Container shipping is a gigantic industry with a turnover of approximately 1 trillion dollars. Ships and port operations use cutting-edge technology, but the technology behind commercial side of the business is awfully inefficient. Sales teams frequently perform most of their work manually or in multiple Excel worksheets. Quotiss is a Polish startup that simplifies and automates freight management, allowing to save up to 99% of time spent on quoting freight rates.
“Our competition is mainly focused on digitizing complex freight process ‘as is’, or creating so-called ‘Booking.com for shipping’ without prior simplification,” said Margarita Tokareva, the CMO of Quotiss. “Our unique algorithm is all about simplicity: first freight has to be simplified, and afterwards digitized.”
The name Quotiss means ‘Quote it Smart and Simple’. The central point of their methodology is the Pareto principle. It says that only 20% of work generates 80% of effects. An algorithm developed by Marcin Zarzecki, the CEO, enables the user to identify and prioritize the vital 20% of operations. Applying this principle removes 80% of complexity from freight management and enables to do freight quotes in 1 second – an impressive result that is surely the best on the market.
The company’s product is a SaaS (software as a service) that operates in the cloud. It allows the user to configure trade lanes using the unique Pareto-inspired algorithm, and to perform instant freight revisions and market data analyses with powerful in-built tools. Pricing management is also simplified by keeping and organizing all data in one place. Last but not least, the platform allows to send personalized messages to selected groups of customers. The product is available in three subscription plans, with the most popular costing $50 per month.
Quotiss wouldn’t come to existence if not for the highly professional team that knows the freight industry in and out. Marcin Zarzecki, the CEO, worked for 13 years in Maersk – the largest shipping line in the world. He quoted thousands of freight rates himself, following the same manual process in Poland, Russia, Belgium, Netherlands and Kenya. Margarita Tokareva, the CMO, has 10 years of experience in container shipping in Russia, Spain and Italy. They were joined by Michał Polak, an IT professional and an owner of a software studio, in summer 2016.
The cooperation of the whole team was great from the beginning – minimum viable product was ready after only two months. It has been on the market since October and has already sparked interest of multiple companies in Poland and abroad. In one month since the launch, Quotiss has received 4 letters of intent from Polish logistic companies, pending implementation in January 2017.
Quotiss has recently placed second in Startup Battle during Kongres 590, a Polish conference devoted to Polish economic development. Thanks to this success, the company has received an award of 35 000 PLN and begins to get high interest from investment funds.
