Answer in your business name, calmly, and give callers clear information you have approved: how you price, whether there is a call-out charge, what is included and when you can arrive. Mention any third-party approval you hold, such as MLA membership, and keep a written record of the call. Never let anyone quote a price or arrival time you have not signed off.
Someone ringing a locksmith is often having a bad day. They are on a doorstep in the cold, their keys are inside, or they have just found a door forced. Many have also read warnings about rogue traders, so they listen closely to the first few seconds of your call for any sign that something is not right. That first call is where a legitimate locksmith shows the difference.
Why are callers wary of locksmiths?
Because they have been warned to be. In August 2024, Hertfordshire Trading Standards warned of a rise in rogue locksmiths after a growing number of complaints. In March 2025, London Trading Standards warned that rogue traders prey on customers at their most vulnerable, locked out of their homes, often late at night.
Locksmithing is not regulated by the Government, so in principle anyone can trade as a locksmith. None of that is your fault, but it is the background to every call you take. Our page on call answering for locksmiths covers the full range of calls; this guide focuses on the trust question.
What do callers want to know before they book a locksmith?
The same handful of questions comes up again and again. A caller who has read the warnings will often ask:
- What will the total price be?
- Is that price fixed?
- Does it include parts and VAT?
- Is there a call-out fee?
- Are you local?
- Are you vetted?
- Are you insured?
- Are you DBS checked?
If the answers are vague, or come down to "we will sort that out when we get there", a careful caller rings someone else. Good answers do not have to be detailed. They have to be clear, consistent and true.
What makes a first call sound legitimate?
Callers judge you on small things. The phone answer itself signals whether you are a proper business:
- A real business name. A greeting with your company name, not "hello?" or a number.
- A calm person. Someone who listens, does not rush and does not pressure.
- Clear pricing information you approve. How you charge, said the same way every time.
- A confirmed arrival window you approve. Not a guess made up to win the job.
- A written summary. A record of what was said, so you can confirm the details with the customer.
The Master Locksmiths Association advises the public to look for third-party approval, notes that MLA approved locksmiths are vetted, and warns that false accreditation claims happen, so claims should be checked. The lesson for your script: only mention approvals you actually hold, and tell callers how to check them. Answering in your own name matters here too, as our guide on whether a virtual receptionist can answer in your company name explains.
What should a locksmith's approved phone script include?
Write the script once, sign it off, and make sure everyone who answers your phone uses it. A simple outline, with your own wording in the brackets:
- Greeting: "Good morning, [your business name], how can I help?"
- The job: what has happened, the type of property and door, and the full address and postcode.
- Urgency: the questions that tell you whether this goes to you now, under rules you set.
- Price information: [your approved wording on how you price, any call-out charge, and whether parts and VAT are included].
- Arrival: [your approved arrival window for that area and time of day], or that you will confirm the time yourself.
- Trust questions: [the approvals, insurance and checks you hold, and how to verify them].
- Read back: the address, phone number and what happens next.
- Hand-off: a warm transfer to you, an urgent flag, or a message, as your rules say.
For the detailed lockout questions, see whether an answering service can handle emergency call-outs. The table below shows how the script handles the trust questions.
| The caller asks | What the script gives | If it is not in the script |
|---|---|---|
| How much will it cost? | Your approved wording on how you price | Details taken; you ring back with a price |
| Does that include parts and VAT? | Your approved answer | Passed to you to confirm |
| Is there a call-out fee? | Your approved answer | Passed to you to confirm |
| When can you get here? | Your approved arrival window | The caller is told you will confirm the time |
| Are you vetted or approved? | Only approvals you hold, and how to check them | Nothing claimed |
| Are you local? | Where you are based and the areas you cover | Message passed to you |
Why should nobody quote a price or time you have not approved?
Because a price that changes on the doorstep, or an arrival time that slips by hours, looks exactly like the rogue trading the warnings describe, even when it is an honest mistake. A receptionist trying to be helpful by guessing a figure can undo the trust the rest of the call has built.
So the rule is simple: whoever answers says only what you have signed off. If a caller pushes for a firm price on an unusual lock, the details are taken and the call is flagged for you. When your prices or coverage change, update the script the same day. That consistency is one of the five most important rules of call handling.
How can Onwards Answering help a locksmith?
Onwards receptionists are real people based in Scotland, working from home, who answer in your business name during business hours. They follow the script you approve, quote only the price and arrival wording you supply, give no security advice of their own, transfer or flag urgent lockouts and send you a summary by email or SMS after every call. See our telephone answering service and call handling for construction and trades for the wider picture.
Be clear about nights: after business hours an included voicemail takes messages, and it is not emergency cover. If you take late lockouts, keep your own night arrangement, as our guide to what happens to calls outside office hours explains. There is a free 2 week trial, then prices from £72 per month, with no per-call charges. See our prices and plans.
Frequently asked questions
How can a customer check a locksmith is legitimate?
The Master Locksmiths Association advises looking for third-party approval, notes that MLA approved locksmiths are vetted, and warns that false accreditation claims happen, so claims should be checked with the body itself. Locksmithing is not regulated by the Government, so a clear business name and checkable details matter.
Should a locksmith give prices over the phone?
Callers commonly ask about the total price, call-out fees, parts and VAT, so it helps to have clear wording ready. Decide what you can say with confidence, such as how you price and whether there is a call-out charge, and write it down. Anyone answering for you should read only that, and pass anything else to you.
Can an answering service take lockout calls at night?
Onwards answers calls live during business hours. After hours, an included voicemail records messages, but nobody listens in real time, so it is not emergency cover. London Trading Standards warns that rogue traders target people locked out of their homes, often late at night, so if you offer night call-outs, keep your own arrangement for those hours.