It isn’t news to say that lockdown has affected locksmithing just as much as any profession. One forward thinking business owner however, has taken advantage of the extra time; by combining a ‘simple’ idea with a little bit of lateral thinking, and a few clever touches; into a brand new venture, website and social media presence…
Lower Costing Locksmiths, in essence, does exactly what it says on the tin (or in this case, a very well stocked van). The brand new Bristol business, owned by Craig Andres, is a low cost, high quality locksmith service, for all of Bristol and Bath.
Craig Andres says: “Even before lockdown, I had the idea for a genuine Bristol business, servicing the local and surrounding areas, that could provide unbeatable prices compared to the competition, with an ultra fast response time (emergency target of 30 minutes), a well stocked van; laden with good quality products, and more than a decade of experience, resulting in a very high quality standard of work and customer service.
“When we went into lockdown, I sat down at the computer to start building a new online presence, because when it comes to looking for a locksmith, that’s exactly where a customer will go first; either on their computer, tablet, or most likely, on a smartphone.
“I decided to keep it simple with this new venture, not only online – with easy information, quick contact details, and true testimonials – but also in terms of business. And, when customers visit the site: Lower Costing Locksmiths that’s exactly what they’ll find.
“What you see is what you get; and I think customers appreciate that. You can have the slickest and most stylish website, but in an emergency, the client needs to see who are you, what do you do, when can you get here, and how to get in touch. That’s all it takes.”
‘Keeping it simple’ seems to do Craig’s work a disservice because, while the style and speed of the site may look ‘simple’, in fact there has been some very clever and complex thinking behind the scenes.
One such touch is the inclusion of a WhatsApp feature, which means that customers can send a photo of their door, window, lock, key, other; straight to the Lower Costing Locksmiths team so that the customer doesn’t have to try and describe – or guess – the make and model of a lock over the phone.
As well as identifying the problem remotely, this means that Craig can provide free – accurate – quotes, and once given the go-ahead; the person on the call out can get straight to the repair or replacement on arrival; saving precious time for the customer and enabling the locksmith to move onto the next job fast, and the one after that.
It’s the little touches that make a big difference, and often these are the factors that a new business may not always consider. But for Lower Costing Locksmiths, all of these puzzle pieces, which look so simple: low cost, high quality, good stock, fast call out, local, 10 years experience, WhatsApp ‘diagnosis’, add up to a much larger picture that can make a huge difference to residents and business owners in Bristol and Bath.
But don’t take our word for it, see for yourself at:
https://lowercostinglocksmiths.co.uk/
