Wonder

Research Outline

Prepared for Glacier | Delivered August 14, 2020

Freight Agent & Broker Support System

Goals

Identify ways in which trucking logistics/freight agents lack support from their respective freight brokers. Then, identify ways in which freight brokers can help freight agents succeed in maintaining communication and support, generating sales, and finding new customers. Additionally, identify ways that freight agents, especially those that are not too tech savvy, can keep in regular contact with their existing customers, as well as approach and connect with new customers. This information will be used to compose a white paper surrounding this topic.

Early Findings

Communication Issues Between Freight Agents & BrokersAccording to a study published by Capgemini in 2017, some of the core issues experienced between freight agents and freight brokers include:
Inability to stay up-to-date on new advances in technology due to understanding, implementation, and costs
Fewer customers willing to pay for faster shipping (in fact, 64% of customers are not willing to pay extra for shipping that is less than two days)
Difficulty in retaining drivers in times of demand
Some brokers are not always transparent about their services and rates, leaving their relationships with customers and freight agents wary and lacking trust.
On occasion, brokers will get too comfortable in their position and become lazy, thus reducing their communication and customer service with freight agents.

Best Practices for Maintaining Communication & SupportEliminating in-house entry of freight bills is becoming more and more time-consuming, so it is recommended to build a team of offshore or out-of-house billers, quality control, and supervisors to manage bill entry.