The SeaRates team thanks all our customers and partners for their activity and feedback that you give in emails. We are trying to improve existing solutions and supplement them with new ones, and today we will share the latest innovations over the period. If you missed the release of previous updates - please read it here.
Listing of logistics companies (Marketplace)
With the development of a global logistics services coverage strategy with the help of local partners, in addition to the universal Logistics Explorer application, which has been used by importers and exporters for more than last 3 years, and which synchronizes tariffs from hundreds of global logistics service providers, we simplify customer search rates and help connect directly with the provider .
Now, when searching for rates from the SeaRates main page, the client enters the Marketplace. It has several advantages:
more concise interface
conveniently grouped maps and rate details
possibility to choose several types of containers in one booking
convenient filtering ability by lines and service components
visual view of carriers and their ratings
From the same window, the client has the opportunity to start a chat with the carrier and clarify any information on the tariff. And when you click on the button “Show map” you can see the visual details of the route.
If you click on the tariff card - from the drop-down list you can see a detailed and transparent picture of the components of the rate, such as port costs, document fees, etc.
Already the first week of using the service showed an increase in the number of bookings and activity on the platform. In addition, the Marketplace has the functionality to automatically register users when creating a booking, similar to the one we described in the previous post. That is, if I do not have an account at SeaRates and I want to make a booking, I don’t have to create it first.
It is enough for me to fill out my contact information in the booking and click “Send” - the system will automatically register me and I will receive 2 emails.
The first message will be about the booking I created, from where I can go directly to communication with the carrier.
The second message will contain information about my registration and a temporary password that I can change, as well as fill out my profile in order to communicate with other users and carriers.
Thanks to this innovation, we managed to increase the number of bookings and requests by about 18% during the month.
Ratings of freight forwarders and carriers
Earlier we wrote about the index developed in SeaRates, which shows the efficiency of logistics companies - LPI-12. The article reveals in detail the meaning of each indicator and their practical role.
With the development and expansion of cooperation with freight forwarding and transport companies around the world, the issue of quality of services and customer protection has become increasingly tangible. And this is one of the most important issues that interests the client most if they decide to place a booking through an online platform.
Now all SeaRates users can view the profile of the carrier whose rate has come up, and by clicking on the “Rating” section, see the overall rating and detailed information about the company.
As described in an early post, all parameters are grouped into 4 categories:
Cost of services
Quality of services
Quality of customer support
Additional services
Based on these basic criteria, each client who shipped the goods with this carrier can give a detailed assessment of the company for each parameter. These ratings will be visible to all customers in the future, and this greatly helps to improve the quality of service on the platform.
In addition to ratings, we allow customers to leave comments and constructively describe all the details of the transaction, what they liked and what should be improved, and so on. Describing a concrete real situation always has a much greater effect than just dry numbers.
All comments and reviews are moderated by SeaRates in order to improve the service, as well as to remove spam, irrelevant or frankly inadequate comments. In addition, a separate SeaRates team, which interacts with carriers, has the ability to influence future shipments, and thereby improve the situation on the marketplace.
Logistic lead generator for carriers
In the new version of the Logistics Explorer platform, SeaRates invites carriers and forwarders to work together on the shipments on the site. For more than 20,000 visitors per day on our website, we allow you to post your best rates on the platform and quote them to direct customers who are looking for a service and post online bookings.
By the end of 2019, more than 1,000 companies in different countries have already submitted an application to connect the platform to their website. We still need strong partners in the USA, India, China, Australia, Canada, Europe, the CIS, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America for the effective exchange of information and the provision of their own services.
The same module begins to work on the carrier's website (in their design under their logo). Obvious advantage is that the site works around the clock without holidays and weekends, and customers can always get a tariff and send a complete order. This is what is called effective lead generation.
An example of a transport company website with a built-in platform - https://next-gs.com/en/
All the functionality of the platform is available for testing on any of the sites of our partners, or on the SeaRates site itself.
Platform Features:
Exchange rates with other logistics companies
Registration of new customers and online bookings
Adding partners, agents and other companies whose rates you want to use
Route building and transit time calculation
Automatic selection of the best route and mode of transport
Use of your tariffs as priority
Hiding tariffs of other companies (at your discretion)
Adding commission to other tariffs (at your discretion)
Selling your own tariffs on hundreds of other sites - expanding the geography of sales
Return customers for calculations on your site - increasing the popularity of your site
Map with the location of vehicles for easy finding the best loads and customers
Other useful features
The essence of the problems with sales, which helps to solve the platform, is revealed in this video:
If you want to see it in action, our customer service department will be happy to schedule a Skype video call for a demo (sales_68532), or email us at sales@searates.com.
Automation of paperwork within Cargo Wizard
First introduced in the last update, Cargo Wizard is a comprehensive application for exporters that in a couple of months managed to gain popularity among dozens of companies. Especially popular was the functionality of document templates, which, as practice has shown, saves up to 70% of the time of operational departments.
Recall that the current app version allows you to make lists of the most used products and their characteristics, save them and use in the calculation of the stuffing and delivery models in an optimal way using SeaRates project's Big Data. By that, the generation of documents is automated, such as invoice, packing list, shipping instructions, L, commercial offer and many others.
We invite you to join our open group for communication in the field of international logistics, as well as subscribe to our Telegram channel to keep abreast of innovations and the most trending news. Join us now!
