Sunset Transportation

Time is everything in freight quoting and logistics. In fact, most shipments are awarded within 10 minutes of a client’s request. And according to John Sutton, Director of Corporate Strategy at Sunset Transportation, staying competitive in 3PL requires building systems that help high-performing reps move fast — without adding unnecessary steps or complexity.

With over 30 years of industry experience, Sunset had quoting down to a science. The process worked well, but the team knew there was always room to grow — especially as reps juggled hundreds of quote requests.

“The quoting workflow was originally a two-screen process,” John explains. “We’d have our email open on one screen and our rating engine on another.” As quote requests flooded reps’ inboxes, they jumped in and out of their emails, copying and pasting details between screens to build freight quotes.

And for reps who issue between 150 and 200 quotes per day, this process adds extra time to every quote. But even the slightest delay could mean missing out on valuable revenue.

The team knew this was their chance to boost quoting efficiency. They also wanted to catch subtle performance trends early — like dips in customer volume, problems with routing guides, or shifts in spot opportunities — and make proactive changes. To accomplish these goals, internal teams like sales and management needed real-time visibility into rep activity and performance trends.

But tracking performance was difficult without looping in internal teams on every quote. And with requests coming in across multiple channels, it was nearly impossible to get a clear view of customer interactions. The team needed an innovative tool to quote quickly, log tasks and activities without friction, and support management and sales teams with proactive data.

And when Vooma approached Sunset, they presented the perfect solution.

“You can be really good at something and still have the humility to recognize that there’s always a better way. That’s where Vooma came in.”

Right away, Vooma’s AI-powered platform started automating key workflows based on Sunset’s standard operating procedures. Now, manual tasks like quoting, generating customer insights, and tracking activity are instantly handled — with no extra steps or complexity.

Because Vooma integrates directly with Sunset’s existing tools, reps don’t have to change their workflow. Using Vooma’s AI agent, reps complete tasks like quoting from a single screen.

“Quote emails are synthesized automatically,” John says. “Requests are run through the large language model for natural language processing as soon as they hit the server. By the time we open an email, freight rates have already been propagated.”

By automatically logging rep activity, Vooma also empowers teams to work faster while keeping everyone in the loop. Now, Sunset’s leadership has real-time, 360-degree insights into team performance and customer relationships.

With this visibility, management quickly spots high-level trends before they escalate — like changes in spot opportunities at specific shipper facilities or issues tied to outdated routing guides. Vooma also highlights the volume of spot opportunities generated through new contractual relationships, giving the team a clearer view of where growth is happening.

Plus, subtle shifts — like a dip in customer volume — now trigger timely outreach, allowing reps to step in early and keep relationships on track.

And with insights into response times and completed quote volume, the sales environment is even more accountable and data-driven. “We can now ask targeted questions to improve customer relationships,” John says. “If our response times dip, for example, sales staff can proactively create a plan to make it right.”

“We can’t waste time on clunky administrative processes. So, Vooma enabling us to reduce the average time per quote is a complete game-changer.”