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Freight forwarding companies · WhatsApp marketing

Answer rate requests on the app your shippers already use to ask for them.

WhatsApp for a freight forwarder is the working channel on which exporters send rate requests, share documents and ask where the cargo is. GullySales sets up the business profile, reply kit and group habits so that the channel is organised and not a pile of personal chats.

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Scope, fee, reporting and term are agreed in writing after we have read your brief and spoken to you.

Realistic editorial illustration of freight and transport companies at work in India

What WhatsApp marketing means

WhatsApp marketing is sending updates, offers and reminders to customers on the app most Indian buyers already check daily. GullySales sets up business WhatsApp, writes the message templates and keeps the list consented and current.

Also for freight forwarding companies

Sales and marketing for freight forwarding companies, the overview.

Last updated 18 Oct 2026.

For freight forwarding companies

Where it usually goes wrong, and what we would do.

  • “Rate requests arrive on personal phones”

    An exporter messages the executive they know, and the request sits on one phone. If that person is away, the request waits. A shared business number with an assigned owner for each chat avoids this.

  • “A standard reply saves time and mistakes”

    A rate request needs the same details: commodity, volume or weight, ports, Incoterm and date. A saved reply that asks for all of them at once stops the back-and-forth and lets the desk quote without chasing.

  • “Documents and status updates belong in a record”

    Shippers send invoices, packing lists and photos over chat. If these stay in the chat, nobody else can find them. Filing them against the shipment record keeps operations and sales working from the same facts.

  • “Broadcasts need permission”

    Sending the same message to every shipper on your list can feel like spam. Message only those who have agreed to hear from you, give a way to stop, and check the platform's current rules for business messages.

What we do

What we deliver for freight forwarding companies.

Every deliverable, what it covers for you, and the result it is there to produce. Nothing here is an extra.

  1. Business profile set-up

    A business number with a clear profile showing services, ports and hours, in place of staff personal numbers.

    Result: A number shippers can save and the whole desk can answer.

  2. Reply kit

    Saved replies for rate requests, missing details, quote sent, second contact and document requests.

    Result: Replies the desk can send in a tap.

  3. Chat ownership rule

    A simple rule on who owns each chat and how a handover is done when someone is away.

    Result: No request left with a person who is not at work.

  4. Shipment group guide

    Advice on when to open a group for a live shipment, who joins it and what is kept out of it.

    Result: Groups that stay on the shipment and nothing else.

  5. Consent list

    A list of shippers who agreed to receive updates, with the date and the topic they agreed to.

    Result: A list you can send to without worry.

How the result is measured

  • Messages delivered
  • Reply rate
  • Enquiries from WhatsApp

Recorded as a baseline before work starts, so every later report has an honest comparison.

Read the full WhatsApp marketing and automation page

What to capture or send

Rate requests and cargo updates a shipper will answer on the app, and what to record.

Rate request details
Ask the shipper to send port, cargo, weight and ready date in one message. Record it against the exporter so the quote is not rebuilt from memory.
Rate with its validity
Reply with the figure, what it includes and the date it expires. Record the reply so the shipper cannot dispute the terms later.
Document checklist
Send the list of papers needed for the booking. Record which ones the shipper sent and which are pending.
Vessel or flight update
Send the change in departure and the effect on arrival. Record who received it so nobody learns of a delay from the port.
Proof of delivery
Send the signed document photograph. It closes the shipment and gives you a reason to ask for the next one.

Who it is for

This is written for these freight forwarding companies.

  • Sea freight forwarders handling full container loads
  • LCL consolidators with weekly sailings to fixed ports
  • Air freight forwarders for urgent and perishable cargo
  • Project cargo and oversize equipment specialists
  • Import desks for machinery, electronics and raw material
  • Garment, leather and handicraft export handlers
  • Agri and food product export handlers
  • Agents and sub-agents of overseas forwarding networks

Not for

It is not the right fit if.

