Pricing & Buying
Dedicated vs Per-Lead Locksmith Dispatch: Which Plan Fits Your Shop?
Dedicated $10/Hour agents vs $2/real job Per Lead — same human locksmith desk, different meters. Here’s how to pick without mixing up hours and leads.
If you need one brand-only agent who owns the full cycle — answer, quote, book, tech handoff, follow-up — choose Dispatch Service at $10/Hour per agent. If your volume is steadier and you mainly need Tier-3 humans to turn real jobs into Workiz tickets without buying full dedicated hours, Per Lead at $2 per real job is usually the better fit. Same human-only locksmith desk either way; the difference is how you pay and how exclusive the agent is.
Most owners get stuck because “answering” and “dispatch” get sold as the same thing. They’re not. One path buys coverage hours. The other buys completed intakes.
What does dedicated Dispatch Service actually include?
Dispatch Service is a dedicated Tier-3 agent (or agents) for one brand only. You’re not sharing that seat with other shops. The agent works your scripts, your service menu, your pricing rules, and your Workiz board as if they sat in your office.
Typical scope on this plan:
Full-cycle locksmith dispatch: intake, qualification, quotes where you allow them, booking, tech communication
Reports and call audits so you can see what happened on the line
Workiz as the system of record (required)
Free migration help when you’re moving into Workiz
Room for a custom SLA conversation when your coverage needs are nonstandard
You’re buying agent hours, not “minutes of talk.” Busy nights don’t inflate the invoice the way per-minute call centers do. Slow stretches still cost the hours you staffed — which is why dedicated fits shops that already know they need predictable, brand-owned coverage.
See current plan details on KeyDispatchers pricing.
What is Per Lead Service, and what counts as a “real job”?
Per Lead Service uses a shared Tier-3 dispatcher — typically covering 2–3 brands, not a giant multi-industry queue. You pay $2 per real job.
A real job means the dispatcher captured name, address, phone, and service requested. You are not charged for spam, incomplete info, out-of-area calls, repeats, or services you don’t offer. There’s a 10 calls/day minimum. No contract and no setup fees on either plan.
This model fits shops that want locksmith-trained humans booking into Workiz, but don’t need a fully exclusive seat yet. You’re aligning cost with completed intakes rather than with every clock hour.
Side-by-side: $10/hour vs $2/real job
Dispatch Service | Per Lead Service | |
|---|---|---|
Rate | $10/Hour per agent | $2 / real job |
Agent model | Dedicated Tier-3, one brand only | Shared Tier-3, 2–3 brands |
You pay for | Staffed coverage hours | Completed real jobs only |
Not billed for | N/A (hours are the unit) | Spam, incomplete, OOA, repeats, wrong service |
Minimum | Coverage hours you choose | 10 calls/day |
Best when | Brand exclusivity and full-cycle ownership matter | Steady inbound; cost tied to booked work |
System | Workiz required | Workiz required |
Contract / setup | None / none | None / none |
Neither plan is “the cheap one” in the abstract. Dedicated can be lower cost per booked job when volume is high. Per Lead can be the cleaner bill when volume is moderate and you don’t want idle dedicated time.
How do you decide which plan fits your shop?
When dedicated ($10/hr) is the clearer call
Choose dedicated if most of these are true:
Callers expect your brand voice and you don’t want your agent juggling other locksmith brands in the same shift
You need tech callbacks, quote delivery, and follow-up — not just a warm transfer
After-hours volume already justifies staffing hours, not guessing at lead counts
You’re replacing an in-house seat or building one accountable desk with audits and tighter SLA language
If you’re still weighing humans against AI answering tools, read human vs AI locksmith receptionists, then come back to dedicated vs per-lead.
When Per Lead ($2/job) is the clearer call
Choose Per Lead if most of these are true:
You can clear a 10 calls/day floor without stretching
You want Tier-3 locksmith dispatch without buying a full exclusive hour block yet
Your pain is incomplete leads and junk calls more than brand exclusivity
You’re fine sharing a Tier-3 agent with a small set of other brands (2–3)
Per Lead is not “message taking.” It’s still human locksmith dispatch into Workiz — you just meter on real jobs.
What stays the same on both plans?
