Case Study: 24-Hour Locksmith Service Improves Response Time with AI Routing

Emergency locksmith services operate in a high-pressure environment where every minute counts. When customers are locked out of their homes, cars, or businesses, they need immediate assistance—and delays can mean lost revenue and damaged reputation. This case study examines how SecureLock Services, a 24-hour locksmith company serving a major metropolitan area, transformed their emergency response operations using Fieldproxy's AI-powered field service management software. By implementing intelligent routing and automated dispatch, they reduced average response time by 58% while handling 40% more emergency calls.

Company Background: SecureLock Services

SecureLock Services operates across a 50-mile radius with 18 mobile technicians providing residential, commercial, and automotive locksmith services around the clock. Founded in 2016, the company built its reputation on fast emergency response but struggled with inefficient dispatch processes as they scaled. Their manual routing system relied on dispatcher intuition and phone-based coordination, leading to suboptimal technician assignments and frustrated customers waiting longer than necessary for help.

Before implementing Fieldproxy, SecureLock handled approximately 120 emergency calls per week with an average response time of 52 minutes. Their dispatchers spent countless hours coordinating technician locations, estimating travel times, and managing schedule changes. The company knew they needed a technological solution to remain competitive in the growing emergency locksmith market while maintaining the quality service their customers expected.

The Challenges: Dispatch Inefficiencies and Response Delays

SecureLock's manual dispatch system created multiple operational bottlenecks that affected both customer satisfaction and technician productivity. Dispatchers had no real-time visibility into technician locations, relying instead on periodic check-ins via phone or text. This information gap meant assignments were often made based on outdated location data, resulting in longer travel times and technicians crossing paths unnecessarily. Similar challenges are common across field service industries, as documented in our fieldproxy-d1-42">HVAC dispatch case study.

Emergency calls during peak hours—evenings and weekends—created additional stress on the dispatch team. With multiple urgent requests coming in simultaneously, dispatchers struggled to prioritize effectively and optimize technician routes. The lack of automated systems meant every decision required manual calculation and coordination, increasing the likelihood of errors. Customer complaints about long wait times were rising, and the company was losing business to competitors who promised faster response.

The financial impact was significant. SecureLock estimated they were losing approximately $8,000 per month in potential revenue from customers who called competitors after receiving long wait time estimates. Additionally, inefficient routing meant technicians completed fewer jobs per shift, directly impacting revenue per technician. The company needed a solution that could provide intelligent dispatch automation while maintaining the personalized service quality that defined their brand.

The Solution: AI-Powered Routing with Fieldproxy

After evaluating several field service management platforms, SecureLock chose Fieldproxy for its advanced AI routing capabilities and unlimited user pricing model. The implementation process took just 24 hours, with all 18 technicians onboarded and trained on the mobile app by the end of the first week. Fieldproxy's AI engine immediately began analyzing historical job data, traffic patterns, and technician locations to optimize emergency dispatch decisions in real-time.

The platform's intelligent routing algorithm considers multiple factors simultaneously: current technician GPS locations, traffic conditions, technician skill sets, job complexity, and even historical performance data for specific job types. When an emergency call comes in, Fieldproxy automatically identifies the best-suited technician who can reach the location fastest, then sends instant notifications with optimized routes. This eliminated the manual calculation burden on dispatchers while ensuring consistently optimal assignments.

SecureLock also leveraged Fieldproxy's custom workflow capabilities to create specialized protocols for different emergency types—residential lockouts, commercial security issues, and automotive emergencies each have unique requirements. The system automatically assigns priority levels and ensures technicians have the right equipment and information before arriving on site. This level of automation mirrors the success seen in our plumbing company scaling case study, where workflow automation enabled rapid growth.

Implementation Process and Team Adoption

SecureLock's management team worked closely with Fieldproxy's implementation specialists to ensure a smooth transition from their legacy system. The first phase involved importing existing customer data, technician profiles, and service area definitions into the platform. Fieldproxy's team configured the AI routing parameters based on SecureLock's specific operational requirements, including response time targets, technician specializations, and emergency priority rules that aligned with their business model.

