CargoTech member, Aerios, covers the digital niche of air cargo chartering, and brought the first Carrier App to market last year. It has now just launched another first: its first AI-powered and automation-driven Air Cargo Charter Quoting module for that app. A solution that solves an often chaotic problem, given that over 90% of all charter requests to airlines are made by email, and those emails often include attachments detailing packing lists. Those emails and documents need to be registered in whatever system the airline uses, in order to be able to process them and keep track. Any kind of manual intervention in a process not only slows it down, but also exposes it to the risk of human error. Processing these requests requires manual data re-entry, pricing of multiple routing permutations, and producing several quotes per request, which introduces delays and increases the risk of errors, double-entry or differing quotes. Aerios’ module solves all that by automating routing and quote generation, thus eliminating manual input errors, creating greater quoting consistency, and saving both time cost.
Automation and AI are deployed to extract and structure the required data from the incoming emails and documents. The module automatically generates routing options based on the airline’s network plus programmed positioning and tech stop requirements. It also learns from historical data and past requests and comes up with more consistent quotes, and provides excellent support also less experienced, newer employees or teams spread across different regions. “Rather than wedging AI into the system as a standalone feature, Aerios embeds it within the existing workflow charter teams use day to day. By automating steps the sales team already performs in Outlook and on the web, the system reduces input errors and speeds up response times, with a total reduction in quoting time of up to 80% – an improvement on the 66% already achieved with existing carriers,” the release states, going on to underline: “The outcome [of using the module] is improved commercial data for decision-making and greater staff capacity to focus on customer discussions and revenue-generating activities.”
Simon Watson, Founder and CEO of Aerios, said: “The introduction of the Automation & AI module for carriers solves an obvious issue the market encounters on a daily basis. It digitizes request data within the Aerios environment that will be leveraged within our upcoming modules.”
