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Agents want speed. Carriers need control over price, capacity and confirmation. This article sets out what each side needs and where the approval points sit.

Written for: Commercial directors and IT owners at carriers with agent and forwarder networks

Contents
  1. What the agent needs
  2. What the carrier needs to control
  3. Quote, request and confirmation are three different things
  4. Customs belongs to the booking, not the quote
  5. Start with the controls, not the screens
  6. Why this capability matters

Much of a RoRo carrier's spot cargo arrives through agents and freight forwarders. They work fast, often for several carriers at once, and they go where a quote comes back first. A carrier that answers in two days loses the cargo to one that answers in two hours.

Speed alone is not enough for the carrier. It needs to know that an agent quotes from current rates, stays within agreed markups and does not promise space the voyage does not have.

What the agent needs

  • A quote from current base rates, with the charges that apply to the cargo.
  • Room to add an agreed markup for the end customer.
  • Its own customer book, not visible to other agents.
  • A clear status: quote, booking request or confirmed booking.
  • Documents and status updates without email chains.

What the carrier needs to control

  • Which base rates and validity periods each agent can use.
  • The limits on agent markups, and whether the carrier sees them.
  • Which capacity and allocation the agent can sell against.
  • Which requests need carrier approval before confirmation.
  • Who confirms a booking, and when.

Agent speed, carrier control

AgentRequest a quote for described cargo
Carrier controlBase rates, validity and charges per agent
AgentAdd markup for the end customer
Carrier controlMarkup limits; what the carrier sees
AgentSubmit a booking request
Approval point
Carrier controlCapacity and allocation check
AgentUpload documents, request release
Carrier controlCustoms release needed before load list
AgentReceive confirmation
Approval point
Carrier controlCarrier confirms the space
Three states: a quote is a price; a booking request asks for space; a confirmation commits it.
IllustrativeThe approval points sit where a request turns into a commitment. Not an interface design; the controls apply whatever screens the portal uses.

Quote, request and confirmation are three different things

A quote is a price for a described cargo. A booking request is the agent asking for space. A confirmation is the carrier committing that space. Agents lose trust when a confirmed-looking quote turns into a refusal. Carriers lose money when a quote turns into a commitment nobody checked.

Customs belongs to the booking, not the quote

An agent can price cargo without customs data. The booking cannot be completed the same way. Many carriers hold cargo from the load list until a customs release is received. Decide early where that release comes from, whether a customs broker or an aggregator, and who updates it.

Start with the controls, not the screens

Portal projects often begin with screen designs. Start instead with the rules: rates, markups, data access and approval points. Screens built on unclear rules end up with workarounds.

Why this capability matters

Spot cargo through agents grows when quoting is fast, and loses money when control is weak. A carrier that can give agents speed while keeping control of rates, markups and confirmation can grow the agent channel without adding risk or manual work for its own team.

Related reading

Define your agent controls

Write down what your agents may quote, which markups they may add, which customers they may see and who confirms a booking. Bring it to a conversation about your agent channel.

Cartagena builds these capabilities together with each customer, as tailored solutions on the Microsoft platform.

Discuss your agent channel