But all employees should know the basics about what to do in an emergency situation, whether it’s a fire, robbery or even something simple like getting locked out of the business.

If your staff members don’t know what to do in the latter situation, it’s probably because you didn’t train them or have a plan in place. Fortunately, we’re here to help. Here’s why your business needs a commercial lockout plan (and how to go about implementing one).

Why Your Business Needs a Commercial Lockout Plan

Running a business comes with its fair share of challenges, but one issue that often gets overlooked is a commercial lockout. Imagine your employees standing outside, unable to access the building and missing valuable work hours, disrupting your operations in the process. It’s a scenario no business owner wants to face, but it’s one that can easily be prevented.

Here are four of the biggest reasons why your business needs a commercial lockout plan:

1. Minimize downtime: Time is money. Lockouts lead to significant downtime, which not only affects productivity, but your bottom line as well. Employees need tasks to complete if they are going to be productive, and they can’t do it if they’re just standing around, waiting for help to arrive.
2. Maintain security: A commercial lockout is also a potential security hazard. Employees who are locked out may attempt to force entry, leading to damaged locks or doors and increasing the risk of a security breach. Or, any potential criminals who witness the lockout may identify your business as a current or future target.
3. Ensure safety: Locked-out employees are compromised employees, especially if the lockout occurs late at night or in an area with high crime rates. At the very least, ensure your staff has a safe place to wait in the event of a lockout.
4. Boost employee confidence: Simply knowing there’s a plan in place for an unexpected situation can boost someone’s morale and confidence in the person who designed it. This shows you’re proactive and care about your employees’ wellbeing in addition to the smooth operation of your business.

How to Implement a Commercial Lockout Plan

Now you know why a commercial lockout plan is important. But how do you actually implement one? This is also a step-by-step process, and one that we can help, as Dallas-Fort Worth’s leading locksmithing and security company.

Here are our recommendations for implementing a commercial lockout plan:

1. Assess your current security measures: start by identifying potential weak points that could lead to a lockout. Are your locks old or prone to malfunction? Do you have a reliable system for managing keys? When was the last time you conducted a thorough assessment? All of these are needed to understand what changes might be necessary.
2. Develop a key management system: business owners need to be organized, especially when it comes to keys. This includes knowing who has what keys, how many copies exist and where they are stored. Consider implementing a sign-in/sign-out procedure for keys and regularly audit the process to ensure compliance.
3. Install keyless entry systems: one of the best ways to prevent lockouts is to invest in modern access control systems that feature keyless entry. This can look like key cards, biometric scanners or digital keypads. A commercial locksmith can help you find and install the best one, enhancing your security in the process.
4. Create a lockout response plan: develop an outline that you can use to train employees, including emergency contacts, access procedures and safety protocols. Be specific, clear and make sure it’s easily understandable.
5. Distribute and train: make sure all employees are trained on how to follow the procedures you develop. This training should be part of the onboarding process for new hires and revisited regularly with current staff. Conducting a drill every now and then wouldn’t hurt to ensure everyone is familiar with the steps they need to take.

Other Preparations to Consider

There are a few other ways you can better protect yourself from a commercial lockout beyond having a plan. For starters, parting with a reliable locksmith is crucial. A-1 Locksmith, for example, offers emergency services to ensure you’re never left in a bind. We can also help replace your locks or upgrade you to a master key system.

Regular maintenance is another key preparation, as locks and security systems must be kept up with and updated regularly. Check them routinely to ensure everything is in working order. Also, have a backup solution in case anything is inoperable, such as a spare key in a secure location, or a lockbox with a code that only a few employees know about. Finally, effective communication is one of the best ways you can prepare your employees.

Don’t get caught off guard by a commercial lockout. With proper preparation like the tips outlined in this guide, you can prevent one from happening in the first place. To schedule a consultation with A-1 Locksmith so we can assess your current risk and recommend upgrades, stop by any of our Dallas-Fort Worth locations today or give us a call.

No one likes being locked out of their home, business or vehicle, but it happens more often than you might think. And you have to be prepared if you want to handle it properly (or avoid it happening to you in the first place). 

