The locksmith industry has seen a lot of advancement over the years, and this progress has led us into a world of high technology. Over the past two decades, we’ve gone from costly hardwired electronic locking devices, which many were reluctant to embrace, to high-tech, key-centric devices that provide our customers with numerous security solutions: increased security, accountability, and key control.
With today’s demands for added security and the role that technology is playing, locksmiths need look no further than the durable, innovative solutions provided by the CyberLock® Access Control System.
I recently visited the shop of Key Evidence Lock & Safe, in Visalia, Calif. Owner Doyle Pope gave me the grand tour as we discussed his journey from a mail-order locksmith course to being a successful, full-service locksmith enterprise.
How did you get started in the locksmith business?
My uncle, who was about to retire as a police officer, suggested that he and I take the Foley-Belsaw Locksmith Training Course. The course cost $700, which in those days was a huge amount of money. I was working two jobs at the time just to make ends meet. After completing the course, a locksmith in Fresno hired me for $3.50 an hour. I kept my night job as a waiter while learning the locksmith trade. Within a year I was promoted to running a service truck.
I had always wanted to be a small business owner. After my uncle sold me his code machine and keys, and the little stock he had acquired, I moved to Visalia and opened my own business on April Fools’ Day, 1987. I worked out of my garage, and had a 1979 Volkswagen bus and a pager.
The turning point of my business came when my first phone book ad came out in October of 1987. It cost me $167 a month, but really paid off.
In 1988, I rented a 400-sq. ft. shop in an old industrial area and hired someone to man the shop and phone. I then leased an old 10’ x 14’ Photomat kiosk with drive-up and walk-up windows. I ran my business from the downtown and kiosk locations until 2005, when I designed and built the new 4,000 sq. ft. building where we are located today. The new building not only provided a new face to my business, but according to some of my customers, “It legitimized me as a successful professional and gave me credibility within the community.”
What areas of locksmithing do you service?
We’re a full-service locksmith shop, with approximately 60 percent of our business being commercial and industrial.
How many employees and service vehicles do you have?
Eight employees, four service trucks, a safe truck, and a utility truck for installing security doors, windows and sliders. Our entire fleet fits into the back half of our building, safe and secure when not providing service in the field.
What areas do you cover?
We cover approximately 50 square miles in the San Joaquin Valley. This area is home to more than 200 dairy farms that lead the nation in dairy production, as well as farms that produce over 45 different crops that yield more than $6 billion in total gross production annually. They utilize high-tech methods and equipment to yield higher quantity and quality products, and demand high-tech solutions to their security needs, such as CyberLock.
What led you to become interested in CyberLock?
I read an article about CyberLock in the June 2000 issue of Locksmith Ledger. CyberLock was the first company to market with a key-centric access control system in 2000. I’ve always been interested in technology and have tried to keep up with all the advancements in this industry. I bought CyberLock cylinders and CyberKey smart keys as soon as possible, and made up a display and a demonstration kit right away. I couldn’t wait to show the product to my customers!
What kind of CyberLock customers do you have?
My customers range from an almond farm to a veterinary clinic. My first CyberLock customer was the City of Dinuba Power and Water, and it’s grown from there to include dairy farms, schools, colleges, commercial facilities and government facilities.
How do you prospect for CyberLock customers?
First, I use CyberLock on my own business. As customers enter my business, they can see CyberLock on the door. In addition, we have a display on the counter, our trucks advertise CyberLock, and we advertise CyberLock on our website. Also, I’m a Rotarian. I get more out of being a Rotarian than I have ever given to them. It’s a great organization for business relationships.
Do you get factory leads?
Yes. My factory leads come through the California CyberLock distributor, Wade Landrum. I get all the leads for my part of the Central Valley. I have about a 90% closing rate.
We talk a lot about recurring revenue for locksmiths. You’ve been providing remote software hosting, resulting in recurring revenue for some time now. How many of your CyberLock customers are hosted on the Cloud?
I’ve been hosting now for about three years. I’m hosting four or five customers right now, with more to come. It’s the perfect solution for the customer that doesn’t have an in-house server or simply wants separation between access security control and IT. My hosted CyberLock customers pay an annual fee – Recurring Revenue. It’s a win-win solution.
Today, with nearly 400 different electronic cylinder configurations and a durable, weather-resistant design, CyberLock can deliver electronic access control to more doors, gates, and enclosures than anyone else on the market. Their comprehensive electronic cylinder catalog makes CyberLock compatible with virtually every mechanical lock design, eliminating the expense of replacing existing hardware or installing a hardwired access control system.
CyberLock has expanded their technology to include Bluetooth® and WiFi-enabled smart keys that deliver near real-time control, even to remote access points. Once again, CyberLock was the first to market with this access control technology.
During the interview, I showed Doyle the new CyberKey® Air 2, WiFi-enabled, programmable smart key. This key allows user permissions for accessing CyberLock cylinders to be updated via standard WiFi networks, without physically connecting to a communication device. Administrators can update access permissions in the field, enabling them to grant new permissions, revoke outdated permissions, and even disable a lost key. All without the key holder returning to the office. The CyberKey Air 2 also records a time-stamped record of every access attempt by its user. Whenever the Air 2 is connected to an authorized network, the system manager has full visibility of which locks are accessed by the key holder. All of this is done in near real time.
Advancements in technology, like the CyberKey Air 2, are what will continue to put CyberLock in the forefront of security solutions for our customers, and will promote opportunities for locksmiths in the future.
Wade Landrum wrote the original article about CyberLock in the June 2000 issue of the Locksmith Ledger. He has been been associated with CyberLock since before its release to the market, originally as a consultant and now as the Platinum-level Distributor for the state of California. . Doyle Pope, owner of Key Evidence Lock & Safe, Inc., was the first of my authorized resellers in California.
