How a UK freight brokerage cut quoting from 6 minutes to 45 seconds

A busy quoting team turning customer requests into priced loads every day, across UK, European and chartering work.

The results

Time per quote6 min → 45 sec

roughly eight times faster

Workload2× to 3×

the quotes some team members now handle

Margins5% higher

as people spend their time on accurate pricing

The short version

Requests are read automatically from email and online load boards.
Route, vehicle and price are prepared for the operator.
The operator checks and stays in control of every quote.
One click updates the CRM and posts the load.

Six minutes of reading, checking and copying for every quote

Quote requests arrived by email and through online load boards, all day long. For every one, an operator read the message line by line to pick out the collection and delivery points, the pallets, the weight and the dates.

Then the checking started. Were the postcodes right? Was anything missing? They copied each address into Google Maps to work out the route and the mileage, went to look up a price, then worked out whether the load would actually fit in the truck. Only then could they type the job into the CRM, and type it all again into the freight exchange, the online marketplace where loads are matched with hauliers.

Every quote meant flicking between four or five screens, copying and pasting the same details over and over. It took around six minutes each time. On a busy day the requests stacked up, replies slowed down, and a single wrong postcode or a load that wouldn't fit could cost the margin on the job.

Reading every email by handChecking every postcodeCopy and paste into Google MapsWill it fit in the truck?Typing it all in twice

Before and after

From four systems by hand to one check and one click

Before: an operator reads the email, works out the route and vehicle, looks up a price, types it into the CRM and retypes it into the freight exchange. After: the request is read and the route, vehicle and price are prepared automatically, the operator checks, and the CRM and exchange are updated in one click. Each quote now takes about 45 seconds instead of 6 minutes.

Now all of that happens almost instantly. The request is read, the postcodes checked, the route mapped, the price suggested and the vehicle matched to the load, all laid out on one clear screen beside the email. The operator takes it in at a glance and makes the call that matters: the price.

What we built

A quoting assistant that sits beside the inbox

Decisions that stay with people

The operator confirms the route and vehicle
The operator approves every price before it goes out
The operator decides when the load is posted

What they see on screen is exactly what gets sent.

Reads the request for them. Collection and delivery points, pallets, weight and dates are pulled straight from the email or load board.
Plans the job. Works out the route on a map, including tolls and Channel crossings, and suggests the vehicle that fits the load.
Recommends carriers. Suggests suitable carriers for each load, for the operator to choose from.
Prices it from one set of rates. Uses the firm's own rates and its history of similar journeys, so every operator starts from the same number.
One click to action. Creates the deal in the CRM and posts the load to the freight exchange with the agreed price.
Handles the complex jobs. Multi drop routes and several loads planned together in one go.
Records every quote. Each quote is logged, building a pricing history the business can use.

How the team changed

Built with the operators, not handed to them

The operators shaped it from the start. We built it around how they actually quote, tested it on their real requests, and changed it based on what they told us, a few changes at a time. Now their time goes on pricing decisions and customers rather than retyping.

We piloted it with a core team of three. It's now used by everyone in the organisation: over 20 people across three countries. Some have doubled or tripled the number of quotes they handle.

Added at the team's request: pricing, a mapping tool, freight and load diagrams, and carrier recommendation.

From first conversation to daily use

Discovery
Sat with the operators and timed how quotes were done.
Build
A first working version on real quote requests.
Side by side
Used alongside the old way to check every price.
Go live
The whole team quoting with it, improved in small batches.

BeforeAbout 6 minutes per quote

AfterAbout 45 seconds per quote

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Next case studyHow a UK freight brokerage cut debtor days from 60 to under 10A finance team billing up to 500 invoices a week

Six minutes of reading, checking and copying for every quote

From four systems by hand to one check and one click

A quoting assistant that sits beside the inbox

Decisions that stay with people

Built with the operators, not handed to them

From first conversation to daily use

Discovery

Build

Side by side

Go live

Tell us which job eats your team's week