Human-only — no AI voice bot on your emergency line
Locksmith-only desk culture for the patterns your techs actually run
Workiz required — see how Workiz integration works with KeyDispatchers
No contract, no setup fees
Free 3-day trial — what happens during the free 3-day trial
KeyDispatchers has operated since 2020 across 50+ cities, with 22,500+ calls handled and roughly 93% of answered calls booking into jobs on the published track record. The SLA page describes the aim: 90% of forwarded inbound answered within 20 seconds.
How does a call become a booked job either way?
Whether you buy hours or real jobs, the workflow should still look like dispatch. The path is documented in how KeyDispatchers books a job from first call to final dispatch: qualify, capture service + location, price or schedule per your rules, push to Workiz, loop in the tech. If a vendor can’t show that chain, you’re shopping for a receptionist product.
Common mistakes when comparing the two plans
1. Comparing $10/hour to $2/job as if they’re the same unit. Convert with your math: estimated real jobs per day × $2 vs hours you need staffed × $10.
2. Ignoring the 10 calls/day minimum on Per Lead. If you’re below that floor most days, dedicated overflow hours — or fixing marketing first — may be the honest conversation.
3. Buying dedicated with no audit habit. Dedicated shines when you review call audits and tighten scripts.
4. Treating shared (2–3 brands) like a nameless call farm. Small-share Tier-3 is still specialized — but it’s not exclusive. Be clear which risk you’re buying down: cost variance, or brand exclusivity.
A simple decision rule
Need brand-only ownership + full-cycle desk → $10/Hour Dispatch Service
Need Tier-3 booking with cost tied to real jobs and you clear 10 calls/day → $2 Per Lead
Unsure → run the free 3-day trial, watch the Workiz tickets, then pick the meter that matches what you saw
Map hours or lead volume at pricing.
FAQ
Is $10/Hour dedicated always more expensive than $2 per real job?
Not always. High volume with long coverage windows often makes dedicated cheaper per booked job. Low-to-moderate volume with a clean “real job” definition often favors Per Lead. Run both against your last 30 days of call logs.
Does Per Lead mean a junior message-taker?
No. Per Lead still uses Tier-3 locksmith dispatchers. You’re sharing that agent across a small set of brands (2–3) and paying per completed real job instead of per staffed hour.
What if a caller is incomplete or out of area on Per Lead?
Those aren’t billed as real jobs when they don’t meet the definition (name, address, phone, service) or fall into the no-charge categories: spam, incomplete, out-of-area, repeats, or services you don’t offer.
Do both plans require Workiz?
Yes. Workiz is required for KeyDispatchers dispatch. Migration support is part of how onboarding is sold on the dedicated path; either way, the CRM/field system isn’t optional.
Can I switch between dedicated and Per Lead later?
There’s no long-term contract locking you in. Shops change plans as volume and exclusivity needs change — talk through the cutover so coverage doesn’t drop during the switch.
Is there a trial before I pick a plan?
Yes. KeyDispatchers offers a free 3-day trial so you can see answer speed, booking quality, and Workiz handoffs before you standardize on hours or per-job billing.
Frequently asked questions
Is $10/Hour dedicated always more expensive than $2 per real job?
Not always. High volume with long coverage windows often makes dedicated cheaper per booked job. Low-to-moderate volume with a clean “real job” definition often favors Per Lead. Run both against your last 30 days of call logs.
Does Per Lead mean a junior message-taker?
No. Per Lead still uses Tier-3 locksmith dispatchers. You’re sharing that agent across a small set of brands (2–3) and paying per completed real job instead of per staffed hour.
What if a caller is incomplete or out of area on Per Lead?
Those aren’t billed as real jobs when they don’t meet the definition (name, address, phone, service) or fall into the no-charge categories: spam, incomplete, out-of-area, repeats, or services you don’t offer.
Do both plans require Workiz?
Yes. Workiz is required for KeyDispatchers dispatch. Migration support is part of how onboarding is sold on the dedicated path; either way, the CRM/field system isn’t optional.
Can I switch between dedicated and Per Lead later?
There’s no long-term contract locking you in. Shops change plans as volume and exclusivity needs change — talk through the cutover so coverage doesn’t drop during the switch.
Is there a trial before I pick a plan?
Yes. KeyDispatchers offers a free 3-day trial so you can see answer speed, booking quality, and Workiz handoffs before you standardize on hours or per-job billing.
