“Where’s my cargo?” It’s the question every logistics player hates. Scrambling to figure out where a load is enroute takes away from other tasks piling up on your plate. Yet, not answering can lead to many frustrated and worried buyers.

51% of logistics companies report customer demand for faster response times is a top supply chain challenge.

It’s time to stop reactive freight management.

Freight forwarders now have access to tools that help them make proactive decisions and provide transparent customer updates. Real-time container location tracking is one-way forwarders can provide exceptional service and logistics management.

What is Real-Time Container Location Tracking?

Real-time container tracking is exactly what it sounds like—the ability to pinpoint cargo location at any time. Technology has made it possible to track items with real-time data sent to the cloud no matter where a shipment is on its route.

The days of manually inputting information into spreadsheets are over. However, information alone isn’t much use if it isn’t in a usable and contextual form for your team.

Real-time container location tracking includes information that shows where containers are in-transit and offer regular updates your team can understand at a glance. This new tech makes it possible to get data faster and understand what that information means to speed up your response.

Freight Forwarding Use Cases of Real-Time Container Tracking

How are forwarders using real-time tracking to improve their business capabilities? Here are three examples of ways tracking supports growth and profitability for logistics companies.

Managing by Exception

Reducing disruptions in the supply chain is important, but every logistics provider knows exceptions are part of the job. Exception management should include a response strategy that prioritizes risks and reduces the impact of disruptions.

Better insights into location and container movement can help freight forwarders respond faster when an issue, delay, or problem occurs. Real-time tracking eliminates the risk of losing a shipment by immediately locating waylaid cargo to get it back on track.

Fewer Check Calls

You want to know where your load is at all times. Traditionally, regular updates required frequent check calls. With real-time container location tracking, automated location updates reduce the need to communicate with carriers.

Using real-time tracking makes it possible to improve your forecasting to manage capacity and improve margins without depending on carrier communication.

Proactive Customer Service

Providing container event milestones and estimated time of arrival (ETA) to your customers gives them peace of mind. Not only will proactive customer service create more trust with your buyers, but offering regular updates also reduces the burden on your customer service team.

You can use real-time tracking to ensure shippers and buyers know where goods are at all times, eliminating calls asking where shipments are or when they should be expected. Better data also makes it easier for receivers prepare for live unloads, reducing detention time for your drivers.

How Does Real-Time Container Tracking Allow a Forwarder to Focus on Customer Service?

Customers are demanding faster response times. For logistics companies, offering better tracking is a clear step towards providing better service. There are many ways real-time container location tracking helps a forwarder improve customer service.

Reduces Confusion and Guessing

Reps and customers alike no longer need to guess or wonder where goods are located. Real-time updates keep tabs on where shipments are and help manage expectations.

Increases Lines of Communication

Buyers today want to stay informed. Providing automated updates before customers have to reach out streamlines the communication process and increases customer satisfaction.

Frees up Reps for Other Tasks

Overloaded teams are more likely to create high turnover rates and struggle to provide basic customer support. Forwarders should eliminate redundant tasks like making check calls, updating customers, and responding to questions about cargo location.

Provides More Transparency

Forwarders can make it easier for key stakeholders, vendors, logistics partners, shippers, and buyers to see where goods are in real-time. Improving transparency with container tracking can help logistics providers make informed decisions about routes, transportation modes, and more. Using data to improve efficiency can reduce transportation times and costs for the buyer.

Benefits of Improved Service for a Freight Forwarder

Freight forwarders can use real-time tracking to improve their businesses. With the right setup in place, increased visibility:

1. Builds customer trust by informing them of cargo whereabouts and reducing their need to reach out.
2. Increases capacity by giving freight forwarders a clearer picture of what they have going and when another load can be added to the schedule—minimizing downtime and boosting profitability.
3. Reduces cargo loss by keeping containers pinpointed at all times, making it easy to find shipments that get waylaid or mistakenly moved to the wrong location.
4. Boosts agility by providing freight forwarders with better insights and forecasting so they can adjust proactively to take advantage of key opportunities and reduce risks.
5. Strengthens partnerships by offering increased transparency to key stakeholders and finding weak points that threaten to disrupt the supply chain.
6. Supports workers by reducing the manual load of tracking cargo, increasing available knowledge, and updating customers on shipment locations or ETAs.

How VIZION Can Provide the Real-Time Data You Need

Is customer service currently taking up too much of your team’s time? Do you spend time answering basic questions about location and arrival times, impeding your ability to solve real customer issues or provide stellar service? Your team can only do so much.

And do you wish you had better access to your shipment location data with insights to help improve business decisions? Without cargo tracking, you are flying blind. But worker shortages make it impossible to keep up with manual tracking.

VIZION can help.

With VIZION tracking APIs in place, you can increase visibility and reduce your team’s involvement in the tracking and updating process. We help you get actionable information for informed decision-making.

Book a demo today to learn what our real-time tracking technology could do to help you boost customer service and exception management.