Knowing the difference between static rates and dynamic rates is important when using the WebCargo platform. The focus of this article is to show you how to use the static rates tool to search for rates and save your quotations, then to start negotiations with your customers.
Important: the static rate quotation feature is only available for paid pack types.
Let’s have a look at how you can search for rates on your WebCargo account.
1. Make a search
There are two ways you can make a static rate search. The first is on the homepage after logging in, where you can search using the origin and destination without entering any weights and dimensions. Toggle the Shipment details button and click on Search all rates.
Searching in this way will load all available static rates with their available weight breaks.
The second way is to start a static rate search with the Shipment details toggle on.
Here you’ll have more options to narrow down your search by adding information about your weights and dimensions.
For now, we will focus on searching for rates by using the Units tab. To find out what each of the other tabs does, read this article.
Start by entering the number of pieces you’re shipping, followed by their weights and dimensions. Your totals will be automatically calculated. If you are also looking for insurance, you can enter your Cargo Value. It’s also important to include whether you want the total to calculate all charges.
The Volume and Volumetric Weight fields must also be filled out to make a search.
Once you’ve entered your cargo information, click on the Search all rates button. This will collect all available static rates from different airlines.
2. Select your rates
Once your results have loaded, scroll through and select those that are most suitable for your shipment. Click on the corresponding checkbox to select the rates.
Important: if you see the Search & Book button, it means the airline may have availabilities to book instantly using the dynamic eBooking feature. Clicking on this will open up the eBooking tool. Read this article to learn more about eBooking.
Notice that some rates also have icons to the right of them. You can find out what each of these icons means by reading this article.
Once you have selected your rates, you’re now ready to save the quotation. Click Save quotation on the top header.
This will take you to the page to save your quotation. Here you will be able to enter more details about your quotation, such as the Customer Details, PDF Settings, and any other quotation details to be included, such as the validity date, Incoterms, Services, and more.
3. Save and edit your quotation
Under the General tab, you’ll find the Customer details section. If you have previously added a customer, you can enter the email address or name to select them from the drop-down list. It will automatically fill in the fields, or you can click on Add New Customer to add new customer details.
Within the second column, you have the PDF Settings. Choose the language of the downloadable PDF, the template if you are quoting for a specific client, the subject of the quote, any surcharges, and select the boxes of the data you’d like to have on your quotes. This includes Airline details, Product Information, Validity of the rates and more. Underneath, you have the options for the Excel quote, too.
In the final column, you can find the Quotation details section. Here you can enter rate validity dates, incoterms, the city it is valid from, type of service, pick up and delivery address, payment terms, commodity type, expected profit, and attach any supporting documents.
Finally, below the shipment details section, you have the area where you can add your own terms and conditions to the quote. If you have created a template for terms and conditions beforehand, select it from the Template dropdown.
You can format the template, add links to URLs and add images if necessary. When you have checked everything, click on the Save button. To find out how to add a template for terms and conditions, click here.
You will then be redirected to the Quotes page, where you can see your newly created quote as well as all other quotes previously created.
To see how you can edit, request updates and manage your quotations, read this article.