Carguber’s Success in Optimizing Spot Quote Management through Automation

Generating accurate and fast spot quotes is important for guaranteeing smooth operations and customer satisfaction in logistics. A spot quotation is generally required for a cargo that requires quick pricing, frequently with little information or a short lead time. Managing these quotes efficiently, particularly when dealing with many factors such as the consignor, consignee, transport mode, and incoterms, can be a difficult and error-prone process.

Spot quote management is frequently an obstacle for organizations utilizing CargoWise, resulting in delays, inaccuracies, and discrepancies in price, booking, and documentation. let’s look at how Carguber helped a logistics company overcome these obstacles by automating manual labor, simplifying spot quotation procedures, and integrating data to guarantee precision and effectiveness.

Challenges Faced by the Client

The client, a global logistics provider, was using CargoWise as their primary ERP system to manage shipment bookings and pricing. They encountered several challenges related to the spot quote process:

• Inconsistent Data Across Multiple Variables: Managing spot quotes for shipments often involved inputting numerous variables such as the consignor, consignee, transport modes, incoterms, transit times, and others. This required a considerable amount of manual data entry and cross-checking, which led to errors and delays in the quoting process.
• Time-Consuming Document Generation: Once the spot quote was generated, the system required manual steps to convert it into a formal booking, which was time-consuming and prone to mistakes, especially when dealing with urgent shipments.
• Lack of Real-Time Updates: The client faced difficulties with obtaining real-time updates on the quote status, which caused delays in confirming rates, finalizing bookings, and updating relevant stakeholders in the supply chain.
• Integration with Other Systems: Integrating data across different systems for generating quotes and converting them into bookings was a manual process. This led to inconsistencies between the initial quote and the final booking details, causing discrepancies in invoicing and shipment tracking.
• Inefficiency in Handling Multiple Quote Variables: Managing the intricacy of various quote variables, such as origin, destination, service levels, carrier, frequency, and others, proved difficult. These variables had to be tracked and updated manually, which slowed down the entire quoting process.

Carguber’s Solution

Carguber implemented a comprehensive solution to automate and optimize the spot quote process for the client. By utilizing CargoWise’s cloud ERP capabilities along with Carguber’s expertise, the client was able to simplify quoting, improve accuracy, and reduce processing times. Here’s how Carguber tackled each of the challenges:

• Automated Data Entry and Validation: Carguber designed a custom automation workflow that automatically populated key data fields such as consignor, consignee, transport mode, service level, and others from predefined templates or external systems. This reduced the need for manual data entry, minimized errors, and ensured consistency across the quoting process.
• Real-Time Updates and Notifications: To address the issue of real-time updates, Carguber integrated automated notifications within the CargoWise system. This allowed the client to receive instant alerts whenever a quote status changed, such as when it was approved, rejected, or pending. Automated notifications were also set up to update relevant stakeholders, including the client, consignee, and carrier, regarding the status of the quote and shipment.
• Seamless Integration with Booking and Documentation: One of the most significant challenges was the time-consuming process of converting a spot quote into a formal booking. Carguber solved this problem by developing an integration that automatically converted approved quotes into booking requests in CargoWise. Once the quote was confirmed, all relevant data, such as consignee, consignor, transport mode, transit time, and freight charges, was automatically transferred to the booking module.
• Enhanced Tracking and Visibility: Carguber implemented a centralized dashboard within CargoWise, providing real-time visibility into the status of all active spot quotes. This dashboard allowed the client to easily track the progress of each quote, from creation to approval, booking, and documentation. The dashboard also allowed the client to filter and search quotes by various parameters such as quote status, PO number, consignee, consignor, origin, and destination. This improved the client’s ability to manage and prioritize shipments efficiently, ensuring timely responses to urgent quotes and bookings.
• Data Synchronization Across Systems: To address the issue of integration, Carguber implemented an automated data synchronization process between CargoWise and external systems (e.g., CRM, SAP). This ensured that the data generated in the spot quote process was automatically updated and consistent across all platforms. By reducing manual data transfer, Carguber eliminated discrepancies between the quote and the final booking, ensuring that pricing, shipment details, and other key information were aligned across all systems.

Results Achieved

By implementing Carguber’s automated solution for spot quote management, the client experienced significant improvements in several areas:

• Faster Quote Processing: The automated data entry and integration workflows reduced the time it took to generate and confirm quotes. As a result, the client was able to provide quicker responses to customers, which improved overall service delivery.
• Reduced Errors: The validation and synchronization mechanisms reduced manual errors in data entry and ensured that the quotes were accurate. This not only improved the reliability of the quotes but also reduced the risk of discrepancies between the initial quote and the final booking.
• Improved Efficiency: By automating the conversion of quotes into bookings and generating documents automatically, the client saved valuable time and resources. The integration of real-time notifications further simplified the process, allowing the client to stay informed and take timely action.
• Better Tracking and Visibility: The centralized dashboard provided a comprehensive view of all active spot quotes, allowing the client to track progress, manage priorities, and make informed decisions based on up-to-date information.
• Cost Savings: By reducing the need for manual intervention and streamlining the quoting and booking process, the client was able to reduce operational costs and improve resource allocation.

Conclusion

The successful implementation of Carguber’s solution for optimizing spot quote management in CargoWise allowed the client to overcome the challenges of manual data entry, delays in approval, and gaps between quotes and bookings. By automating key workflows, improving data validation, and integrating real-time updates, Carguber provided a solution that streamlined the client’s quoting process, enhanced operational efficiency, and improved customer satisfaction.

For logistics and supply chain companies looking to optimize their spot quote management process, Carguber’s customized solutions provide a proven way to increase efficiency, reduce errors, and deliver better service.

Ready to optimize your spot quote management? Contact Carguber today to learn how our automation solutions can simplify your operations.