Technician adoption was remarkably smooth thanks to Fieldproxy's intuitive mobile interface. Most technicians were comfortable using the app within their first shift, appreciating features like automated navigation, digital job checklists, and instant communication with dispatch. The dispatchers initially had concerns about trusting AI recommendations over their own judgment, but after seeing consistently better outcomes, they embraced the system. Within two weeks, the team was operating entirely through Fieldproxy with minimal friction.

The unlimited user pricing model offered by Fieldproxy proved particularly valuable during implementation. SecureLock could add all dispatchers, technicians, and managers to the system without worrying about per-seat costs, ensuring complete visibility across the organization. This pricing structure also gave them confidence to grow their team in the future without software costs scaling proportionally—a key consideration for their expansion plans.

Results: Dramatic Improvements in Response Time and Efficiency

The impact of AI-powered routing became apparent within the first month of operation. SecureLock's average emergency response time dropped from 52 minutes to just 22 minutes—a 58% improvement that exceeded their most optimistic projections. This dramatic reduction came from eliminating dispatch delays, optimizing technician assignments, and providing accurate real-time routing. Customer satisfaction scores jumped immediately, with positive reviews specifically mentioning the faster response times and accurate arrival estimates.

Technician productivity increased significantly as well. With optimized routing reducing drive time between jobs, each technician could complete an average of 2.3 additional jobs per shift. This 35% increase in jobs per technician translated directly to revenue growth without adding headcount. The efficiency gains were similar to those achieved in our appliance repair case study, where better routing and scheduling drove substantial productivity improvements.

The financial returns were substantial and immediate. The monthly revenue increase of $15,000 far exceeded the cost of the Fieldproxy subscription, delivering a positive ROI within the first month. Additionally, the reduction in fuel costs and administrative overhead added to the bottom line. Perhaps most importantly, SecureLock's improved reputation for fast response led to increased word-of-mouth referrals and higher customer retention rates, creating long-term value beyond the immediate operational improvements.

Customer Experience Transformation

The customer experience improvements extended beyond just faster response times. Fieldproxy's automated notification system kept customers informed throughout the service process, sending SMS updates when a technician was assigned, when they were en route, and providing real-time ETA updates. This transparency dramatically reduced anxiety for customers in stressful emergency situations, leading to more positive interactions even before the technician arrived on site.

Customers also appreciated the professionalism enabled by the digital platform. Technicians arrived with complete job information, customer history, and digital payment processing capabilities. The ability to send invoices and receipts electronically immediately after job completion created a seamless, modern service experience. Online reviews began highlighting not just the speed of service but the overall professional experience, helping SecureLock differentiate themselves in a competitive market.

The data collected through Fieldproxy also enabled SecureLock to identify and address service quality issues proactively. Management could track response times by technician, identify patterns in customer feedback, and recognize top performers. This visibility allowed them to implement targeted coaching and training, continuously improving service quality. The customer-centric approach facilitated by Fieldproxy's comprehensive platform became a key competitive advantage in their market.

Scaling Operations with Confidence

With operations running smoothly on Fieldproxy, SecureLock began expanding into adjacent service territories. The scalable nature of the platform meant they could add new technicians and expand their service area without worrying about operational complexity overwhelming their dispatch team. The AI routing automatically adapted to the larger geography and increased technician count, maintaining optimal efficiency as the business grew.

Six months after implementation, SecureLock added five new technicians and expanded their service radius to 75 miles. Despite the 28% increase in coverage area and team size, response times remained consistent and operational efficiency actually improved slightly as the AI had more technicians to optimize assignments among. This growth trajectory mirrors success stories from other field service businesses that have leveraged technology to scale efficiently.

The company is now exploring additional Fieldproxy features including predictive maintenance scheduling for commercial clients, advanced analytics for demand forecasting, and integration with their marketing automation platform. The foundation of efficient emergency dispatch has enabled them to build a more sophisticated, data-driven business model that positions them for continued growth in an increasingly competitive market.

Key Lessons and Best Practices

SecureLock's leadership emphasizes that technology alone wasn't the complete solution—they also refined their service processes and invested in team training to maximize the platform's capabilities. However, they acknowledge that without Fieldproxy's AI routing and automation, achieving these results would have been impossible. The combination of powerful technology and operational discipline created the foundation for their transformation.