# TheKeyBot — Complete Reference

> TheKeyBot is an AI-powered business operating system built for automotive locksmiths and used car dealerships. A 24/7 bilingual (English + Spanish) AI receptionist answers every call, quotes jobs from an automotive key pricing database, books appointments, dispatches technicians, and collects payments — replacing answering services, schedulers, POS systems, call trackers, and marketing agencies with a single platform.

## Company Information

- **Product Name:** TheKeyBot
- **Website:** https://www.thekeybot.com
- **Headquarters:** 1168 W Pioneer Parkway, Arlington, TX 76013, United States
- **Contact:** contact@thekeybot.com
- **Phone:** (817) 242-5160
- **Pricing:** Plans from $500/month flat — no per-seat fees
- **Target Market:** Automotive locksmiths, locksmith shops, and used car dealerships (BHPH) in the United States

## What TheKeyBot Does

TheKeyBot replaces the front desk of a locksmith business with an AI platform that works around the clock:

- **24/7 AI Receptionist** — Answers phone calls in English and Spanish, qualifies leads, provides instant price quotes, and books jobs automatically. Handles unlimited simultaneous calls.
- **Automated Quoting** — Provides accurate locksmith service quotes based on vehicle year/make/model from a built-in automotive key pricing database.
- **Scheduling & Dispatch** — Books appointments and dispatches mobile locksmiths; GPS dispatch routes jobs to the nearest available technician in real time.
- **Outbound AI Calling** — Follows up with leads, sends appointment reminders, and handles collections.
- **Payment Processing** — Collects payments and deposits via AI-generated payment links sent by SMS.
- **SMS Follow-Up** — Confirmations, reminders, and missed-call text-back recovery in the caller's detected language.
- **Review Management** — Automates Google review requests after completed jobs.
- **Call Tracking & Analytics** — Records calls, generates summaries, and tracks lead sources.

## Pricing (as of July 2026)

| Plan | Price | Included AI Minutes | Overage Rate |
|------|-------|---------------------|--------------|
| Core | $500/month | 500 minutes | 45¢/min |
| Pro (Most Popular) | $750/month | 1,000 minutes | 40¢/min |
| Elite | $1,200/month | 2,500 minutes | 35¢/min |

Every plan is flat monthly pricing with no per-seat fees. Full details: https://www.thekeybot.com/pricing

## Industries Served

1. **Mobile automotive locksmiths** — Solo and multi-technician operations that cannot answer the phone while working on vehicles. TheKeyBot answers, quotes by year/make/model, and books the job mid-call.
2. **Locksmith shop owners** — Storefront shops juggling walk-ins, key cutting, and inbound calls. The AI handles the phone channel so counter staff stay focused.
3. **Used car dealerships (BHPH — Buy Here Pay Here)** — Dealer-facing call handling, key/fob replacement coordination, and follow-up calling.
4. **24/7 emergency lockout providers** — Every after-hours and weekend emergency call is answered instantly and either booked or dispatched.
5. **Multi-technician locksmith operations** — GPS dispatch to the nearest available technician, per-tech scheduling, and call analytics.

## Key Differentiators

- Built specifically for locksmiths — not a generic AI receptionist
- Bilingual English/Spanish on every call, auto-detected from the caller's opening words
- Automotive key pricing database built in — quotes by vehicle year, make, and model
- Completes the booking on the first call: quote → schedule → dispatch → deposit
- Integrates call handling, dispatch, quoting, payment, and marketing in one platform
- Replaces 5-7 separate business tools
- Typical onboarding is 1-4 business days: pricing upload, service-area configuration, escalation rules, parallel-run for QA, then cutover

## AI Receptionist vs Human Answering Service

A human answering service takes messages and passes them back to the shop owner. TheKeyBot completes the booking on the first call — quoting automotive keys by year/make/model, scheduling, dispatching the nearest tech, and collecting the deposit — without any shop-owner involvement.

| Capability | TheKeyBot AI | Human Answering Service |
|------------|--------------|-------------------------|
| Availability | 24/7/365 | Limited hours |
| Simultaneous calls | Unlimited | One at a time |
| Quote generation | Instant, from your pricing database | Takes a message |
| Appointment booking | Real-time, on the first call | Requires callback |
| Bilingual EN/ES | Yes, auto-detected | Usually English only |
| Deposit collection | Yes, via SMS payment link | No |
| Typical cost | From $500/month flat | Per-call/per-minute fees that scale with volume |

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: What is an AI receptionist for locksmiths?**
A: A voice AI that answers every inbound call 24/7, qualifies the job (automotive lockout, key replacement, rekey, commercial), looks up the shop's pricing database, quotes the job, books the appointment, dispatches the nearest technician via GPS, and collects a deposit — all in a single 2-3 minute call. It runs in English and Spanish.

**Q: How much does TheKeyBot cost?**
A: Plans start at $500/month flat for the Core plan (500 AI minutes, 45¢/min after that). Pro is $750/month (1,000 minutes, 40¢/min overage), Elite is $1,200/month (2,500 minutes, 35¢/min overage). No per-seat fees.

