Can I log an inquiry for a customer who is not registered yet?

Yes. The customer picker lists registered customers and unregistered ones saved as drafts, and you can save a new draft from the inquiry form. One restriction applies: the carrier owned container option is only available once a registered customer is selected.

Why can't I edit an inquiry after it has been quoted?

Sailix freezes an inquiry as soon as a quotation is created against it, because the quotation was priced on those details. Edit and delete are blocked in the list and refused by the server, with a message that names the reason. Later changes are made on the quotation.

What information does an export inquiry need?

Customer, service, inquiry date, currency, origin and destination ports, load status, commodity, container ownership, tentative shipment date, and at least one container type with a count. Shipper, consignee, notify party, sales person and sales coordinator are optional.

Does Sailix handle both shipper owned and carrier owned containers?

Yes. Each inquiry is marked shipper owned or carrier owned. A carrier owned inquiry needs an accepted rate negotiation with the line before it can be quoted. A shipper owned inquiry skips that step and can be quoted directly.

Inquiry managementRecord every rate inquiry before you quote.

Capture each export inquiry with customer, route, containers and sales owner, and follow it into negotiation and quotation.

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Container terminal at dusk with gantry cranes over container stacks

NVOCC export

Overview

An inquiry in Sailix is the first record of a shipment a customer wants priced. The desk enters the customer, service, origin and destination ports with their terminals, load status, commodity, container ownership, tentative shipment date, and one row per container type with a count. Each inquiry gets its own reference number and is stored against the branch that created it.

The inquiry does not have to wait for customer onboarding. You can raise it for a registered customer or for an unregistered one saved as a draft, and the list marks which is which. From there the inquiry feeds a rate request to a line or a quotation, and it locks against edits once a quotation exists.

Capabilities

What it does

Registered or unregistered customers
Raise an inquiry for a registered customer or for a prospect saved as a draft. The list labels unregistered customers and those still pending approval.
Ports and terminals
Pick the origin and destination ports, then the terminal inside each one. The quotation screen shows the same route details when the inquiry is priced.
Container rows by type
Add one row per container type with a count. Sailix rejects an inquiry with no container rows or with a container type it does not recognize.
Shipper, consignee and notify
Record shipper, consignee and notify party names and addresses on the inquiry. The notify party can be set as the same as the consignee.
Sales ownership
Assign a sales person and a sales coordinator to each inquiry. The performance report for employees and customers is generated from inquiry data.
Search and filters
Search by inquiry reference or customer, and filter the list by service, status and customer type. Inquiry statuses are active, completed and cancelled.

Workflow

How it works

First
Create the inquiry
Select the customer, service, currency, ports and terminals, load status, commodity and ownership, then add container types with counts and the tentative shipment date.
Then
Assign the sales team
Set the sales person and sales coordinator who will follow the inquiry through to a quotation.
Next
Request line rates if needed
For carrier owned containers, open Request Container Rates and select the inquiry to start a negotiation with the line.
Finally
Quote against it
Create the quotation from the inquiry. From that point the inquiry can no longer be edited or deleted.

Questions

Questions and answers

Can I log an inquiry for a customer who is not registered yet?: Yes. The customer picker lists registered customers and unregistered ones saved as drafts, and you can save a new draft from the inquiry form. One restriction applies: the carrier owned container option is only available once a registered customer is selected.
Why can't I edit an inquiry after it has been quoted?: Sailix freezes an inquiry as soon as a quotation is created against it, because the quotation was priced on those details. Edit and delete are blocked in the list and refused by the server, with a message that names the reason. Later changes are made on the quotation.
What information does an export inquiry need?: Customer, service, inquiry date, currency, origin and destination ports, load status, commodity, container ownership, tentative shipment date, and at least one container type with a count. Shipper, consignee, notify party, sales person and sales coordinator are optional.
Does Sailix handle both shipper owned and carrier owned containers?: Yes. Each inquiry is marked shipper owned or carrier owned. A carrier owned inquiry needs an accepted rate negotiation with the line before it can be quoted. A shipper owned inquiry skips that step and can be quoted directly.

Works with

Part of NVOCC software

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Inquiry managementRecord every rate inquiry before you quote.

Overview

What it does

Registered or unregistered customers

Ports and terminals

Container rows by type

Shipper, consignee and notify

Sales ownership

Search and filters

How it works

Create the inquiry

Assign the sales team

Request line rates if needed

Quote against it