In 2015, not a single major forwarder or carrier offered instant online quotes. Fast forward to 2025, and the Freightos State of Online Freight Report reveals a radically changed landscape:
- 50% of top 20 forwarders now offer instant online quotes
- 4 of the 5 largest ocean carriers do the same
- 2/3 of all LSPs surveyed offer some form of instant quoting
But while enterprise players roll out digital quoting at scale, it’s SMB forwarders who may stand to gain the most. That’s because in a sector where relationship-building still trumps pure automation, smart tools that streamline quoting without removing the human touch can be a game changer for SMB growth.
In this special SMB edition of our State of Online Freight webinar, Judah Levine (Freightos Head of Research) sat down with Burak Yolga, Co-founder & VP Sales at Forceget, to explore how SMB forwarders can use digital quoting and booking to punch above their weight – and win.
Watch the full webinar for 6 actionable tips to drive quoting speed, CX, and scale
Live Q&A Recap: Digital Adoption for SMB Forwarders
Q: What KPIs do you track to measure how well your digital tools are performing?
Burak:
We track everything from sailing reliability to container pickup delays. For example, we monitor which carriers consistently miss departure windows or have poor return appointment systems – because late fees kill trust. We also look at quote-to-booking conversion rates. If a carrier offers a great rate but can’t confirm space, it’s not worth showing. Bottom line: we don’t want customers surprised by delays or fees – and tracking these data points helps us filter for quality.
Q: How long did it take for you to see results after going digital?
Burak:
It took about a year to see real traction. Going digital isn’t plug-and-play – you need sales, marketing, onboarding, and time to educate your customers. But once we hit that tipping point, the growth scaled fast. Today we’re booking 50% more volume with fewer ops staff, and our retention is way up.
Q: What are your top 3 pillars for successfully rolling out tech as an SMB forwarder?
Burak:
- Know your audience. For us, that’s e-commerce sellers on Amazon and Walmart – so we tailored our platform to what they care about.
- Deliver excellent customer service. Tech only gets you so far. You still need real people who answer quickly, solve problems, and build trust.
- Retain your team. Consistency builds relationships. Our ops team sticks with us long-term, and that matters to our customers.
Q: What was the biggest business impact of switching to digital quoting?
Burak:
Removing timezone friction. Customers don’t want to email five people to get one quote. Now they get instant pricing, can book online, pay by card, and track everything in one place – 24/7. We’ve saved our customers (and our team) days of back-and-forth.
Q: What’s a good example of how digital tools improve cross-border freight?
Burak:
Tariffs. Duties. Exchange rates. Different countries, different rules. We help customers sell on Amazon US, UK, Canada, Australia – each with its own regulations and cost structures. Digitization helps us show them accurate, apples-to-apples landing costs – and avoid nasty surprises.
Q: How do you handle customers who still prefer email or WhatsApp?
Burak:
We meet them where they are, but gently guide them where we prefer. For example, if a customer emails us for a quote, we reply with a link that shows the quote on our platform. Some clients need that nudge – but once they try it, they usually stick with it.
Q: Got tips for keeping the “human touch” in a digital quoting flow?
Burak:
Always back tech with service. Every time a shipment’s delayed, we don’t just update the status – we message the customer personally. That one extra step builds loyalty. Also, use tech to make your humans more effective, not to replace them.
