Locksmith Service Call Checklist

A locksmith's core service is defeating security. That is a legitimate and necessary trade, and it also means every job carries a question that no other trade faces: does this person actually have the right to enter this property.

Getting that wrong is not a customer service failure. It is participation in a burglary or, worse, in a domestic situation where someone has been legally excluded from a home. Verification is the trade's professional obligation, and it happens before the tools come out.

Dispatch

• Record the customer's name and callback number
• Confirm the property address and the specific access point
• Confirm the nature of the job: lockout, rekey, install, repair, emergency
• Confirm the type of property: residence, vehicle, commercial
• Confirm the customer's relationship to the property
• Confirm what identification the customer will present
• Confirm the vehicle make, model, and year for automotive work
• Quote the service call fee and the expected price range
• Confirm the estimated arrival window

Telling the customer what identification they will need to show before the technician drives out prevents most of the arguments that happen at the door.

Truck Preparation

• Confirm the day's call list and route
• Confirm key blanks stock for the expected work
• Confirm transponder and remote stock
• Confirm the key machine and programmer are functional
• Confirm the pick set, bypass tools, and drilling equipment
• Confirm door hardware stock for common installs
• Confirm PPE: eye protection, gloves
• Confirm the credential, license, and identification are on the person
• Confirm the invoicing and payment system works

Arrival and Identification

This is the part of the job that separates professionals from the trade's bad reputation.

• Present your identification and company credential first
• Confirm the customer's name matches the dispatch record
• Request government-issued identification
• Confirm the identification address matches the property, or
• Confirm alternative proof: lease, deed, utility bill, vehicle registration
• Photograph the identification where policy and law permit
• Record the verification in the work order
• For vehicles, confirm registration or title matching the customer
• For commercial property, confirm authority to request the work
• Decline the job if verification fails

Alternative proof is normal and is often legitimate. Someone who just moved will not have a matching address. What is not acceptable is proceeding with no verification at all.

The Red Flags

Some situations require stopping regardless of paperwork.

• A third party is present who appears to be directing the customer
• The customer cannot describe the interior of the property
• The customer is agitated about the verification request
• There is any indication of a domestic dispute or restraining order
• The request is to lock someone out rather than to gain entry
• The vehicle or property shows signs of prior forced entry

A request to change locks in the middle of a dispute is a legal question, not a locksmith question. Refer it to an attorney or law enforcement and decline.

Assessment Before Work

• Inspect the lock or hardware and identify the actual problem
• Confirm the least destructive method available
• Explain the method and the price before starting
• Explain if drilling will be required and what replacement will cost
• Obtain explicit authorization for any destructive entry
• Photograph the pre-existing condition of the door, frame, and hardware
• Confirm any pre-existing damage with the customer

Non-destructive entry is the professional standard and it is what customers expect. Drilling is a decision the customer authorizes, in advance, with the replacement cost known.

Performing the Work

• Protect the door, frame, and surrounding finishes
• Use the appropriate technique for the lock type
• Avoid damage to the door, frame, and paint
• Replace any hardware damaged during entry
• Confirm the customer's key or new key operates smoothly
• Test the lock from both sides
• Test the deadbolt throw and strike alignment
• Confirm the door closes and latches properly

Rekeying and Key Control

• Confirm which keys the customer wants to retain access
• Rekey all cylinders the customer specifies
• Confirm the number of keys to be cut
• Test every key in every cylinder rekeyed
• Explain that any keys not returned still exist
• Record the keying and any key code securely
• Never record key codes in a way that ties them to an address in plain view

Key codes stored alongside customer addresses are the single largest security liability a locksmith shop carries. Store them separately and control access to them.

Installation Work

• Confirm the hardware matches the door prep or plan the modification
• Confirm the backset and bore sizes
• Confirm fire door requirements where applicable
• Confirm accessibility hardware requirements where applicable
• Install per the manufacturer's instructions
• Reinforce the strike with long screws into the framing
• Confirm the alignment and smooth operation
• Confirm any exit device meets egress requirements

Egress is the item most often gotten wrong on commercial work. A lock that requires a key to exit is a life safety violation in almost every occupancy.

Automotive Work

• Confirm ownership documentation before starting
• Confirm the key type and transponder requirements
• Protect the vehicle's paint and weather stripping
• Use the appropriate tool for the vehicle to avoid airbag and wiring damage
• Program keys and remotes per the manufacturer procedure
• Confirm all existing keys still work or are erased per the customer's request
• Test the vehicle starts and all functions work

Closing the Call

• Walk the customer through the work performed
• Demonstrate all new hardware and keys
• Provide the warranty terms
• Present the itemized invoice matching the quote
• Explain any variance from the original estimate
• Collect payment and provide a receipt
• Clean up all debris and packaging
• Complete the work order with photos and verification notes

Charging more than the quote without a conversation before the work is the single largest source of complaints against the trade and the reason several states regulate it specifically.

End of Day

• Close all work orders with documentation attached
• Secure all key codes and customer records
• Restock the truck
• Secure the truck; never leave tools or blanks accessible
• Report any tool issues
• Confirm tomorrow's schedule

A locksmith truck is a target. Nothing that could open a door stays in an unsecured vehicle overnight.

How MyTeamTasks Helps

A shop running four technicians cannot confirm from the office that identification was verified before the drill came out. A shared task system runs the service call routine on each technician's phone, requires the verification step and its documentation before the work steps unlock, and captures before-and-after photos with the work order. When a customer disputes damage or a claim of unauthorized entry arrives, the record shows who verified what and when.