Kolnak

Kolank is an AI agent designed specifically for freight brokers, aimed at automating the repetitive, around-the-clock back-office work in freight brokerage while preserving the user's control over key decisions.

Purpose

Kolank is positioned to replace the back-office team of freight brokers, handling a large volume of repetitive, cross-channel communication and paperwork. The freight industry still relies on email, group chats, and spreadsheets to operate, with each shipment generating an average of 4 to 6 hours of tedious work, including quoting, carrier vetting, tracking, updates to the TMS, and more. Kolank automates this work so that brokers can focus on deals and customer relationships.

Main Capabilities

1. Unified message thread: Aggregates all emails, WhatsApp, and Telegram messages about the same shipment into a single thread, organized by shipment, to avoid information being scattered.
2. Automatic reply drafting: After reading each message, automatically drafts quotes, rate confirmations (rate con), and carrier replies. Ordinary status updates can be sent on their own after the user enables auto-send, but any action involving quotes, rate confirmations, bookings, or invoices must wait for human approval.
3. Carrier vetting: Automatically checks a carrier's authority, insurance, and CSA records, and flags anomalies, such as a mismatch between the CDL and the signer of the rate confirmation, the use of paper placards instead of permanent markings, cold outreach from free email accounts, and more, in order to identify double-broker risk.
4. Quoting and matching: Generates draft rates within seconds based on market awareness, and matches suitable carriers to lanes. The user sets the profit margin, and Kolank does the groundwork.
5. Shipment tracking and check calls: Proactively tracks ETAs, monitors delays, and drafts customer status updates, reducing brokers' check calls throughout the day.
6. TMS updates: Extracts shipment details from emails and documents and automatically enters them into the system, with no copy-pasting or manual entry of ZIP codes, avoiding errors.
7. Invoicing and document handling: Reads PODs, BOLs, and invoices, files them under the corresponding shipment, and flags mismatches.
8. Runs around the clock: Messages at 2 a.m. are also processed before the user gets up.

How to Use

Kolank is integrated into the workflow through the following steps:

1. Connect the inbox: Connect Gmail, Outlook, and chat apps to a unified platform, with each shipment automaticallyBecome an independent thread, containing all messages and files.
2. Agent processes shipments: Reads each message, researches rates, vets carriers, then drafts replies (quotes or rate confirmations).
3. User approves key items: Rate confirmations or bookings always wait for user approval; ordinary replies can be sent automatically once the user allows it.
4. Records stay up to date: Booked shipments, status updates, and documents automatically enter the user's TMS, with no re-entry required.

Use cases

Kolank is aimed at freight brokers and brokerage companies. Whether an independent broker or a team replacing an offshore back-office team, both can use the same agent. It is not suitable for shippers or carriers.

Limitations and safety

• By default, all drafts wait for user approval; auto-send is optional and is limited to sending routine replies to contacts already in the conversation.
• Any action involving committed funds (quotes, rate confirmations, bookings, invoices) always requires human approval, with no exceptions.
• Each brokerage company's data is isolated in a separate workspace and encrypted in transit and at rest.
• Users can switch back to fully manual mode at any time.

Background

Kolank was built based on reading the complete archive of an operating brokerage company: 22 real shipments, with every email from first inquiry to invoice, rate confirmations, BOLs, and PODs read end to end. The pain points it targets come directly from these shipments, such as one shipment spread across three email chains, carrier messages at 3 a.m., manual vetting, POD collection, and more.