicle.
The caller hears
Call 911 now and follow the emergency operator’s instructions.
Penny does
Gives the emergency instruction before quote or booking questions, then alerts on-call with the available location.

Your intake questions, booking permissions, and contact rules decide the next step. Read the emergency rules.

A call, written out

A parking-lot lockout reaches the scheduled on-call technician

Car-lockout call on a Pro account, with safety screening and a location handoff to the zone’s scheduled on-call technician.

pennyassistant.com/calls

Inbound call · Amber Spindle Lock Service

Answered by Penny · transcript

Penny
Amber Spindle Lock Service, this is Penny. What do you need help opening?
Oswin (caller)
My car. The keys are on the seat in the Harbor Arcade parking lot.
Penny
Is a child or animal inside, or is anyone in immediate danger?
Oswin (caller)
No, it’s empty. I’m waiting on the sidewalk.
Penny
Which entrance are you near, and what vehicle is it?
Oswin (caller)
North entrance at Lake and Ash. A 2018 Honda Civic. Oswin Calder, 312-555-0153.
Penny
I have the north entrance at Lake Street and Ash Avenue. The technician will need to verify your identity and permission to open the vehicle before entry.
A fact from the knowledge pack, used on the call.
Oswin (caller)
I have my ID. The registration is in the glove compartment.
Penny
I’ll note where the registration is for the technician’s check. I can transfer you to the locksmith scheduled for this zone so you can discuss arrival timing.
Oswin (caller)
Please connect me.
Penny
Starting the transfer with your vehicle, location, and callback number attached.

In the log

Name

Oswin Calder

Location

Harbor Arcade · north entrance · Lake at Ash

Vehicle

2018 Honda Civic · keys inside · no occupants

Disposition

On-call transfer · on-site authority check required

Transferred to the on-call technician

Every line she said is in your log with the fields she captured beside it.

Before her first call

A lost-key call includes a question about permission to enter

From the locksmith knowledge pack

Residential, automotive, commercial, and safe-service requests.
Service addresses, cross-streets, landmarks, and caller callback details.
Children or animals locked in vehicles and emergency-services-first routing.
Identity, permission to enter, and ownership checks performed by the technician.
Vehicle identity, lost keys, broken keys, fobs, and programming requests.
Rekeying, replacement hardware, master-key systems, and restricted-key requests.
Keypads, smart locks, access-control requests, and approved service scope.
Dispatch handoff, technician-confirmed arrival information, and quote boundaries.

Penny, on a call

I have the north entrance at Lake Street and Ash Avenue. The technician will need to verify your identity and permission to open the vehicle before entry.

The topics in the list are why she can say this.

On your website

A Friday move-in brings a rekey question to your website

amberspindlelockservice.com

Amber Spindle Lock Service

Services
Hours
About
Contact

Penny

Chat with Amber Spindle Lock Service

Visitor

we get the house keys on Friday. can all the outside doors use the same key?

What Penny does

Asks how many exterior locks there are, whether the caller has a working key, and which brands they know. She books a rekey assessment; your technician confirms compatibility and permission to do the work.

Write a message

The chat follows the same rules as the phone line, so a visitor gets the answer a caller would.

Your numbers

Compare a missed lockout against your own service value

Change the three numbers to yours. The default job value comes from a named source, dated.

Missed calls a weekAverage locksmith job value$Share of those callers you expect to book%

Default job value $163, from HomeAdvisor — average cost to hire a locksmith (as of 2025-12-09). Change it to yours.

Potential job revenue

If you miss 6 calls a week and book 50% of them at $163 a job, those jobs would represent about

$2,117/month

This is estimated gross revenue, not measured lost revenue or profit. Some missed callers may still book with you. Change the assumptions to match your call records.

Penny starts at $29 a month, billed annually. At this job value, 3 booked jobs bring in enough revenue for the annual Starter subscription. Allow for extra usage charges and subtract job costs when estimating profit.

The result is your own arithmetic from the three numbers above.

Where it lands

Your office receives the request before assigning the work

Google Calendar
Jobber
Housecall Pro
Zapier

Connect Zapier or signed webhooks to send the captured details to the tools your office uses.

Questions

The questions a locksmith needs answered before accepting the request

Send setup or plan questions to support@pennyassistant.com.

Your Pro on-call schedule determines the transfer contact. Jobber can receive a Request, and Housecall Pro can receive a customer/job record. Zapier or signed webhooks carry intake to your other tools. These handoffs do not invent a technician location or confirmed ETA.

Other lines of work

See how neighbouring trades prepare for service visits

Towing

A fact about the setup

Penny reads back the road and direction together, then attaches the vehicle and destination to your dispatcher’s request.

Appliance Repair

A fact about the setup

For a Whirlpool dishwasher, Penny asks for the model number on the inside rim when the caller can reach it safely.

Garage Door

A question she asks

For a replacement door, Penny asks about the current door, insulation preferences, and whether the customer also wants the opener reviewed.

Penny bills a monthly price with minutes included, then the published per-minute rate. The answering service cost guide sets it beside per-minute human services, and the plans are on the pricing page.

Give Penny a call before you forward yours.

Try the HVAC demo, then set up Penny for your business. Your account includes 14 days of Pro; Free keeps your website chat after the trial.

Try Penny free Call Penny: (630) 324-4620

14 days of Pro included. No credit card.