Gaining a competitive advantage in the freight forwarding industry depends on how well you can interact with your clients. Often, this will involve getting them quotations and rates promptly without delays. Now, thanks to the Freightify platform, you can get instant freight rates and provide your clients with the best rates for your business.
Freightify is a rate procurement and management platform that helps you calculate, analyze, and quote up-to-date spot and contract rates. While your competitors are stuck operating the traditional way, get ahead of them simply by leveraging the Freightify platform to gain better visibility into the market and adjust your rates accordingly and on the go for your clients.
Steps to Get Instant Freight Rates with Freightify
Getting instant freight rates on Freightify is easy. Here is how to go about it.
Step 1 - Select Origin
By inputting the origin of the shipment we can guide you on the expected rates and inland charges. In turn, you will be better advised when negotiating with your potential client.
Step 2 - Select Destination
Knowing the destination will inform us of potential shipping routes and the expected rates along each route. This will enable us to give you more comprehensive details on the rate calculation.
Step 3 - Tell Us About the Cargo
Your type of cargo helps us inform you of the rates you should expect. Its details, including size, quantity, value, and type, are all important to get an accurate estimate on the freight costs.
Step 4 - Tell Us Your Tentative Shipping Date
Are you prepared to proceed with shipping, or are you seeking information regarding the Freightify platform? Both inquiries are welcome. We can accommodate your specified date to provide you with the current market rates. You should note that these rates will change as the market changes.
Why Do Freight Forwarders Need Instant Freight Rates?
With instant freight rates at their disposal, freight forwarders can achieve the following:
Quickly Find Optimal Shipping Options
With instant freight rates, especially those from multiple sources, freight forwarders are better equipped to source and inform clients of various shipping options based on what’s cheapest, fastest, sailing dates, arrival times, etc. This allows for versatility and helps the clients save a lot of money in the process.
Offer Faster Quotation to Beat The Competition
In a cutthroat freight market, being first and offering the cheapest rate greatly makes you stand out. Freightify data indicates that you have a 30%+ increase in win rate when you submit quotations faster. With your quotes in, you can begin negotiations on time and close the deal with many more customers.
Improve Customer Service
Getting instant freight rates helps you produce instant and cheaper client quotations. The added value and increased efficiency will generate a positive response from the customers.
Streamlined Operations
The manual method of calculating freight rates can be time-consuming, even when you factor in using spreadsheets or other tools. Instant rates automates the calculation process, freeing up time to focus on other tasks in the freight forwarding operation. These could be building relationships with carriers or ensuring documentation is in order.
Increased Productivity
When freight forwarders get faster access to rates, they can close more deals and handle more inquiries. However, preparing a quote and checking multiple vendors can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 48 hours. With Freightify, that can be cut down to under two minutes. Instant freight rates can 10X their productivity, leading to more businesses, experience, and overall success for the business.
How Does Freightify Provide Instant Freight Rates?
The freight forwarding industry’s fortunes are still tied to demand volatility and other macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions. Because of these factors, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the market, and there are many sources to review if you want to get a head start. Analyzing different sources of information can be cumbersome and, frankly, very unproductive.
This is where the Freightify platform shines brightest. The platform supports over 30 live FCL and LCL (full container loads and low container loads) carrier rates, over 90 airlines for global shipment, and up-to-date inland charges. It also integrates information from numerous sources, analyzes them, and provides the cheapest rates and information on the shipping modes, routes, and how the operation will work best.
Because of how volatile the market is, Freightify is constantly updating its sources and rates. This way, the platform ensures you can easily access all rates, view schedules, add margins, and compare quotes.
Benefits of Using Freightify Ocean Freight Calculator
Freightify’s Ocean Freight Calculator offers several solutions to equip freight forwarders with what they need to enhance rate procurement and quote efficiency. Here are some of the benefits of using our platform:
Search and Compare Rates
The platform has up-to-date rates from over 30 LCL and FCL carriers and NVOCCs. You can conveniently search and compare their rates from multiple port pairs to find the best fit for your customers. You may also use the filters in the instant rate module to sort and filter rates.
