When choosing an online transport broker, consider their locations, staff qualifications, responsiveness, and costs. Freight brokers handle international shipping paperwork and comply with each country’s rules. Online brokers use IT tools to manage locations and monitor activity. Check the company’s offices and staff, service commitment, and SLA. Evaluate the total cost and access to online tools.
There are four elements to consider when looking for an online transport broker: locations, staff qualifications, responsiveness and costs. A freight broker is also known as a customs broker. This type of company is responsible for handling the paperwork required to ship goods internationally. Each country has its own taxes, tariffs and rules regarding the import and export of goods. The main purpose of this type of company is to comply with these rules by reducing the delays associated with international shipments.
The growth of the internet has truly revolutionized the freight brokerage business. Using IT tools, an online freight broker can provide up-to-date information to clients, manage a wide range of locations from one central building, and monitor activity. Providing this type of service requires a significant investment in computer hardware, software, and personnel. The commitment to support this aspect of the business needs to be integrated into the company’s long-term business plan, and is now the accepted standard for all potential clients.
There is a wide variety of online freight brokerage firms available. When selecting one, take the time to find out how many offices it has and where they are located. Make sure the company has staff working at the ports and points of entry where the majority of shipments take place.
Check the fine print of the agreement to determine how the company handles shipments to ports where it does not have dedicated staff. The vast majority of companies outsource to meet this need. Take the time to find out about his service commitment and who is responsible for these arrangements. When problems do occur, you will need to know exactly who is responsible for meeting service expectations and what those expectations were.
Ask each company about the number of employees who are licensed customs brokers. Discuss the responsibilities of these key staff members and ask about the type of training provided to all staff. Find out if the company is an active member of any customs brokers associations or groups.
Included in your advertising material and quote should be your service level agreement (SLA). This document provides the acceptable time between request and response. Review the response rate and promise the response time. Inquire about urgent or urgent shipments that require priority attention and find out what the baselines are. This information is very important when selecting an online freight broker, as both the customer and the supplier will use the SLA to evaluate the success of the contract.
Look at the total cost of the contract. Most online freight brokerage firms have a set fee per package, based on the weight, value and type of goods. Evaluate your current shipping activities to determine where the greatest cost savings can be made. Most companies also provide access to proprietary online tools to monitor activity, track shipments, and review billing.
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