  • Shippers have not agreed to receive rate cards, and sending them to the whole list would harm your name.
  • Shipment documents carry company data, and nobody has agreed how to keep them off personal phones.

How it works

How the whatsapp marketing work runs

The work itself, in order. How an engagement starts, from your brief to a written scope, is set out on our method page.

  1. 1

    Read the chats you already have

    We read how customers write to you, which questions repeat and where a chat goes quiet. The repeated questions decide what gets automated first.

  2. 2

    Sort the list and the permission

    Contacts who asked to hear from you are separated from numbers that only sit in a phone book. We agree the wording new contacts will see before they say yes.

  3. 3

    Choose the app or the API

    One phone and a small team can stay on the ordinary app. Several people on one number, templates or a CRM link need the API through a provider, which is its own piece of setup work.

  4. 4

    Write the replies and the plan

    The greeting, away message, saved replies and handover rule are written in your words and approved by you. The message plan and its templates follow.

  5. 5

    Connect the record and test

    Each link carries its source line and each chat lands in the CRM. We test on real phones, including a customer who asks for a person.

  6. 6

    Read the unanswered questions

    A question the first reply could not answer becomes a new saved reply or a fixed handover. Stop requests are watched too, with the number's quality rating where the API is used, since both show a message plan that has gone too far.

Where this fits

Three pieces of sales work, in this order.

This work sits inside sales process design, at stage 0, foundation. The audit comes before it, and sales management keeps it running.

  1. Step 1

    Sales audit

    Find where deals are being lost and what to fix first.

    Start here if you cannot say where orders are lost.

  2. Step 2 · you are here

    Sales process design

    One written way to sell, from first enquiry to repeat order.

    Start here if every salesperson sells differently.

  3. Step 3

    Sales management

    A target, a review routine and someone who owns the number.

    Start here if the team has targets and no routine.

Tell us what you need Your brief is read before we call. Scope, fee and term in writing.

FAQ

Questions owners ask before they call.

Not here? More answers, or ask on WhatsApp.

Tell us what you need
Should we use the WhatsApp Business app or the API?
The business app suits a small desk. The API suits a larger team that needs shared inboxes and automation. We help you choose after seeing how many chats you handle.
Can we send rate cards to all our shippers?
We advise against it. Rates change and an unsolicited broadcast annoys people. Send updates to those who asked for them, and keep rates for individual quotes.
What about shipper data in chats?
Treat invoices and cargo details as confidential. Keep them in the shipment record, limit who can read the chats and remove staff access when they leave.
Can we send a rate card to every shipper?
Send it only to those who asked for rates on that lane, with the date it holds. Rates change with the carrier. A card sent to everyone goes out of date and shippers who did not ask may treat it as spam.
How much does it cost?
There is no price list, because the work differs by business. The fee is scoped after we have read your brief and spoken to you, and put in writing before anything starts, split into our time, your media spend and production.
How long is the contract?
The term is agreed in writing after we have spoken, along with the fee and the reporting. It is never a default twelve months, and renewal is decided on the numbers against the baseline recorded at the start.
How soon will we see results?
It depends on the trade, the channel and what is already in place. After we have read your brief and spoken to you, we say what we would expect to move first and how it will be measured against the baseline. Nothing here is guaranteed.
Who will actually do the work?
The person you speak to before anything starts. We work from one office in Nagarbhavi, Bengaluru, with no account managers in between.
What do you need from us?
Your brief, and a conversation. After that, access to whatever this work touches, such as your website, your accounts or your enquiry record, and time with the people who handle your enquiries.
What if we are not happy with the work?
Tell us and the plan changes. Everything is reported against the baseline, so a number that is not moving is visible to both sides. The term is in your written scope, and the refund and cancellation policy sets out the rest.

More for freight forwarding companies

Everything else we would do for you.

Or start from the overview: sales and marketing for freight forwarding companies.

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