Case Study: Freight Rate Calculator
How a local Freight Forwarding Company increased orders and reduced admin without requiring them to change their existing software system
Hobbs Global is an established Global Supply Chain Management Company with an enviable reputation for personalised service through senior staff with a depth of experience.
While they already use a software called CargoWise for a lot of their main processes, Hobbs approached Orchid with the idea of creating an online freight calculator for their clients. Something that would be simple and easily updatable.
In the old days clients would always call them to get a quote over the phone, but as their own client base became more technologically demanding, they started getting more requests for the ability to offer on-the-fly quotes through a dedicated online calculator.
Key Requirements
- Clients to have separate logins and trade lanes personalised to their needs
- Quotes to be calculated on demand with a full breakdown of costs
- Support for FCL quotes (Full container load) & LCL quotes (Less-than container load)
- Ability to apply charges separately to different trade lanes
- Ability for their own staff to manage and update all aspects of the calculator
Solution
Orchid built a custom cloud-based web application for Hobbs that has provided their clients with a simple, quick solution to retrieve a quote.
Hobbs staff have the ability to add new client accounts and remove old clients who should no longer have access. The system is extremely customisable.
Results and Future Plans
Hobbs have rolled the system out to a number of their biggest clients, and have plans to further expand its usage.
"The web application has reduced the time Hobbs spends on phone calls with clients and resulted in clients requesting more quotes due to speed and ease of retrieval."
Plans for Version 2 are already underway, with air freight and a mobile app version being discussed.
