How the maritime and shipping industries leverages AI for email management

Managing a high volume of emails is often a burden for maritime teams. But artificial intelligence (AI) tools can help with inbox organisation, message prioritisation, workflow automation, and much more. In this blog, let’s take a closer look at what AI email management can do for streamlined maritime operations. 

Top use cases and features of an AI inbox management tool

An AI email manager can help you categorise and prioritise messages, reduce manual intervention, and enable data-driven decisions. With AI for email management, you get: 

1. Automated sorting and labeling

Maritime businesses receive a high volume of emails daily, including everything from supply requests to regulatory communications. Given the vastness and diversity of these messages, managing them manually is time-consuming and prone to errors. 

When trained with the right context, AI tools can recognise patterns and specific keywords in these communications and automatically sort these messages based on predefined criteria. For instance, by training an AI system to classify types of messages, it becomes easy to organize email by categories like “compliance” or “supply requisition.” The better and more relevant data used to train the AI model, the more accurate it will be. 

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2. Document management

Effective management of attachments is vital in maritime operations due to the wide range of documents exchanged, such as cargo manifests, customs forms and inspection certificates. AI automates the categorisation, organisation, and storage of these attachments, streamlining document retrieval for easy access and keeping your inbox organised. An AI inbox management solution can be used to extract data contained within attachments and route that data through to third party systems it’s integrated with. This removes manual workflow processes that improves user efficiency and business profitability.

3. Regulatory compliance

By using AI to manage emails, you can monitor the content of messages for compliance with regulatory standards. For example, minimising the risk of sharing controlled or restricted information. An AI email tool, like Sedna AI, can also organise emails that are flagged with personally identifiable information (PII), alongside the use of time-based deletion rules, to adhere to compliance and regulation rules. 

4. Data analysis and insights

Analysing communication patterns and content within emails and attachments can bring valuable insights into operational efficiency, client relationships, and potential areas for improvement. In fact, 98% of operations and supply chain organisations use data to drive their decisions, according to Dataiku. 

As mentioned earlier, AI can be used to auto-tag emails to improve filtering and visibility, and to automatically categorise messages, extract key information, and generate actionable insights, thus streamlining communication and aiding strategic decision-making. 

For instance, a company receiving numerous emails about weather conditions and port logistics could use AI to analyse your inbox and sort them into relevant categories with tags such as "Weather Alerts" or "Port Logistics." The AI then analyses the content for critical data, like changes in shipping routes due to weather disruptions or new port entry requirements. This approach not only enhances efficiency but also improves safety in maritime operations.

5. Instant search and real-time notifications

By leveraging artificial intelligence email management solutions help identify vital communications based on specific criteria such as sender, subject, or keywords and then send real-time notifications to ensure timely responses in critical situations. AI tools for email management enable a live search feature that quickly identifies and notifies you of critical emails related to specific regions, ports, or key contacts. 

For example, a maritime logistics company may need to track of changing conditions at various global ports. Using the live search feature, the company sets up real-time alerts for emails containing updates about specific ports. When a new email arrives with information about a sudden increase in congestion at a key port, the AI system immediately flags this to the relevant team. This allows the logistics planners to quickly adjust their shipping routes or schedules, avoiding delays and ensuring efficient operations. 

6. Third-party integrations

Integrating your email platform with third-party applications and systems contributes to a seamless flow of information. AI for email management help shipping companies automatically categorise and forward cargo manifest communications to the inventory management system, ensuring accurate and prompt updates of cargo data across systems. 

For instance, a powerful maritime integration is with a Voyage Management System (VMS). This partnership allows you to leverage and route data held in disparate platforms directly in your inbox, driving better visibility that leads to quicker action. This seamless integration facilitated by AI enhances operational efficiency by giving stakeholders real-time access to crucial information.

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7. Customisation and scalability

By customising their AI systems, business better meet their unique needs and scale as operations grow. So by tailoring your AI email system to specific roles within the company you ensure that each team member's inbox is optimised for their unique responsibilities. 

For instance, an operator in a shipping company might have their AI email manager configured to prioritise messages about vessel locations and operational statuses, while a charterer’s system prioritises contract negotiations and client communications.

This targeted approach to email management not only streamlines communication but also enhances the efficiency of different departments, aligning closely with the evolving needs of the business.

8. Cost reduction

AI greatly reduces the manual workload, allowing maritime companies to allocate resources more efficiently and cut down expenses. In fact, we found adoption of our AI-driven solution yields monthly savings of USD $1,522 per employee, totaling USD $18,274 annually, per a Sedna report.

For instance, a shipping logistics firm frequently exchanges documentation, such as bills of lading or customs paperwork, via online correspondence with clients and partners. By implementing an AI-powered email manager, the company could automate the categorisation and archiving of these documents, reducing the time employees spend on manual sorting and filing. Through this streamlined process, the company can reduce associated operational costs.

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The best AI email manager for maritime efficiency

Sedna AI leverages advanced technologies like natural language processing (NLP) and other machine learning techniques to automatically triage email by intelligently tagging and managing inbound messages, enabling a significant reduction in internal email volume. 

Additionally, our AI-driven solution for charterers - Pulse - sits on top of our email inbox, shortening the entire market analysis process by consolidating data from multiple systems into one space and displaying it in structured, deduplicated data lists - ready for analysis and further action.

Book a demo with Sedna to learn more about all our use cases of AI for email management.