Our downloadable advice guide answers 5 key questions about switching to digital booking - let’s now explore productivity gains

Many freight forwarding companies are keen to adopt digital air cargo booking but still have questions about what a switch of booking methods could mean for their processes, revenues and team. In fact, digital air cargo booking unlocks a range of opportunities to boost performance by freeing up resources to be used for more valuable work - such as client relationships, or complicated shipments. 

The digital nature of a booking marketplace such as cargo.one means that forwarders can search, book, amend and track their bookings 24/7 in one place. Rapid visibility of the global market, easy comparison of capacities across multiple airlines, and real time booking with instant confirmation - all add up to greater efficiency and reliability. By being aware of the best possibilities for clients, forwarders can win more shipments and stay competitive.

The best booking platforms are designed to fit around a freight forwarder’s existing routines and processes. Of course, the speed of each booking is important. In fact, with billing through CASS, air cargo bookings are often quicker than a passenger booking - the fastest booking on cargo.one was completed in only 30 seconds!

Enhancing productivity means empowering a freight forwarder to achieve more across the entire end to end booking experience. Access to the very latest live routes and rates across dozens of global airline networks means that bookers can rely on always being able to offer their customers the best capacity options. The best platforms today can make the air cargo digital booking process as seamless and intuitive as the software we use in our personal lives. 

For example, cargo.one has developed smart ways to display valuable information and speed up bookings. Auto Assigned AWBs remove the need to hold valid AWB stock before making a booking. Forwarders can always book and simply have an AWB automatically assigned. This is a small improvement that can make a material difference to minimizing delays and errors and so raise productivity.

Making life easier in the branch 

During the past two years of capacity fluctuations, freight forwarders have often faced waves of cancellations, reroutes and delays. While forwarders use all their skills to ensure good service, changes in client requirements or sudden disruptions will always be inevitable. In fact, data from cargo.one shows that around 15% of all bookings are canceled and rebooked - and with digital booking that is easy.  

When using digital booking platforms like cargo.one, any delays with a shipment can be seen within the Tracking Hub, making it quick and simple to monitor progress and manage client expectations. If needed, within a few clicks, a shipment can be canceled and rebooked instantly to meet new circumstances, saving the time spent traditionally in email back & forth or on the phone with airlines to make such changes. 

Platforms like cargo.one centralize administration, replacing countless spreadsheets and databases. All shipments within a branch can be viewed by the entire team, making it easy to hand over projects and keep relevant colleagues updated until a shipment has been successfully delivered. 

A further benefit of digital air cargo booking is being able to leverage expert customer support to help tackle any challenges at speed. An online marketplace like cargo.one offers support teams who share a customer’s sense of urgency and care for every booking, and can help a forwarder to remain agile.

Download our advice guide today 

cargo.one always seeks to equip freight forwarders with everything needed to win maximum value from digital booking - including actionable best practices. Our guide ‘5 Questions to ask when exploring digital air cargo booking’ offers further snackable tips and advice to help put the best possible foot forward. Still not a cargo.one user? Sign up free for cargo.one here.