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OptivisCMS

Optivis CMSFeaturesPre-alerts

Pre-alerts your agents can act on, sent from the job.

Optivis CMS is a cargo management system (CMS) for freight forwarders. Write the pre-alert from the shipment's own details, attach its documents and send it to the agent or vendor, with every pre-alert kept on the job.

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A new pre-alert for shipment TYO-26-0202: suggested recipients from the job's vendors and parties, a subject with the MBL and route, and a message listing MBL, HBL, vessel, ETD, ETA and cargo

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Pre-alerts in Optivis CMS

The message is written from the shipment

New pre-alert fills in the subject and message from the job: the reference, MAWB and HAWB or MBL and HBL, vessel and voyage, route, ETD and ETA, packages, gross weight and volume. Change anything you like; Reset to template brings the standard wording back.

  • Recipients suggested from the vendors on each leg and the contacts of the job's parties
  • Add each one as To or CC, or type any address
  • Save it as a draft and come back to it
A pre-alert written from an air job: the subject and message carry the MAWB, HAWB, route, dates and cargo, and the house air waybill is attached

Documents uploaded once, attached with a tick

Upload the job's documents once (drag and drop PDFs, images and office files up to 20 MB), give them a category and choose whether the customer can see them. Attaching them to a pre-alert is a tick per document.

  • Upload a new version without losing the old one: the newest is the one people see, earlier ones are kept
  • Preview, download, rename or recategorise any document
  • Documents marked for the customer also appear on the tracking page
A shipment's documents: packing list (internal), commercial invoice and bill of lading version 2, both visible to the customer

A confirmation before sending, and a record after

Optivis CMS asks you to confirm the recipients and attachments before a pre-alert goes. Each one stays on the job as Draft, Sent or Failed, with its recipients, the time it was sent and the full message.

  • Sent through your own SMTP server if you add one, otherwise as "Your company via Optivis", with replies to your address
  • My work lists booked shipments that haven't had a pre-alert yet
  • Who can send pre-alerts is a permission in the roles editor
A sent pre-alert on a shipment: its subject, recipients, the time it was sent and the message

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Questions

What is a pre-alert?
A pre-alert is the message a forwarder sends to the destination agent or vendor before cargo arrives, with the transport references, dates, cargo details and documents they need to clear and deliver it.
Which address do pre-alerts come from?
Your own mail server, if you add its SMTP details in Settings. Otherwise they're sent by Optivis as "Your company via Optivis", and replies go to your company's e-mail address.
Can I send a pre-alert for one leg of a shipment?
Yes. A pre-alert can be linked to a leg and its vendor, and the recipient suggestions include the contacts of every vendor on the job's legs.
Will Optivis CMS remind me to send a pre-alert?
Yes. Booked shipments with no pre-alert sent appear under Needs attention today on My work.

Send a pre-alert from a real job

Create a shipment, upload its documents and send your first pre-alert in a few minutes.

Join the waitlistExplore the live demo

Early access opens soon: a 14-day free trial of Pro, no card needed