How We Helped a Freight Forwarder Reduce RFQ Processing Time from 18 Minutes to 2 with AI

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In freight forwarding, speed matters. Customers often send quotation requests to several logistics companies. The faster you respond, the better your chances of winning the business.

But preparing a quotation takes time. A logistician needs to read emails, review PDF attachments, extract shipment details, enter them into an internal system, contact agents, compare rates, and prepare a response for the customer.

We recently helped a logistics company automate this process with AI. We built a system that handles most of the repetitive work, reducing average RFQ processing time from 18 minutes to just 2 minutes.

Here is how we did it.

How to automate PDF quote extraction in freight forwarding

The first challenge was that customers rarely send requests in the same format. Some include shipment details directly in an email, while others attach PDFs, Excel files, or packing lists.

We needed a solution that could understand both email content and documents.

We built an AI-powered system that monitors incoming emails and identifies messages containing a Request for Quotation (RFQ). When it detects a request, it reads the email and processes all relevant attachments.

The AI extracts important shipment parameters, such as origin, destination, cargo description, weight, dimensions, transport type, and special requirements.

This is more than simple PDF text recognition. The system needs to understand the information and organize it into structured fields that the company's internal software can use.

Once the data is extracted, the system automatically creates an order in the internal CMS. The logistician receives a structured request that is ready for review, instead of spending time copying information from emails and documents.

This is how we approach how to automate PDF quote extraction in freight forwarding: connect document processing directly to the company's operational workflow.

AI email parser for logistics RFQ and rate requests

Creating an order is only the beginning. The next step is collecting prices from transport agents.

We extended the solution into an AI email parser for logistics RFQ and rate requests that also supports communication throughout the quotation process.

After creating an order, the system can generate structured emails for agents. It includes the relevant shipment details, so agents receive clear requests without having to interpret the original customer email.

When an agent replies with a quotation, the system recognizes the response and notifies the responsible logistician.

The employee can then review the received offer and prepare a response for the customer. AI helps bring the relevant information together, while the final pricing and commercial decisions remain with the logistician.

This approach reduces manual email tracking and helps employees respond faster.

Dashboards that give management better visibility

We also wanted to help the company's management understand what happens across the quotation process.

We built dashboards where owners can monitor popular destinations, employee activity, and the percentage of rejected requests.

They can see which destinations generate the most demand and understand how their team handles incoming RFQs.

The dashboards also show rejection rates and the reasons behind them. For example, management can identify whether requests are lost because of high prices, unavailable capacity, or difficult routes.

This information helps owners make better decisions about pricing, agent partnerships, and business development.

The result: 89% less RFQ processing time

Before automation, a logistician spent an average of 18 minutes processing an RFQ. This included reading emails, checking attachments, extracting shipment details, and creating an order in the CMS.

After implementing the system, the average processing time dropped to approximately 2 minutes.

That means almost 89% less processing time.

More importantly, employees can now spend less time on repetitive data entry and email management. They have more time for customer relationships, negotiations, and solving operational problems.

Final thoughts

For me, this is where AI creates real value in logistics.

You don't need to replace an entire business process or introduce complicated tools that employees don't want to use. Start with the tasks that consume the most time and automate them.

An AI email parser for logistics RFQ and rate requests, combined with PDF extraction, CMS integration, and automated agent communication, can transform a workflow that was previously handled almost entirely by hand.

It also creates a foundation to automate rate sheet comparison and spot rate quoting as the business grows.

The goal isn't to replace experienced logisticians with AI. It's to give them better tools and more time to focus on what actually matters: winning customers and moving cargo.