Ansela / Who it’s for / Locksmiths
For locksmiths
Someone’s on a doorstep in the rain with no keys. She puts them through.
Ansela answers in your business’s name, gets the address and what’s happened with the lock, then puts the lock-out through to you or books the job for later, whichever you’ve told her.
£1.99 your first month, including VAT, then from £99 a month + VAT. 60 minutes in month one. No contract.
Set up in about 15 minutes.
Ansela is a Bookeasy.ai product. You sign up at ansela.bookeasy.ai, and you’ll see BOOKEASY.AI on your card statement.
Is there an answering service for locksmiths?
Yes. Ansela is an AI phone receptionist for locksmiths. She answers in your business’s name, takes the address and what’s happened to the lock, and puts the lock-out through to your mobile. Other jobs she books into your Ansela diary. Plans start at £99 a month + VAT.
01
The call she put through at quarter past ten
A lock-out on a Friday night, a caller on a few percent of battery, and the wrong door mentioned first. Under a minute from hello to Mark.
Example call; Fenwick Lock and Key and the caller are made up.
This call may be recorded. Thank you for calling Fenwick Lock and Key. Please hold for a moment while I connect you.Recorded, and played before she picks up.
Fenwick Lock and Key, Ansela speaking. How can I help?
Hi, yeah, I’m locked out. Well, the key’s snapped in the lock, half of it’s still in there. And my battery’s nearly gone.
Let’s be quick, then. Where are you?
42 Marlborough Road, Broomhall. S10 2HS, I think.
S10 2HS. Is it the front door?
Back door. UPVC. The front’s bolted from inside, that’s the whole problem.
Back door, UPVC, key snapped in it. And your name?
Tom Gallagher. 07700 900387 if it cuts out.
Thanks Tom. I’m putting you through to Mark now. If he can’t pick up, he’ll ring that number straight back.
02
What she does for a locksmith, and what she won’t
You decide which calls come straight to your mobile and which get booked. The rest comes from your own answers: your area, your hours, your call-out charge.
- Lock-outs, put through to your mobile with the address and the door already taken.
- Lock changes, UPVC mechanism repairs and landlord changeovers, booked into your diary.
- “Do you cover Hillsborough?” and “What’s your call-out charge?” answered the way you wrote it.
- A lock-out you can’t take because you’re already on one, written up with a number so you can ring back.
- Won’t promise an arrival time. Callers are told you’ll confirm it when you ring.
- Won’t give a price you haven’t set. For an unusual lock or a safe, she takes the details.
03
What happens when a locksmith misses a lock-out call?
Someone standing outside their own front door doesn’t leave a message and wait. They ring the next locksmith on the search results, and they keep ringing until somebody answers. If you’re under another customer’s door when your phone goes, that job is gone before you’ve put the pick down.
The value for a locksmith is the hand-over, not the diary. The caller gets an answer straight away, and you get the call while it is still live.
04
What does she ask someone who is locked out?
Where they are, first. Then what has happened: keys inside, key snapped, lock stuck, a break-in. Then which door, and what sort of lock if they know. She takes a name and a number in case the line drops, and then puts the call through to your mobile.
Anything more you want asked, such as whether they live there, goes in what you give her, and she asks it in your words. She doesn’t tell them what to try on the door and she doesn’t work out what is wrong with the lock.
05
What if I can’t take the call when she puts it through?
You decide what happens then. The usual rule is that she tells the caller you’ll ring straight back, and you get the name, number, address and a recording by email. She never promises an arrival time, because only you know where you are and how long you’ll be.
You also set what happens out of hours: through to your mobile, or a message for the morning. Membership of a body such as the Master Locksmiths Association is yours to say. If you want callers told, write it into her brief.
06
Does she book lock changes and landlord changeovers?
Yes. Lock changes, UPVC mechanism repairs and a changeover between tenants go into your Ansela diary, in the days and windows you choose. She won’t give a price you haven’t set, so an unusual lock or a safe becomes a message for you to quote. Handymen use her the same way.
Plans start at £99 a month + VAT: see what each plan includes. Paying a per-call service now? See how Ansela compares.
07
Where the phone usually is at quarter past ten
We built Ansela because we kept ringing tradespeople who couldn’t pick up, and then booking someone else. She isn’t a call centre. She answers in your name, says what you’ve told her to say, and writes down what the caller wanted.
If she gets a call wrong, forward us the recording.
Ansela[email protected]
08
How do you set up Ansela?
You choose a plan before your number goes live.
For locksmiths: keep your current number and divert it to Ansela, or take a new UK business number for your website and cards, or use both.
- Give her your website. She reads it and comes back with your area, your hours and the work you do for you to check.
- Say what comes through and try her. Pick which calls go straight to your mobile, then have the lock-out call above with her in your browser.
- Divert your mobile. We give you a UK number. One short code diverts your mobile to it when you don’t pick up. Another turns it off.
09
What does Ansela cost? Three plans, no contract
Starter is most locksmiths working on their own. Team when there’s a second van covering nights.
Ansela is a Bookeasy.ai product. You sign up at ansela.bookeasy.ai, and you’ll see BOOKEASY.AI on your card statement.
| Plan | A month + VAT | Minutes | Calls at once |
|---|---|---|---|
| StarterSole traders, one or two vans | £99 | 600 | 1 |
| TeamDiaries for up to 10 people | £279 | 1,800 | 3 |
| ScaleSet up with you, not self-serve | £499 | 3,500 | 3 |
Minutes are time she spends on the phone with callers. Extra minutes are 20p each, up to a limit you set.
First month £1.99 including VAT, with 60 minutes, on Starter. Card needed; nothing else to pay in month one. Cancel from your billing page and it stops at the end of the month you’ve paid for. Plan prices exclude VAT.
Not VAT-registered? With VAT that’s £118.80 a month on Starter, £334.80 a month on Team and £598.80 a month on Scale.
Scale is set up with you. Need her plugged into your own systems? Talk to us about Enterprise.
10
Questions locksmiths ask
What if I can’t take the hand-over?
She takes the caller’s name, number and address and tells them you’ll ring back. It’s in your inbox with the recording straight away.
Can she tell callers my call-out fee?
Yes, if you’ve given it to her, word for word. She won’t add to it or knock anything off.
Will she promise the caller I’ll be there in twenty minutes?
No. She never gives an arrival time. She says you’ll confirm it when you ring.
Does she answer at 3am?
Whenever your divert is on. You decide whether night calls come through to you or get a message for the morning.
Do I have to change my number?
No. We give you a UK number and you divert your own to it with a short code (codes by network). Turn the divert off whenever you like.
What is a minute, and can she take two calls at once?
A minute is time she spends on the phone with callers. Starter includes 600 a month, extra minutes are 20p each up to a limit you set, and Starter takes 1 call at a time. A caller who rings while she’s busy can leave a voicemail, which doesn’t use your minutes.
Is there a contract, and what happens after the £1.99 month?
No minimum term. After the first month it carries on at your plan price plus VAT unless you cancel, which you can do from your billing page at any time.
They ring once, then they ring someone else. Let her answer.
Ansela is a Bookeasy.ai product. You sign up at ansela.bookeasy.ai, and you’ll see BOOKEASY.AI on your card statement.