This is our story of harnessing our cognitive data contextualization solution to automate Air Waybill (AWB) capture and verification for a leading cargo airline. By doing so, we successfully reduced post-billing disputes, and improved revenues and customer experience.
As we know…
The AWB is a crucial document containing vital information about international air cargo and freight billing. However, the intricacies of air cargo billing, influenced by multi-faceted pricing considerations, often lead to inconsistencies in invoicing. Manual processes, multiple handoffs and a lack of visibility impede billing capabilities, resulting in revenue leakages.
Thus, air bill automation assumes paramount importance. An AI / Machine Learning (ML)-powered system can radically and intelligently transform pre-billing audits, ensuring invoicing accuracy and mitigating post-billing disputes.
The challenge for the cargo airline was…
It confronted a labor-intensive and volume-based AWB pre-billing audit landscape, negatively impacting critical metrics such as revenue leakage, billing accuracy, turnaround time and customer experience. Approximately 1.1 million AWBs were audited manually, with a staggering post-billing adjustment rate of 6 percent. This high volume of post-billing adjustments not only caused discrepancies in reported revenues but also resulted in customer dissatisfaction.
Stepping in as a transformation partner…
WNS leveraged its cargo expertise to conduct a comprehensive diagnostic aligned with the best practices of the WNS Cargo Center of Excellence (CoE). The diagnostic process laid the foundation for designing a best-in-class audit approach.
Consequently, WNS’ comprehensive solution for the client encompassed a two-pronged approach:
Pre-billing Audit Proof of Concept (PoC)
Based on the CoE and stratified sampling, WNS implemented a pre-billing audit PoC that successfully uncovered significant under-billing issues. Addressing these challenges involved re-engineering the pre-billing audit process and implementing a robust 360-degree data-to-insights design.
Cognitive Data Capture & Contextualization Solution
To further enhance the pre-billing audit process, WNS deployed a non-intrusive and AI / ML-powered data capture and contextualization solution from the WNS Air Cargo Optimized Solutions Suite (ACOSS). This solution extended the pre-billing audit coverage to 100 percent of cargo volume, effortlessly capturing inputs in multiple formats to generate automated AWBs while verifying and contextualizing data to provide accurate insights.
The seamless integration of the data capture and contextualization solution paved the way for…
The client to implement an automated and accurate pre-billing audit process, resulting in improved customer experience through on-time and First-time Right (FTR) billing. Tangible outcomes included:
percent
improvement in efficiency
percent
reduction in post-billing disputes
USD
Million
in revenue identified and realized
FAQs
1. How can AI improve revenue assurance and billing accuracy for cargo airlines?
Revenue leakage caused by billing discrepancies, contract complexities and manual audits can significantly impact profitability. AI-powered audit solutions help cargo airlines automatically identify anomalies, validate charges and improve invoice accuracy at scale. WNS enables airlines to strengthen revenue assurance through intelligent audit frameworks that improve financial control while reducing manual effort.
2. Why is pre-bill audit optimization becoming a strategic priority for cargo airline leaders?
As cargo operations become more complex, traditional audit processes often struggle to keep pace with transaction volumes and pricing variations. Optimized pre-bill audits help airlines prevent revenue leakage, improve compliance and increase operational efficiency before invoices reach customers. WNS helps cargo airlines modernize audit operations through AI-driven automation and advanced analytics.
3. How can AI and analytics help cargo airlines uncover hidden revenue opportunities?
AI can analyze large volumes of freight, pricing and billing data to identify discrepancies, recurring error patterns and revenue recovery opportunities. Advanced analytics provides greater visibility into operational performance and financial outcomes. WNS combines aviation expertise with AI and analytics capabilities to help cargo airlines maximize revenue realization and improve profitability.
4. What operational challenges can intelligent audit automation address in air cargo operations?
Cargo airlines often face challenges such as manual review processes, inconsistent billing validations, limited visibility into revenue leakage and increasing transaction volumes. Intelligent audit automation helps standardize controls, improve accuracy and accelerate audit cycles. WNS enables airlines to transform audit operations into a proactive revenue protection function that supports business growth.
5. Why should cargo airlines partner with WNS for AI-driven revenue assurance transformation?
WNS combines deep aviation and cargo industry expertise with advanced AI, analytics and intelligent operations capabilities. From revenue assurance and audit automation to process optimization and performance analytics, WNS helps cargo airlines improve billing accuracy, protect margins and create scalable, data-driven financial operations. This enables organizations to strengthen profitability while enhancing operational efficiency.