Understanding SiShips Auto Quoting and Spot Quoting Options
With so many carriers and shipping routes available, finding the right quote for your shipment can be overwhelming. Even worse, countless back-and-forth emails takes time that would be better spent focusing on other areas of your business. Our software SiShips offers quoting tools that save you that time – and provide accurate, easy-to-filter quotes that give you the ability to find the best fit for your product. We provide both auto quotes and spot quotes and let you book and track both directly through our system. Read on to learn about the two quoting options and to discover how easy they are to use.
Understanding Auto Versus Spot Quotes
The SiShips software can produce two different quotes: the auto quote and the spot, or custom, quote. Both options require basic information, including origins, destinations, product type, and weight. Once you input this, our system will quickly determine which type of quote is right for your freight. Standard shipments will receive instant results, while shipments that require additional information or special circumstances will be prompted to request a custom quote. No matter which type of quote you get, you can administer it through SiShips – just as easily as you track shipments, manage customers, and so much more.
How and When to Use Auto Quotes
Auto quotes are the right fit for a variety of overseas imports and exports, and can be applied to ocean cargo for both LCL and FCL shipments. Specifically, auto quotes for LCL cover imports from origin port to destination door and exports from origin door to destination port. Quotes for FCL cover imports from Asian origin ports to American doors and exports from American origin doors to main destination ports. Using the system to find a quote can save you several hours, instantly providing you with all pricing, carrier, and route options.
To get an auto quote using SiShips, all you need to do is select your mode and input your origin and destination. From there, our software does the rest. You’ll be presented with all of the details of each option and can filter by cost or route to find the best choice for you. Leaving the container size fields blank will show you all of your options, giving you extra flexibility and the power to make the best decision for your business. These quotes can be emailed or printed directly from the screen and can be booked instantly as well.
The video below shows how to use the SiShips software to build an auto quote. Please note that air cargo is not currently covered with our auto quotes, as the market is changing weekly. Find details below about custom quoting for air freight.
When to Use Custom or Spot Quotes
Not all shipments can fit under the auto quotes umbrella. For those that can’t be calculated automatically, SiShips will prompt you to create a custom quote. This applies to shipments that are oversized, overweight, or require door pick-up or delivery in locations outside of the United States. Additionally, due to currently fluctuating rates, all air freight quotes are also redirected to the custom quote feature. Our spot quoting ensures you’re quoted accurately and can stay on top of market changes.
The software will ask for as much information as you have available, including weight and dimensions. You can also add extra details, such as any deadlines or the shipment’s value, and upload any relevant files you may have. While not all of this information is required, more specifics allow our pricing team to create a faster and more accurate custom quote for your shipment.
Once you’ve submitted the form, the “View Quotes” tab will help you keep track of all of your spot quote requests, including those that have been booked. To ensure you get all the information you need, our team may reach out to contacts overseas for further details. As a result, our average time frame for a spot quote is 24-48 hours.
If you ever have any questions about your quote, whether auto or custom, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our pricing team at pricing@siships.com.
The video below shows how to use the SiShips software to build a custom quote.
