Imagine your cell phone didn’t have contacts. You could add numbers to your phone, but couldn’t create a contact for that number. You’d have no place to collect all the information you know about them, and you wouldn’t have a contact list that brings together all of your numbers into one place. It would make your messages and calls extremely unorganized and communication difficult. This is the same feeling shippers have during the RFP process.
If you take the above example, shippers are essentially adding tons of phone numbers to their phones every RFP season, but don’t create contacts for those phone numbers, and don’t have a single list that brings together all those contacts. Instead, shippers are left sorting through past correspondence with their primary and secondary carriers to get details about their awarded lanes.
A faster process that gives you more confidence in RFPs–without extra work–needs to facilitate communication between shippers and carriers. Having software that supports clear communication between the two is the goal of a recent RFP Guide update. Shippers now have a consolidated view of their awarded lanes after the RFP Process – making it easier to communicate with the carriers on the other side of the contract.
With the new side panel redesign, shippers have a centralized location where they can interact and view RFP results. This update facilitates the communication between shippers and carriers after the RFP process, rather than shutting off communication once lanes have been awarded. Now shippers can confirm primary and backup carrier details, award other carriers, and request new bids all in one place. This is an opportunity for shippers to communicate their needs via proposals – in hopes of starting a thread of communication between shippers and carriers. Making the RFP process manageable and organized for both parties.
Transforming the future of freight, Loadsmart leverages artificial intelligence, machine learning and strategic partnerships to automate how freight is priced, booked and shipped. Pairing advanced technologies with deep-seated industry expertise, Loadsmart fuels growth, simplifies operational complexity and bolsters efficiency for carriers and shippers alike. For more information, please visit: https://loadsmart.com.