Shipment status update automation
Shipment status update automation answers 'where is my load?' emails and portal requests from your TMS and tracking data with the latest location, ETA and any reported delay, and sends proactive updates at the milestones you set. When tracking data is stale or missing, the request goes to the rep who owns the load.
Shipment status replies · one run
Rules · Model · Person- 1
Classify the request
Model - 2
Pull current data
Rules - 3
Check freshness and permission
Rules - 4
Write the reply
Model - 5
Send proactive updates
Rules - 6
Handle exceptions
Person
- What goes in
- Customer and consignee emails, portal requests, TMS and tracking data
- What comes out
- A reply with location, ETA and delay reason, or a hand-off to the load owner
- Who approves
- Load owner, for delays, missed appointments and anything that needs a commitment
Where the time goes today
What logistics teams tell us about this work.
The same question every hour
'Any update on PO 88213?' arrives from the shipper, the consignee and the shipper's customer service, each asking separately. The rep opens the TMS, checks the tracking app, texts the driver and writes the reply.
Updates are only as fresh as the last check
A reply that quotes a position six hours old brings a second email saying it does not match what the driver said.
Bad news travels slowly
Dispatch knows a load will be late at 9, and the customer hears at 2 when they ask. Proactive notice is what customers want and nobody has time to send.
How the automated workflow runs
Each step is fixed rules, a model reading or drafting, or a person on your team. The people steps are where approvals sit.
- 1
Classify the request
Recognizes status, ETA, appointment change and document requests, and finds the load from the PO, BOL, PRO or pickup reference in the message.
Model - 2
Pull current data
Gets the last location with its timestamp, ETA, stop status and exceptions from the TMS and the tracking provider.
Rules - 3
Check freshness and permission
If the last ping is older than your limit, or the sender is not a contact on the load, no status is sent and the request goes to the owning rep.
Rules - 4
Write the reply
Writes a short reply with location, ETA and any reported delay in your template and tone, with no rate or carrier information.
Model - 5
Send proactive updates
Milestone messages (picked up, in transit, delayed beyond your threshold, delivered) go to the contacts on the load. A delay beyond the threshold also alerts the rep.
Rules - 6
Handle exceptions
Missed appointments, damage reports and requests for a commitment, such as 'can you guarantee Friday?', go to the rep with the thread and the data attached.
Person
Want to see how a project like this is scoped and delivered? Read how we work.
Controls and approvals
- Replies use only current data. With no recent location, the message says so and the load goes to its owner.
- Customer-facing messages never contain carrier names, rates or driver phone numbers unless your policy allows it.
- Senders are matched against the contacts on the load, so a consignee's colleague cannot request the shipper's information.
What we leave to people
It does not promise delivery times or speak for the driver. If the tracking provider returns nothing recent, the reply says so and a person takes over. Customers who negotiate by email stay with their rep.
Systems it connects to
Examples of tools we work with for this workflow. Anything with an API or a controlled interface is in scope.
- McLeod
- MercuryGate
- Turvo
- Samsara
- Motive
- Gmail
We read load status from your TMS and location from your tracking provider or driver app, send replies from your own mailbox or portal, and log each message on the load.
What to measure
We set a baseline from your own records in the audit, then report these every month.
Illustrative example
A team that gets 300 status emails a day at 3 minutes each spends 15 hours a day on replies, spread across reps. How many of those are pure lookups is the first thing to measure, and the audit classifies a week of your inbox to find out.
| Measure | How to read it |
|---|---|
| Requests answered without a rep | Share of status requests closed by the system, excluding those routed on purpose. |
| Median reply time | Minutes from the message arriving to the reply, by hour of day. |
| Complaints about wrong or stale updates | Logged replies that a customer disputed, reviewed weekly. |
| Updates sent before the customer asked | Proactive milestone and delay messages as a share of all status messages. |
Common questions
Can AI answer 'where is my load' emails?
Yes, when the data to answer is current. It looks up the load, reads the latest location and ETA, and writes the reply. When data is old or missing, it hands the request to the rep who owns the load.
What tracking data does it need?
Some source of location and stop status: your TMS check calls, an ELD or driver app feed, or a tracking provider. We set a freshness limit for each source and show you how often data meets it in the audit.
Can it send proactive delay notifications?
Yes. A delay beyond the threshold you set triggers a message to the contacts on the load and an alert to the rep. Wording for delays is approved by you in advance.
What stops it from giving a wrong ETA?
The ETA comes from your TMS or tracking provider and is never computed by the model. The reply states how recent the data is, and an ETA that conflicts with the appointment is routed to a rep.
Related
- SolutionCustomer supportSupport agents that resolve tickets by taking action in your systems, and escalate with context.Read more
- BlueprintSupport operations systemStatus requests are the intake and resolution stages of support operations, with TMS data as the knowledge source.Read more
- IndustryAI for logisticsRate confirmations, BOLs, PODs, carrier invoices and status updates, handled in your TMS.Read more
Tell us how your logistics team handles this today.
A 30-minute call with an engineer. You will leave knowing what a system could do for that workflow and what it would take to build.
What happens next
- 1
Strategy call
We learn how the workflow runs today and what a good outcome would be.
- 2
Workflow audit
We map the process and measure where a system would save the most time.
- 3
Proposal
A written scope, timeline and fixed price for your first system. No obligation to build.