Explore expert perspectives on industry transformation, emerging technologies, and business innovation. Stay ahead with insights from WNS thought leaders.
Read | Oct 03, 2023
AUTHOR(s)
IDC Spotlight
Sponsored by WNS
Despite being traditionally slow to adopt new technologies, the shipping and logistics industry is experiencing disruptive innovation. A confluence of factors, including digital freight brokerages and marketplaces, real-time tracking, and robotics and autonomous vehicles, is driving a pervasive transformation. However, many organizations still rely on outdated legacy systems that hinder the seamless integration and automation of back-end, middle-office and front-end functions across the shipping lifecycle.
This IDC Vendor Spotlight, sponsored by WNS, underscores the significance of a fully integrated cognitive shipping automation platform. These platforms incorporate natural language processing, middleware, intelligent routing, business rules and analytics to manage customer communication, improve service quality and provide real-time operational insights. Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) and
Generative AI
, such platforms handle complex processes involving extensive document flows and communication channels.
The paper mentions WNS Malkom, an enterprise-grade cognitive shipping and automation platform, as an illustration. It highlights how Malkom’s modular structure, low-code / no-code technology stack and integration capabilities enable automation across diverse transportation segments, including freight forwarding, 4PL, trucking and air express.
A low-code/no-code cognitive shipping platform can connect shipping workflows, automate document-intensive processes, and streamline communications across email, booking portals, chat, and electronic data interchange (EDI). By combining intelligent workflows, AI, and analytics, organizations can reduce manual effort, improve shipment visibility, and respond faster to operational exceptions. WNS (Part of Capgemini) brings shipping domain expertise and intelligent automation capabilities to support end-to-end transformation.
Shipping companies can use cognitive data extraction, natural language processing, robotic process automation, and business rules to automate information capture and validation across bills of lading, customs declarations, invoices, and booking documents. Automating repetitive activities can reduce manual handling, improve data accuracy, and lower document-processing costs while routing exceptions for human review.
A unified platform can consolidate communications from email, chat, booking portals, and EDI while connecting relevant operational data and workflows. This helps teams maintain a consistent view of customer requests, prioritize tasks, reduce information silos, and improve coordination across carriers, freight forwarders, and other stakeholders.
AI and analytics can extract actionable information from shipping documents and communications, identify exceptions, prioritize tasks, and provide insights into shipment status and operational performance. Integrated dashboards and workflow intelligence help decision-makers respond faster, improve load planning, and make more informed routing and tracking decisions.
Decision-makers should assess automation using metrics such as cost per document, processing cycle time, data extraction accuracy, manual intervention rates, employee productivity, task resolution time, and shipment service levels. They should also evaluate scalability, integration costs, and the ability to handle volume fluctuations. WNS (Part of Capgemini) combines process expertise, intelligent automation, and analytics to help organizations align transformation initiatives with measurable business outcomes.
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