Krish Kamdar, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Logistic Partners Inc., says AI’s value in logistics today is practical, not theoretical, and every investment begins with one question: will it improve the customer experience?
Practical AI earns its place through customer trust.
AI extracts data from shipping documents, speeds up rate quotes, triages carrier emails and reconciles accounts payable. The Tariff Compliance Suite lets importers describe a product in plain English, then ranks likely HTS classifications and estimates duties before cargo moves, while the myWWLP portal gives clients a single place to track shipments. None of this reduces the workforce; it gives people more time to engage with customers and solve their supply chain challenges.
Where Speed Meets Data Quality
Speed and accuracy determine the outcome in quoting, where the forwarder who responds first and keeps the conversation moving is often the one who wins the business, and in tracking and tracing, where customers need the most accurate information as quickly as possible. Documentation, compliance and invoicing also benefit, with 45% of forwarders already automating them, according to Magaya’s survey. The real constraint, however, is data quality: only 23% of respondents in an Ontegos survey rated their data as largely clean and reliable.
Expectations Become the Baseline
Customers are no longer satisfied with basic shipment visibility. They expect accurate data, fast responses and clear explanations when something goes wrong, expectations quickly becoming the baseline rather than a differentiator. By automating routine updates and generating first-draft responses, AI frees teams for customer service, supply chain planning and advisory work. Magaya’s research shows 90% of freight forwarders still rank trusted relationships as their top success driver. Technology should strengthen that trust, not replace it. Trust of this kind must then be carried across an increasingly connected trade ecosystem.
