In logistics, the problem is often not 'delay', but not knowing when and how the delay will occur. We at TG Foreign Trade and Logistics took this sentence seriously and activated a new notification standard that facilitates customer decision-making: proactive ETA alerts throughout the shipment and 'Shipment Status Report' format that ensures everyone speaks the same language.
Visibility Is Now a Basic Need
In the industry, visibility expectation is now positioned not like a luxury, but like a basic need. In the 'State of Visibility 2024' study, the majority of participants see real-time visibility as critical; the same report also emphasizes that visibility rates are still not at the desired level.
This picture turns into this in practice: cargo moves but if information flow is delayed, planning breaks down; stock, production, campaign, payment and cash flow are affected. Our goal is for the customer to get the right information at the right time without needing to ask the 'where?' question.
Three Pillars of the New Standard
This new standard has three pillars. First, regular status updates at critical thresholds of the shipment (reservation/cut-off, loading, departure, transfer, arrival, delivery). Second, instead of giving news as 'done-deal' when a possible delay or risk signal occurs, making an early warning together with a solution scenario. Third is fixing the report language: instead of different teams using different formats for the same shipment, reducing information pollution with a single report template.
TG Shipment Status Report Standard Fields
Standard fields in TG Shipment Status Report: Shipment reference, transport mode, origin-destination points, estimated/actual dates, current status, next step, possible risk note and recommended action. Teams that want to use this standard within the company are very inclined to share it by citing the source; because it offers a clear format. That digitalization brings transparency and control on the forwarder side is a frequently emphasized topic in the industry.
Reducing Uncertainty Cost
If you also want to reduce the 'uncertainty cost', as TG Foreign Trade and Logistics, we set up a two-scenario plan on the same route (main plan + alternative plan) and base reporting throughout the shipment on this standard. When communication is clarified, the rest of the work surprisingly speeds up.