of shipment cancellations handled automatically by Chip
of all incoming questions resolved automatically by Chip
reduction in incoming support emails since Chip went live
CheapCargo is a digital freight forwarder and comparison platform where businesses can book shipments with multiple carrier partners. From small packages to full containers, from documents to pallets, they handle it all. Founded by André 18 years ago, the company has grown to 30 employees with operations in the Netherlands, Belgium, and since 2026, Germany. Their platform connects customers with the right carrier at the right price, whether it's a next-day delivery to Spain or a container shipment from China.
As CheapCargo's platform grew across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, so did the operational load on their customer service team. Routine requests were piling up, each one requiring agents to navigate multiple systems and coordinate across teams before a customer could get an answer. Response times were under pressure, and the capacity to scale was limited.
By introducing an AI colleague named Chip, CheapCargo now handles these interactions automatically across channels. Routine requests are resolved instantly, agents are freed up for the cases that genuinely require expertise, and the business has the foundation it needs to grow across Europe without scaling headcount at the same pace.
CheapCargo had been using Zendesk for customer service, but ran into limitations around service quality and system flexibility. After switching to Mobile Service Cloud three years ago, the team gained better control over ticket management and added telephony. But the volume of repetitive questions kept growing.
As CheapCargo expanded its operations, the number of customer interactions grew steadily alongside the business. A significant share of these were repetitive, process-driven requests that followed predictable patterns but still required agents to manually coordinate across systems and departments to resolve them. Each individual request might only take a few minutes, but the accumulated volume created constant pressure on the team throughout the day.
At the same time, CheapCargo had clear ambitions to grow further across Europe. Director André Olde Hampsink knew that simply adding more people to handle operational volume was not a sustainable path. His team's real value lay in their knowledge and expertise, and he wanted them focused on the complex logistics challenges where that expertise actually makes a difference. What CheapCargo needed was a way to absorb routine interactions intelligently, so the team could do more without being held back by the operational load.
We realized that a large part of our customer service workload consisted of repetitive operational tasks. Those processes are necessary, but they don’t require human expertise. Our goal was to automate that work so our team could focus on solving real logistics challenges for our customers.
Director of CheapCargo.com
When André attended a CM.com conference in late 2025, he came away convinced that HALO could fundamentally change how CheapCargo scales. Working with their internal development team and support from CM.com, they built the first agent in 3 to 4 weeks. The focus was on the highest-volume, most repetitive task: shipment cancellations.
The agent, named Chip, was deployed on the CheapCargo website. Customers interact with it directly through chat. Behind the scenes, Chip connects to CheapCargo's systems and the carrier APIs to execute the full cancellation process without any human input.
CheapCargo also hired a dedicated AI specialist to build new agents, monitor performance, and identify automation opportunities across the business. What started as an experiment has become a core part of how the business operates.
The Cancellation Agent handles the full workflow when a customer requests to cancel a shipment. It removes the shipment from CheapCargo's system, cancels the pickup with the carrier, and triggers a credit note in finance. What used to take 2 to 3 minutes of manual work across two departments now happens in seconds.
95% of cancellation requests are now handled fully automatically. The remaining 5% require human input for edge cases or exceptions.
Verifies the cancellation request and customer identity
Removes the shipment from CheapCargo's internal system
Cancels the pickup order with the carrier via API
Triggers automatic credit note generation in finance
When a shipment has not been collected, customers can ask Chip to arrange a new pickup date. Based on the service level of the carrier for that specific shipment, Chip suggests available dates and processes the chosen option directly in CheapCargo's system, which automatically informs the carrier.
Presents available pickup dates based on carrier service level
Processes the chosen date directly in CheapCargo's system
Carrier is informed automatically through the system update
No manual steps between customer request and confirmation
Chip doesn’t replace CheapCargo’s customer service team, it supports them. Routine operational requests such as shipment cancellations, pickup updates, or tracking questions are handled automatically, so agents can focus on more complex logistics challenges that require expertise and judgement.
When a case does require human involvement, Chip ensures agents receive the full context so they can continue the conversation without losing time on background research.
Resolves repetitive operational requests before they reach support
Retrieves shipment and booking information automatically
Passes full context to agents when escalation is required
Allows the team to focus on complex logistics questions
The results speak for themselves.
of cancellation requests fully automated by Chip
of all incoming customer questions resolved by Chip
of shipment status requests answered automatically
cancellations handled by Chip daily 2-3 min saved per case.
By introducing Chip with HALO, CheapCargo automated several operational workflows that previously required manual coordination between teams and carriers. Requests such as shipment cancellations, pickup rescheduling, and shipment status updates can now be handled instantly.
This significantly reduces repetitive operational work for the support team. Instead of spending time on administrative tasks, agents can focus on complex logistics questions and customer situations that require expertise and judgement.
CheapCargo’s journey with AI started gradually. After first using AI-assisted reply suggestions in Mobile Service Cloud, the team discovered the broader possibilities of HALO during a CM.com conference.
Working together with their own development team and CM.com specialists, the first HALO agents were built and deployed within just a few weeks. Because the setup proved accessible and the impact was immediately visible, the team quickly gained confidence in expanding automation further.
What started as exploring AI capabilities soon evolved into ownership, with new workflows continuously being added and even a dedicated internal AI specialist appointed to further develop CheapCargo’s AI strategy.
André sees Chip as the key to scaling internationally without the usual barriers of hiring, training and language. With operations now running in Germany, the next step is supporting German-speaking customers through Chip, without needing a large local team behind it. Areas currently being explored include:
Voice automation for inbound customer calls
WhatsApp as an additional channel for customers to interact with Chip
Enabling customers to add shipments directly to their cart via Chip, with the integration currently being finalized
Rebuilding the platform to give Chip direct access to all operational knowledge
Expanding automation to additional logistics workflows
“We’re only at the beginning of what we can automate. The goal is not to replace people, but to remove repetitive work so our team can focus on the complex logistics questions that really matter for our customers.”
André Olde Hampsink, Director of CheapCargo.com
Andre: “The biggest lesson for us was that AI doesn’t have to be complex. Once you start automating a few repetitive processes, your team quickly sees how much time it can save.”
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