The problem
Opening a door for someone who turns out not to live there, such as an ex-partner or an evicted lodger, is a locksmith's worst call-out. If you're later asked what checks you made, a memory of being shown a bank card at 1am won't help. On 30 lockouts a month, a dated record of what was checked on each one is the protection.
What the AI does
ServiceM8's Growing plan lets you build your own forms, and customers on any plan can buy ready-made forms from its Form Store. A short pre-entry form on every lockout records the arrival time, what proof of residence or ownership was shown (such as a utility bill or driving license at that address), whether anyone else confirmed it, and the locksmith's decision. It's saved to the job alongside before and after photos of the lock.
A worked example
A two-van locksmith firm in Manchester does about 30 lockouts and 60 other jobs a month on ServiceM8 Growing ($78£59€70A$113C$111 a month excluding VAT, 150 jobs). Both locksmiths complete the pre-entry form before picking or drilling any lock, and walk away if the proof doesn't match the address.
Before
30 lockouts a month with checks done but not written down, so nothing to show if an entry is questioned
After
A dated record of the check on all 30 lockouts a month, stored with each job
What it's worth
No direct money saving; this is a record that protects the business if an entry is ever questioned. The $78£59€70A$113C$111 Growing plan also runs the firm's quotes, jobs and invoices.
How to set it up
- Decide what counts as proof of residence for your firm, and what you'll do when there's none, such as waiting for the landlord or the police.
- Build a short pre-entry form in ServiceM8: arrival time, document seen, how it matched the address, who else confirmed it, and the decision.
- Make the form a task on every lockout job, completed before any work starts.
- Record the type of document seen rather than photographing it, unless you have a clear reason to keep a copy.
- Check a sample of completed forms each month and talk to anyone skipping fields.
What goes wrong
- ID details are personal data under UK GDPR. Collect only what you need, explain in your privacy notice why you keep it, and set how long you keep it.
- Building your own forms needs Growing ($78£59€70A$113C$111). On Free or Starter you'd need to buy a ready-made form from the Form Store, and the pricing page doesn't show what they cost.
- A form is only as good as the habit. Filled in afterwards in the van, it records nothing useful.
- If you belong to a trade association, follow its guidance on proof of residence too.