1. Avoiding Residential Lockouts

Getting locked out of your own home is a frustrating experience. It may seem like an uncommon occurrence based on how much time people spend at home and their resulting familiarity with their home locks. You would think this familiarity would help mitigate locking oneself out of their own home! But people manage, so you’re not alone if it happens to you. Here are some tips for avoiding residential lockouts:

• Invest in keyless technology: there are locks today that you can open using just a combination or other device instead of an easy-to-lose key.
• Keep a smart spare: you can have a spare key ready for these situations, just make sure you’re smart with where you hide it and who knows of its existence.
• Hang up a lock box: a hybrid solution between a key and combination, if you hide one of these, you can have peace of mind knowing only you have the code to access it.

2. Avoiding Automotive Lockouts

While home lockouts may be one of the most frustrating lockout experiences, automotive lockouts can be one of the scariest. After all, you’re often away from home and can be in a potentially unsafe situation or unfamiliar part of town (or the country). Here are some tips for avoiding automotive lockouts:

• Upgrade your locks: you have fingerprint, combo or digital entry options.
• Get new keys: if you still have a standard key, upgrading to a fob or proximity key might be a wise investment. (Especially modern models that don’t lock inside the vehicle.)
• Never lay keys down while on the go: always make a point to put them in something, like a pocket, purse or keep them in your hand.

3. Avoiding Commercial Lockouts

Lastly, getting locked out of a business isn’t uncommon. Just one instance of this can impact the peace of mind of both employees and customers. Here are some tip for avoiding commercial lockouts:

• Get a master key system: upgrade your entire security situation and control who has access to what areas of your facility.
• Perform a security audit: call a professional locksmith and have them do an inspection to see if there are any issues that could leave you more prone to a lockout.
• Have a spare key created: the simplest approach is to have a spare key made and give it to the person who is second in charge.

If you have any security questions or are interested in upgrading the security of your home, vehicle or business, stop by any of our Dallas-Fort Worth A-1 Locksmith locations today.

This is especially true when it comes to your house, vehicle or business. Even the best of us can get locked out on occasion. Fortunately, there are several ways to fix these situations (and prevent them from happening in the first place). Here are a few tips for the next time you’re locked out.

Tips for When You’re Locked Out of Your Car

Getting locked out of your car is a stressful situation, so we won’t distract you with details about why this happens, how often and so forth. Let’s get straight to the tips:

• Call 911 if anyone is in danger. This includes people in and out of the car. If everyone is safe, move on to these other tips.
• Make sure you can’t access the vehicle. Check all doors, the trunks and any possible access points.
• Think of backup key locations. Are they with a friend, family member or at home?
• Attempt a DIY access. This isn’t a recommendation as it can often make the problem worse, but attempting to enter your car while locked out in a DIY manner is possible. The difficulty varies by vehicle make/model and can often cause damage that will have you regretting the decision. With that said, this is an option we wanted to keep on the list and one that is worth considering depending on your situation and experience level.
• Call roadside assistance or a professional locksmith. Professionals can travel to your location to tow your car or unlock your vehicle.

Note: breaking in whether via a window or destroying a lock is not an option we’d consider.

Tips for When You’re Locked Out of Your House

We’ll do the same thing for getting locked out of your house. Here are some tips for when this happens to you:

• Call someone you know. For both safety purposes and to help find a spare key.
• Utilize technology. Open the door or garage remotely if you have an app connected.
• Look for access points. Just be aware you will look suspicious to onlookers.
• Remove the door knob – Other DIY: If you can get your hands on tools, you may be able to remove a door knob and certain locks. Given your familiarity with your home, you may explore other DIY options here as well, but as with the auto DIY access, this is on our list of tips more because it’s an option than recommendation.
• Call a professional locksmith. While you may not want a surprise cost from having been locked out of your home, you may be surprised how much you’ll save in terms of time as well as cost to just pay professionals to do their job. 

Tips for When You’re Locked Out of Your Business

Lastly, here are some tips for when you’re locked out of your business:

• Think through solutions. As a business owner, you likely have several backup and alternate entry options. Also consider how several of the above tips might apply here.
• Call a locksmith. You might want to do this earlier than other scenarios on this list, as downtime affects your bottom line.
• Prevent future lockouts. Install a master key system, access control system or another security solution to prevent lockouts.
  

If you have any other locksmith-related questions, be sure to give us a call or stop by any of our DFW-area locations and a professional team member will help you.