It's ten to two on a Saturday morning. Someone is standing outside their own front door in the rain with a dead phone battery and a borrowed one in their hand. They search for a locksmith and start ringing down the list. Whoever picks up first gets the job.
That's the business you're in if you advertise 24 hours. The calls that pay best come at the worst times, and you can't answer every one when you're already on a job, driving, or asleep. Here's how to handle night and weekend calls properly: what to capture, how to screen them, how to stay safe, and how to deal with the price question.
What night and weekend calls look like
- •Lockouts: keys left inside, lost, or snapped in the lock
- •Break-ins: a door forced or a lock damaged, and the place needs to be secured tonight
- •Lock failures: a uPVC door that won't lock, a mechanism that's gone, a key that won't turn
- •Landlords and agents: a tenant has left and the locks need changing quickly
- •Commercial calls: a shop or office that can't be locked up at closing time
Some of these are real emergencies and some can wait until morning. The first job of whoever answers your phone is to work out which is which, so you're not dragged out at 3am for something that could have been booked for Monday.
What to capture on every emergency call
- •Name and a callback number. If they're on a borrowed phone, get a second number too
- •Exactly where they are, with the Eircode. A rural lockout with a townland and no Eircode can cost you half an hour
- •What's happened: locked out, break-in, lock broken, keys lost
- •The door and lock if they know it: uPVC, composite or timber, and the type of lock
- •Whether anyone is at risk: a child or someone vulnerable inside, a cooker or bath left on
- •Whether they live there, own it, or are calling for someone else
- •Whether they can show ID with the address when you arrive
If someone is in danger, the answer isn't a locksmith. Whoever takes your calls should tell them to ring 999 or 112, which both work in Ireland, and then take the details for you.
On the address, our piece on why every call needs an Eircode goes into how Eircodes work and how to find one when the caller doesn't know it. At night, on unlit roads, it matters even more.
Screening timewasters and the calls you should turn down
Not every call at night is a job. Some people are ringing round for the cheapest price and will go with whoever says the lowest number. Some calls are pranks. And now and then someone wants to get into a property that isn't theirs.
A few questions sort most of it out. Do you live at the property? Can you show ID with that address on it when the locksmith arrives? Is the landlord or owner aware? A genuine customer locked out of their own home answers those without a second thought. Someone who gets cagey, can't give an address, or wants you to meet them somewhere else is worth a closer look before you get in the van.
Decide your own rules on proof of entitlement before you need them, and make sure they fit your licence conditions and what your insurer expects. Then brief whoever answers your phone on them, so every caller hears the same thing.
Staying safe at night
Most night calls are exactly what they seem. But you're going alone, in the dark, to an address a stranger gave you. Some simple habits help:
- •Ring the caller back before you set off. It confirms the number is real and lets you hear whether the story still adds up
- •Check the Eircode on a map before you leave, so you know what you're driving to
- •Tell someone where you're going and roughly when you expect to be done
- •Ask for ID with the address before you open anything, not after
- •If something doesn't feel right when you arrive, leave and ring the Gardaí
The price question
"How much will it cost?" is usually the first thing a locked-out caller asks. It's a fair question, and a hard one to answer properly without seeing the door.
Whoever answers your phone shouldn't quote a price for a job they can't see. What they can do is explain how you price: whether there's a call-out charge, whether nights and weekends cost more, and that you'll confirm the price when you ring back, before you set off. If you have set figures you're happy to give out, tell your receptionist exactly what they are. Otherwise, the answer is that the locksmith will give the price on the callback.
Being clear about price before you arrive saves an argument on the doorstep at 2am, and it's the kind of thing people mention in reviews, good or bad.
PSA licensing for locksmiths in Ireland
In the Republic, locksmiths are licensed by the Private Security Authority. The locksmith licence was set up by S.I. No. 343 of 2016, and a separate commencement order, S.I. No. 344 of 2016, brought the licensing requirement in for locksmiths from 1 February 2017. Since then, under section 37 of the Private Security Services Act 2004, it has been an offence for a locksmith business, whether an employer or an independent contractor, to provide locksmith services, or advertise them, without a licence.
The regulations define a locksmith broadly. It covers installing, opening, maintaining, repairing or servicing locking devices on premises or on vehicles, and duplicating or supplying restricted keys, safe keys and vehicle transponder keys. The standard set for the licence is PSA 55:2016.
The penalties are serious. Under the Act, a summary conviction can bring a fine of up to €3,000, up to 12 months in prison, or both, and a conviction on indictment can bring a fine and up to five years. Callers are entitled to ask whether you're licensed, so have your PSA licence number ready, and give it to whoever answers your phone too.
PSA licensing applies in the Republic. If you also work in Northern Ireland, check the rules that apply there separately.
Where Ringvox fits
Ringvox for locksmiths answers your calls 24/7 when you're busy, driving or asleep. You keep your own number and divert the calls you miss. It takes the caller's name, callback number, the address with Eircode and what's happened, and asks the screening questions you set. If a caller asks, it tells them it's an AI.
Within a couple of minutes you get a summary on WhatsApp and by email, so you can decide from the bedside whether it's a job for now or a callback in the morning. Every call is in the portal with the recording and transcript. You decide what it says about prices, so you can have it leave the figure for your callback.
The trades plan is €59 a month with 100 call minutes included, then €0.25 a minute. No contract, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. For more on nights and weekends across the trades, see our after-hours call handling guide.
FAQ
Q: Do locksmiths need a licence in Ireland?
A: Yes. Locksmith businesses in the Republic need a licence from the Private Security Authority. The requirement came in on 1 February 2017.
Q: Should I give prices over the phone for emergency lockouts?
A: Only figures you've set and are happy to stand over, like a call-out charge. For the job itself, confirm the price on the callback before you set off.
Q: What should I ask someone who is locked out?
A: Their name, a callback number, the address with Eircode, what has happened, whether anyone is at risk, whether they live there, and whether they can show ID with the address when you arrive.
Q: Can an AI receptionist handle emergency locksmith calls?
A: It can answer every call, take the details and screening answers, and send them to you on WhatsApp and by email within a couple of minutes. You still decide which jobs to go to and ring the customer back yourself.