Built with partners

LockFit

A dispatch platform matching every LockFit job to a locksmith.

An internal platform that matches every client job to the best-fit local locksmith, by location, availability and skills, then coordinates scheduling, on-site confirmation and completion in one place.

Partner: LockFitOne of the UK's largest locksmith brands, operating under Lockfit Contracts Ltd
Sector: Locksmith servicesHomes and businesses nationwide, 24 hours a day
Product: AI job management and locksmith dispatch platform
Services: Product Strategy & UX Design
Full-stack Web Application Development
Workflow Automation & WhatsApp Integration

4 hours → 2 minutesfor scheduling and allocation

100%of job evidence captured on site, instead of chased by phone

About LockFit

LockFit is one of the UK's largest locksmith brands, delivering professional, fully qualified locksmiths to homes and businesses nationwide, 24 hours a day. Operating under Lockfit Contracts Ltd, it has built its reputation on fast emergency response, transparent fixed pricing and consistently high standards of workmanship.

LockFit came to us with a clear vision: replace the spreadsheets, phone calls and manual coordination behind their scheduled client work with a single system that automatically matches each job to the best-fit local locksmith and tracks it all the way through to completion. The solution needed to:

Ingest jobs at volume and one at a timeAccept whole client spreadsheets of addresses and turn each row into a structured job, while still letting operations add or amend a single job by hand.

Turn addresses into a workable scheduleGroup jobs into runs (a day's work for one locksmith) automatically, rather than leaving operations to plan routes manually.

Match the right locksmith to every jobThe heart of the system: find a locksmith who covers the area, holds the right skills, is available, and whose insurance and DBS checks are valid.

Coordinate with mobile field workersReach locksmiths where they already are, capture a clear accept or reject, and keep everyone informed through scheduling and reminders.

Keep an accurate record of the workCapture what was done at each address, when, how, and with photos, so the office has a reliable picture of every job.

Give head office live oversightA single view of every run and job, with the ability to step in and re-plan when something goes wrong on the day.

What made it complex

Good matching is harder than it looks. For each job the platform has to weigh location (does this locksmith cover the postcode?), availability, skill set and valid compliance all at once, then surface the best options instantly rather than leaving operations to cross-reference a roster by hand.

Around that sits a connected pipeline, not a set of separate screens. A job passes through intake, grouping, matching, the locksmith's confirmation, on-site completion and office review, and each handover has to carry the right data forward and update status reliably, including when things go wrong: a locksmith rejecting a run, a no-answer at the door, or an expiring DBS certificate.

And because the people doing the work are mobile and time-pressured, the field experience had to be lightweight and unmistakable: no portal logins, no ambiguity about what to do next.

From spreadsheet to runs

Two easy ways to get jobs into the systemLockFit's client work comes as big spreadsheet batches and the occasional one-off, and neither should mean retyping. A client's spreadsheet (.xls, .xlsx or .csv) is uploaded and each row becomes a job automatically. For one-offs, a quick Create Job form takes the same details: client, address, postcode, date, time, the warrant officer and their number, and any special requirements. Every upload is logged, so the team can see how many jobs and runs it created and whether it came through cleanly.

ExampleA 15-row spreadsheet becomes 15 jobs, automatically grouped into 5 runs. Need something last minute? A job can be created by hand, with no file required.

Grouping jobs into a day's workA list of addresses still leaves the hardest question: who does what, and when? As jobs come in, the system groups them into runs automatically. A run is one locksmith's work for a day, a set of nearby jobs on the same date, as a full or half day. The team gets instant feedback, and each run then moves through clear stages everyone can follow.

Spreadsheet upload for .XLS, .XLSX or .CSV files beside the Create Job form with client, address, postcode, date, time and warrant officer fields

Run detail screen listing each job's address, time and notes, with an option to assign a locksmith

Runs list with status tags: To be assigned, Waiting confirmation, Accepted, In progress and Completed

Trusted roster, fast matching

A roster of locksmiths you can trustThe work is carried out by a mix of LockFit franchisees and independent subcontractors. Every locksmith has a profile: franchisee or subcontractor, skills, areas covered, and key documents (insurance and DBS) with renewal dates. If a document is about to expire, the system flags it early, so no one is sent out with lapsed cover. Skills include specialist warrant work, so warrant jobs only ever go to locksmiths qualified to do them.

Matching the right locksmith to the jobThe heart of the platform. For every run, it suggests the three best-matched locksmiths for the run's area, based on skills and availability, each assignable with a single click. If none fit, the full list is a step away with filters by type, area or skill, and if there's genuinely no match, the system says so clearly, so a run never quietly slips through unassigned.

Reaching locksmiths on WhatsApp

Locksmiths are out on the road, not sat at a desk. Asking them to log into a system to accept a job adds friction exactly where speed matters most.

When a locksmith is assigned a run, they get a WhatsApp message with a link. Tapping it opens a simple view of the run: the date, the client, and each job's address, time and notes, where they just tap Accept or Reject. The run updates automatically, and follow-up messages confirm the booking and remind them the day before. No app to download, no login, no guesswork.

WhatsApp message with a run link, opening a mobile view of the run's jobs to accept or reject

On-site record and sign-off

Capturing what happened on siteThe office needs a clear, consistent record of every job, not a different style of note from each locksmith. On site, the locksmith fills in a short completion form per job: whether it was completed, a quick health & safety check, start and end times, how entry was made, before-and-after photos, parts used and any comments, or why it couldn't be done. A run can't be marked complete until every job is filled in, so the record is always complete. This matters most on sensitive jobs such as warrant work, where showing exactly what was done, when and how, really counts.

Signing off the workTo close a run, the attending officer's name and signature are captured, the locksmith sees a reminder of what to do if there's a problem on site, and they agree to the terms and conditions before submitting. This sign-off applies to every run, giving the office a confirmed, accountable record as standard, which is especially valuable for warrant work.

Job Info panel showing completion, health & safety check, start and end times, entry method, before and after pictures and parts used

Mobile warrant locksmith form with a 'Cannot Complete Run' warning until details are added for every job

A clear view for the office

Head office needs to see what's happening across every run, and step in quickly when something goes wrong.

A dashboard shows every run and its status at a glance, with search, filters, and a quick way to see only the runs still needing a locksmith. For any job, the office can open the details captured on site, including photos and any reason a job wasn't completed, and send unfinished jobs back into scheduling with a single re-plan. The result is one clear, up-to-date picture of every job, from the client's first spreadsheet through to signed-off work.

Results and impact

Planning routes and matching locksmiths by hand used to take up to a full day. Now jobs batch into runs automatically by date and postcode, and each run matches to a best-fit locksmith by area, skill, availability and valid compliance. What once took most of a day takes about two minutes.

Job evidence that used to be chased by phone is now 100% captured on site.

Need something like LockFit built and kept running?

Got a market and a problem worth a company? Build it with us →

Next product

MassageBookA context-aware AI booking assistant for a US massage marketplace.Read it