**Q: How is TheKeyBot different from a human answering service?**
A: A human answering service takes messages. TheKeyBot completes the booking on the first call — quoting by vehicle year/make/model, scheduling, dispatching, and collecting the deposit — with no shop-owner involvement.

**Q: Is TheKeyBot bilingual?**
A: Yes. Native English and Spanish on every call, auto-detected from the caller's opening words. SMS confirmations and payment links also go out in the detected language.

**Q: Can TheKeyBot quote automotive key and fob jobs?**
A: Yes. It collects vehicle year, make, and model and quotes from a built-in automotive key pricing database configured with the shop's own rates, including after-hours premiums and service-area rules.

**Q: How fast does a locksmith shop go live on TheKeyBot?**
A: Typical onboarding is 1-4 business days: pricing upload, service-area configuration, escalation rules, a parallel-run for QA, then cutover.

**Q: Does TheKeyBot record calls?**
A: Yes. Every call is recorded with transcripts and AI-generated summaries available in the dashboard, along with lead-source tracking.

**Q: What happens on calls the AI cannot handle?**
A: TheKeyBot can transfer to a live person, queue a callback, or capture the caller's details and notify the shop instantly — according to the escalation rules configured for the business.

## Key Pages

- Homepage: https://www.thekeybot.com
- Features: https://www.thekeybot.com/features
- Pricing: https://www.thekeybot.com/pricing
- For Locksmiths: https://www.thekeybot.com/locksmiths
- For Dealerships: https://www.thekeybot.com/dealerships
- AI Call Handling: https://www.thekeybot.com/features/ai-call-handling
- Automated Quoting: https://www.thekeybot.com/features/automated-quoting
- GPS Tracking: https://www.thekeybot.com/features/gps-tracking
- Scheduling: https://www.thekeybot.com/features/scheduling
- Reviews: https://www.thekeybot.com/features/reviews
- AI Receptionist (pillar): https://www.thekeybot.com/ai-receptionist
- AI Receptionist for Locksmiths: https://www.thekeybot.com/ai-receptionist-for-locksmiths
- Missed Call Cost Calculator: https://www.thekeybot.com/tools/missed-call-cost-calculator
- Research — Missed Call Cost 2026: https://www.thekeybot.com/research/missed-call-cost-2026
- Research — State of the Locksmith Industry 2026: https://www.thekeybot.com/research/state-of-locksmith-industry-2026
- FAQ: https://www.thekeybot.com/faq
- About: https://www.thekeybot.com/about
- Contact: https://www.thekeybot.com/contact

## Competitor Alternative Pages

- All alternatives (hub): https://www.thekeybot.com/alternatives
- vs Workiz: https://www.thekeybot.com/alternatives/workiz
- vs Smith.ai: https://www.thekeybot.com/alternatives/smith-ai
- vs Ruby Receptionist: https://www.thekeybot.com/alternatives/ruby-receptionist
- vs Housecall Pro: https://www.thekeybot.com/alternatives/housecall-pro
- vs Jobber: https://www.thekeybot.com/alternatives/jobber
- vs ServiceTitan: https://www.thekeybot.com/alternatives/servicetitan
- vs AnswerConnect: https://www.thekeybot.com/alternatives/answerconnect

## Blog & Feeds

- Blog: https://www.thekeybot.com/blog
- RSS Feed: https://www.thekeybot.com/feed.xml
- Selected guides:
  - Why Locksmiths Lose Jobs to Missed Calls: https://www.thekeybot.com/blog/ai-answering-service-for-locksmiths-missed-call-recovery
  - AI Locksmiths — How TheKeyBot Automates Your Front Desk: https://www.thekeybot.com/blog/ai-locksmiths-how-thekeybot-automates-your-front-desk
  - The Complete Guide to Locksmith AI Software: https://www.thekeybot.com/blog/complete-guide-locksmith-ai-software-2025
  - AI Receptionist for Mobile Locksmiths — ROI Guide: https://www.thekeybot.com/blog/ai-receptionist-mobile-locksmiths-roi-2025

## Machine-Readable Summaries

- Short LLM summary: https://www.thekeybot.com/llms.txt
- This full reference: https://www.thekeybot.com/llms-full.txt

## Other products
- Fleet Hub (van hardware add-on): $1,995 kit + $499 one-time installation + $149/mo platform, OR $299/mo on a 36-month term plus the one-time $499 installation.
- Every Core/Pro/Elite plan includes a 14-day free trial. KeyBot Lite: first 5 answered calls free.
- Live AI demo line: +1 (716) 350-6391 (demo shop "Sunrise Locksmith").

## Trades supported (as of August 2026)
KeyBot Lite ($149/mo) provisions a trade-specific bilingual AI receptionist for all 11 trades the product supports: locksmiths, plumbing, HVAC, towing, auto dealerships, electricians, roofing, garage door, appliance repair, pest control, and general service businesses. Each trade gets its own intake bot (trade-specific questions and message fields). Owners can upload their price sheet during setup; after on-screen confirmation the receptionist STATES those exact prices when asked (it never negotiates or invents prices). Instant free demo at https://www.thekeybot.com/try — enter your business info and the AI calls your phone within about 30 seconds (first demo free, no signup).