Logistics Operations
Use Case

Automate Carrier Selection and Booking Execution

An AI agent that automates and optimizes the process of selecting the most appropriate carriers for outbound or inbound shipments and then executes the booking process. It evaluates carrier options based on an assessment of cost, service level, transit time, available capacity, sustainability factors, and historical performance, then programmatically initiates booking requests and processes confirmations, minimizing manual effort and securing optimal transport solutions.

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Process Details

Inputs

Detailed shipment information (origin, destination, product characteristics, dimensions, weight, freight class, required pickup/delivery windows, special handling needs, service level requirements), A comprehensive list of approved/contracted carriers with their respective contract rates, service lane capabilities, equipment types, and contact information.

Outputs

Confirmed freight bookings with carriers, including pickup numbers and carrier reference details,Automatically updated shipment status (e.g, "Booked," "Tender Accepted") in the TMS/ERP, Proactive alerts and exception notifications for booking failures, delays, or rejections.

Systems

ERP Systems (e.g, SAP S/4HANA, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365) - for order and shipment data

The Challenge

Manual processes
create real problems.

  1. 1

    High potential for costly errors from manual data handling.

  2. 2

    Significant time and resources are spent on repetitive, low-value work.

  3. 3

    The manual process is difficult to scale without increasing headcount.

  4. 4

    Process bottlenecks lead to delays and missed deadlines.

The Solution

Describe it in English.
It runs deterministically.

  1. 1

    Data Acquisition

    It retrieves bank statements (Excel) and transaction data from the ERP System's General Ledger.

  2. 2

    Transaction Matching

    Applies pre-defined rules to match bank transactions with GL entries based on amount, date, reference numbers, and descriptions.

  3. 3

    Exception Identification & Categorization

    Identifies and categorizes unmatched items, outstanding checks, deposits in transit, bank fees, and interest.

  4. 4

    Automated Journal Entry Suggestion

    For identified bank fees or interest, the AI agent can suggest journal entries to be posted in the ERP System.

  5. 5

    Reporting & Review

    Generates a reconciliation report highlighting matched items, outstanding items, and exceptions, then routes it for review and approval.

Primary Benefits

What you gain with
Kognitos automation.

Increase Efficiency

Dramatically reduce the time and manual effort required to complete the process.

Enhance Accuracy

Eliminate human error to ensure data integrity and reduce financial risk.

Empower Employees

Free your team from monotonous tasks, allowing them to focus on strategic work that requires their expertise.

Improve Scalability

Handle growing volumes of work without a proportional increase in operational costs.

Ensure Transparency

Maintain a complete, auditable trail of every action the AI agent takes, described in plain English.

FAQ

Common questions
answered.

The agent is designed to work with your entire carrier network, from the most technically advanced to the least. It can transmit booking requests via:
Direct API Integration: For your strategic carriers, it can connect directly to their booking systems for instant, real-time tendering and confirmation.
Structured Email: For smaller carriers without APIs, the agent can automatically generate a highly structured booking request email containing all necessary data in a clear, standardized format, and send it to the carrier's dispatch inbox.
The customization and configuration typically takes 4-6 weeks.
System Integration: We establish secure connections to your TMS/ERP/WMS to receive shipment details and your carrier performance data sources.
Rule Configuration: We work with your logistics team to configure the decision-making logic, including the weighting of different factors and any hard constraints.
Carrier Connectivity: We set up the API and/or email templates for your key carriers.
Testing & Validation: The agent runs in a "recommendation mode" where your planners can review its selections before activating the automated booking.
Go-Live: The agent is activated to begin making selections and executing bookings automatically.
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Challenges

Solution

This use case solution follows these general steps at a high level:

  1. Data AcquisitionIt retrieves bank statements (Excel) and transaction data from the ERP System's General Ledger.
  2. Transaction Matching Applies pre-defined rules to match bank transactions with GL entries based on amount, date, reference numbers, and descriptions.
  3. Exception Identification & CategorizationIdentifies and categorizes unmatched items, outstanding checks, deposits in transit, bank fees, and interest.
  4. Automated Journal Entry SuggestionFor identified bank fees or interest, the AI agent can suggest journal entries to be posted in the ERP System.
  5. Reporting & ReviewGenerates a reconciliation report highlighting matched items, outstanding items, and exceptions, then routes it for review and approval.

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