When we talk about a quote request, we mean the initial stage of a shipment. A quote request is created by you - the shipper - with a need to ship something from A to B. During the quote request creation, you define the commodity dimensions, the lane and any other specifics you require. After you are done defining this new shipment, a quote request is sent out to your logistics providers, who will then in turn be able to ‘quote' on that shipment. 

Watch this quick video on how to create a request, or follow the instructions below.

Start a new request, by selecting ‘New Request’ in your menu bar on top.

This will start 4 step process. 

Shipment information

The goods page requires you to define goods specific details, such as Shipment title, Organisational unit or cost center. The fields on this page are configured specifically for your company. Certain fields might be mandated before you are able to move to a following step, these fields are highlighted with a red asterisks: * 

Commodities

Step 1. Goods, also asks that you define the shipment commodities and their subsequent custom values. When generating an initial request, you might not have all commodity details readily available, so you can indicate whether or not the commodity list is finalised, however we do recommend restraint in requesting a quote when not all commodity details have settled, as it is very difficult for your logistics providers to quote effectively without knowing final dimensions and weight.

This step asks you to define certain characteristics related to the pickup and delivery of your shipment. Such as location or ports, or the contact details at either end of the shipment. If you used a specific address or contact person before, you can select their details from the address book, directly in the form, either by using the drop down lists on the respective fields, or by just typing away and waiting for the autocomplete to kick in.

Inviting providers is easier than ever! All providers available to you are configured specifically for your account, your requesting lane and the freight mode needed for that shipment. 

The way that you select providers depends on your account settings. In some cases you are free to select the providers you consider appropriate, for other situations the providers might be preselected.

The expiration timer defines the timeframe within which a provider can submit a quote. If you set the timer to 1 day, that means the provider has 24 hours after you submit the request to submit a quote. When the timer ends, they are no longer able to submit a quote. 

The confirmation timer is not available for all users of the platform. This timer provides an indication on when you expect to select the winning quote for that shipment. The timing that you select starts after the expiration timer has ended. 

For example, if you set a 1 hour expiration timer, and a 1 our confirmation timer. The confirmation timer ends 2 hours after you submit the quote request.

The Confirmation timer also serves as an indicator towards your providers on the requested quote validity, therefore it helps to be accurate when selecting this timer.

A quick request is similar to a quote request, however it requires less information to be provided initially. This allows to quickly create a request, however it does not lead to a provider invitation, but requires a ‘convertor’ in your team, to first convert the quick request into an actual quote request. This functionality is typically used for business partners or platform users, outside of the logistics space. 

If you are only able to select ‘New quick request’, it is very possible that the quote request functionality is not part of your user role.

If you have a question, send us a message via the orange bubble.