The freight industry has witnessed significant technological advancements over the years, with foundational components such as CRM, TMS systems, and load tracking becoming increasingly commonplace. More recently, there has been experimentation with bots and RPA for tasks such as rating, particularly to automate interactions with spot portals and email quotes. However, one critical area that has lagged in automation adoption, especially among carriers, is appointment scheduling.

Historically, appointment scheduling automation has been perceived as “really challenging and kind of quirky to do well”. Compounding this, there has been a noted “lack of product out there in the space for brokerages to automate their appointments”. This perception of difficulty and the lack of readily available solutions contributed to it being a less-explored area compared to, say, rate quoting automation.

The focus on rate quoting automation, while increasing load volume, also contributed to tightening margins. In this environment of compressed margins, brokerages haven’t always prioritized operational speed, efficiency, and timeliness of tasks like scheduling appointments. The consequence of this neglect is that loads can sometimes “sit,” meaning they are not getting scheduled promptly. When loads sit, they are less likely to receive optimal appointments, which in turn negatively affects the already small margins. Getting stuck with “bad appointments” because scheduling was delayed is a direct result of neglecting this operational speed.

However, the market landscape is shifting. There’s an observed increase in shipper requirements. Shippers are increasingly demanding that brokers get loads scheduled within a specific timeframe, often 24 or 48 hours. This external pressure is a significant factor driving many brokerages to start looking into automating appointments. They are realizing that meeting these shipper requirements efficiently requires a different approach than manual scheduling processes.

Beyond meeting mandates, brokerages implementing scheduling automation are beginning to see tangible benefits. They are reporting getting better transits, securing better appointments, and achieving better lead time. Improved lead time means that loads are appointed sooner after being tendered, which allows their carrier teams to source ideal capacity at the best rates. 

Ultimately, these operational improvements are directly contributing to increased margins, addressing the very pressure point created by tight competition and automation in other areas. In a market like this, operational speed in scheduling is no longer a secondary concern but a critical factor for profitability and meeting customer demands.