Streamline Rates Procurement
The platform sources all types of rates - spot, contract, and offline rates - from multiple carriers and streamlines them to ensure you can compare them in a single view. You may prefer our grid view option, if your the goal is to find and review all rates in one view.
Automate Rate Management
Freightify allows you to adjust market rates before sending your quotation to the customers. There are several ways to do this, each with its own unique benefits.
Freight forwarders can define rules on the platform based on the product, group and company, and port pair. You can add rates individually or in bulk and authorize agents to input the rates. If you wish, you may upload your own rate sheet to efficiently add multiple rates at the same time.
With our Rates Management Software, you never have to worry again about not including ancillary charges like fees, demurrage & detention, surcharges, and arbitrary changes to your quotes.
Search Schedules
Freightify offers a specialized Schedule Search feature, enabling freight forwarders to act as consultants, guiding customers on critical shipment timelines. With the ability to view liner schedules up to six weeks from the cutoff date, users can ensure shipments are prepared just in time, avoiding missed liners. By entering the origin, destination, and desired departure time, Freightify presents a comprehensive list of liner schedules, allowing forwarders to select and share the most suitable options with their customers as a PDF. This tool aids in precise planning and enhances service delivery.
Generate Instant Quotations
Our platform makes improving your quote efficiency a breeze. With just a click, you can generate complete quotations for your existing and potential customers. You can also send your quotes to the customer directly from the platform, saving you time and resources.
Freightify also sports a mobile app for you to send quotations from anywhere, at any time, and on the go.
Moreover, Freightify gives you full editing power over your quotations. You can:
- Add or amend fees, include legs, calculate profit, and add your preferred templates
- Track, categorize, filter and set reminders for your quotes for followups.
- Eliminate any errors in adding additional charges, your profit margins, etc.
- You can decide to show or mask charges based on legs and carriers
We have all you need to manage your quotations efficiently.
Track and Trace
With our platform, you have one of the best scalable track-and-trace solutions in the market. You have complete visibility into the whereabouts of your cargo from the moment it is picked up until it is delivered at the consignee's location. The question is, why should you go about your freight forwarding operation blind when you can see everything?
Customer Portal
With our platform, you have all it takes to make your freight operations way more efficient. But why not take it a step further and create a brand? Now, you can create and customize your customer portal as well as customize margins for each of your customers
Your branded customer portal becomes your own custom-dedicated sales channel. Imagine a seamless approach where customers come to your portal, search for rates, and place freight bookings without manual intervention. Using your custom-branded portal, they can also track their shipment anytime.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How are ocean freight rates calculated?
The Ocean freight rate is not a flat rate. There are several factors you have to consider when calculating. These include the base charge, weight vs volume of the cargo, origin and destination, fuel surcharges, inland charges, terminal handling charges, and others. When you have all these together, you can get a rate that works for you and the customer.
2. Contract Rate vs. Spot Rate:
The contract rate is a negotiated rate between a shipper and a carrier. It is typically favored for larger, regular shipments. With contract rates, pricing is stable and predictable over a set period.
On the other hand, the spot rate is the prevailing market rate for a specific route and container/cargo type at a particular time. It is quite volatile and will often fluctuate based on supply and demand.
3. How much does ocean freight cost?
It will be challenging to provide a single cost amount. This is because it varies and will depend on several factors, such as cargo type, dimension, and port locations. A general estimate may be anywhere from $2 to $8 per kg.
4. How can I get cheaper ocean freight?
Getting cheaper ocean freight is possible. Here are some strategies you can use to do that. Here are some strategies to potentially reduce your ocean freight costs:
- Negotiate Contract Rates
- Consolidate Shipments
- Optimize Packaging
- Shop Around and compare rates
- Book shipment well in Advance
- Consider Alternative Routes
5. How long does ocean freight take?
Again, there is no set time. Ocean Freight transit times can vary depending on the origin, destination, and chosen route. Generally, shipping across the Pacific Ocean can take 4-6 weeks, while Atlantic Ocean routes might take 2-4 weeks. These are just estimates, though. Factors like port congestion and weather can influence delivery time.
