In Freight Forwarding, A Good Quotation Is Only the Beginning
Winning a shipment is important.
But anyone responsible for freight operations knows that winning the shipment is only one part of the job.
The quotation must be accurate. The charges must be understood. The agent must be capable of handling the shipment. And the information passed into operations must be reliable.
For Shahid Iqbal, Pricing & Operations Lead at TLC, technology is valuable only when it improves these practical aspects of the business.
He isn’t particularly interested in software trends or complicated terminology.
He wants systems that help his team work.
The Interview
“My first question is always the same: what problem is it solving?
There are many software platforms available.
Everyone talks about automation, efficiency, and digital transformation.
That’s fine, but at the end of the day, we have shipments to handle and customers waiting for quotations.
If a system doesn’t make our daily work easier, then what’s the point?”
“Time and accuracy.
In pricing, you need to respond quickly because customers are comparing offers from different freight forwarders.
But you also need to make sure the quotation is correct.
If something is missing or misunderstood during pricing, operations may have to deal with the consequences later.
So you can’t focus only on speed.
You need a process that helps you work quickly while keeping the information clear.”
“Let’s say you receive an inquiry and contact several agents.
One agent replies with a rate but doesn’t clearly mention all the charges.
Another gives you a complete quotation but needs clarification on the routing.
Meanwhile, the customer is asking for an update.
You have to coordinate all of this.
Now multiply that by several inquiries.
That’s where the time goes.”
Looking Past the Technology
Shahid’s perspective reflects a challenge faced by many logistics companies.
The issue isn’t a lack of software.
It’s finding software that fits the realities of daily freight operations.
“The concept was practical.
We already send inquiries to agents and collect quotations.
Fregix helps organize that process.
It wasn’t asking us to completely change the way we work.
That made it easier to consider.”
“I liked that it was straightforward.
You create an inquiry, send it to agents, and review the quotations.
You don’t need a complicated process to understand what the system is doing.
For me, that’s important.
If software is going to become part of daily operations, people need to be comfortable using it.”
“Having the quotations organized.
When you’re handling several inquiries, you don’t want to spend unnecessary time searching through emails.
You want to see the available options, review the information, and move forward.
Fregix helps with that.”
“I think there’s always room for improvement in any software.
For freight forwarding, I’d like to see more of the daily workflow connected over time.
Pricing is one part of the process, but there are other activities involved in managing shipments.
If more of those activities can be handled through connected systems, that would be valuable.
The important thing is to keep the software practical.”
The Commercial Reality of Faster Quotations
“Very important.
Customers don’t always wait.
They may send the same inquiry to several freight forwarders.
If another company responds before you, they may have an advantage.
But you can’t just send any rate to be first.
The quotation still needs to be competitive and accurate.
That’s the balance we deal with every day.”
“It helps by making the procurement process more organized.
When quotations are easier to review, you can spend more attention on evaluating them.
You still need to check the details.
But reducing the manual work involved in collecting information is useful.
That’s the kind of improvement I look for.”
“I’d say don’t judge it by the presentation. Try it with your actual inquiries.
See how it works with your agents.
See whether it makes the process easier for your team.
That’s how you evaluate software.
For us, Fregix has been a useful tool in our daily workflow.”
Technology That Serves the Operation
For TLC, the story is not about adopting technology for its own sake.
It’s about introducing practical tools that support the people responsible for freight pricing and operations.
By organizing inquiries and agent quotations, Fregix helps reduce repetitive coordination and creates a clearer workflow for reviewing procurement information.
“If a system doesn’t make our daily work easier, then what’s the point?”