Logistics Productivity
From 45 Minutes to 4: The Quote That Changed How We Think
We ran an experiment with one of our pilot customers last year. The results changed how I think about what's possible in freight forwarding.
The setup was simple: take a real rate request that came into their inbox and process it two ways—manually (their existing process) and through our AI system. Time both. Compare.
The request was straightforward: LCL rates from Chennai to Chicago, 4 CBM of machine parts, door-to-door.
Nothing exotic. The kind of request they handle dozens of times a week.
The Manual Process: 45 Minutes
I watched their operations executive work through it. Here's what happened:
Minutes 1-5: Read the email. Open the CFS rate file. Search for Chennai export rates. Find three options from different consolidators.
Minutes 6-12: Open the ocean freight file. Look for LCL rates Chennai to US West Coast. Find that rates to Chicago route through LA. Note the per-CBM rate.
Minutes 13-18: Search for US destination charges. The file has LA but not Chicago-specific. Send a quick WhatsApp to their US agent asking for Chicago last-mile rates.
Minutes 19-28: Wait for WhatsApp reply. Check email. Reply to another customer. Agent responds with Chicago rates.
Minutes 29-35: Open the margin calculator spreadsheet. Enter all the components: origin charges, ocean freight, destination handling, customs clearance estimate, trucking. Add margins. Calculate total.
Minutes 36-42: Open quote template in Word. Copy-paste the numbers. Format. Add transit time estimate. Add validity period. Add terms.
Minutes 43-45: Attach to email. Write a brief note. Send.
Total time: 45 minutes.
And this was a good run. No rate discrepancies to resolve. No missing information. The WhatsApp reply came quickly. On a bad day, this same quote could take 90 minutes or more.
The AI Process: 4 Minutes
Same request. Same starting point. Different outcome.
Minute 0-1: Email arrives. AI reads it. Identifies: LCL shipment, Chennai origin, Chicago destination, 4 CBM, machine parts (general cargo), door-to-door service required.
Minute 1-2: AI queries the rate engine. Pulls Chennai CFS charges, ocean freight (routing via LA), LA deconsolidation, US customs clearance estimates, Chicago trucking rates. All current, all validated.
Minute 2-3: AI applies business rules: standard LCL margin, no customer-specific pricing on file, standard validity period. Calculates total.
Minute 3-4: AI generates quote document using company template. Includes full breakdown, transit time, validity, terms. Queues for human review.
The operations executive glanced at the quote, verified the routing made sense, and hit send.
Total time: 4 minutes.
What 41 Minutes Means
The first reaction is obvious: that's 10x faster. Impressive.
But the real insight isn't about speed. It's about what you do with the time you get back.
That operations executive handles about 25 rate requests per day. At 45 minutes each, that's 18+ hours of work—more than two full workdays. Obviously impossible, which is why quotes get delayed, corners get cut, and some requests never get answered at all.
At 4 minutes each? That's less than 2 hours of work.
Same person. Same day. 16 extra hours to do something other than build quotes.
She started using that time to follow up with customers who'd received quotes but hadn't booked. Her conversion rate went up 23% in the first quarter.
The Part That Surprised Me
I expected the time savings. That's why we built the system.
What I didn't expect was the quality improvement.
When we analyzed the quotes from both processes, the AI-generated quotes were actually more complete. They included charges that the manual process sometimes missed—like the fumigation certificate fee that's technically required for US imports of certain goods.
Why? Because the AI was trained on comprehensive rate structures. It doesn't forget things. It doesn't skip steps because it's rushing. It doesn't assume the customer knows about fees that aren't listed.
The operations executive admitted something that surprised me: "I've been doing this for seven years, and I still miss things sometimes. The system doesn't."
Faster AND more accurate. That combination is rare.
What Changed After the Experiment
That pilot customer went live with the full system two months later. Here's what happened:
Quote volume increased. They started responding to requests they used to ignore because they didn't have time. More quotes meant more opportunities.
Response time became a selling point. Their sales team started promising quotes in under 10 minutes—and delivering. Customers noticed.
Operations stopped being a bottleneck. The eternal tension between sales and ops eased. Sales could bring in as many requests as they wanted; ops could handle them.
The team focused on harder problems. Complex shipments, customer issues, rate negotiations—things that actually need human judgment. The routine work handled itself.
Six months in, their revenue was up 18% with the same team size. The ops executive I'd watched in that first experiment? She got promoted to operations manager. Her job now is training the AI on new trade lanes, not building quotes manually.
The Question Behind the Numbers
45 minutes to 4 minutes is a dramatic number. But the real question isn't about minutes. It's about what your business could become if quoting wasn't a constraint.
What if you could respond to every inquiry?
What if your team spent their time on relationships instead of spreadsheets?
What if speed became your competitive advantage?
That's not a technology question. It's a strategy question. The technology just makes the strategy possible.
