The logistics and transportation industry moves quickly, but it hasn’t always been the fastest to...
Most teams hear “intent data” and immediately think new logos. Fresh pipeline. Net-new accounts. The thrill of the chase.
That’s fair. New business is great. It’s also the part of the job that makes your calendar look like a crime scene.
But there’s a quieter, often more valuable use for intent signals that doesn’t get talked about enough:
Monitoring accounts you already care about.
Your current customers. Your top prospects. The “we’re 80% of the way there” accounts. The ones that would hurt if you lost them, and would change your year if you won them.
Because here’s the uncomfortable truth: you rarely find out a customer is shopping until it’s basically too late.
They don’t call to announce, “Hey, quick heads up, we’re getting quotes from three other brokers this week.” They don’t send a calendar invite titled ‘Betrayal, Q1 Edition’.
They just… start looking.
And when they start looking, they leave clues.
The problem with account management today: you’re flying blind
Most account monitoring is reactive. You get told something happened after it happened:
-
Volume drops and you discover it in your weekly numbers
-
Ops mentions “they’re testing someone else on a few loads”
-
You get an RFP invite and realize you’re in a bake-off
-
A lane quietly shifts to a competitor and you hear about it in a post-mortem
Even if you have great relationships, you’re still human. You can’t be on every call, catch every hint, and read every internal email thread.
What you can do is watch for behavioral signals that indicate something is changing.
What “account monitoring” looks like in intent data
In the follow-up call, the key idea was simple: you can track by company name and get alerted when those companies show up searching.
That matters because intent signals are often the first observable sign of:
-
A new lane you’re not currently handling
-
A service requirement you don’t currently provide
-
A performance issue with an incumbent carrier or broker
-
A mini-bid or annual bid process starting quietly
-
A new facility, DC, or customer driving new freight patterns
In other words, intent data can act like an early warning system.
Not a crystal ball. Not mind-reading. Just a practical alert that your account is doing research.
What signals are worth watching
If you’re tracking a named account, not all activity is equal. The signals that matter most are the ones that suggest real evaluation, not casual browsing.
Here’s a simple way to think about it:
High intent
-
They viewed your specific profile and clicked contact info
-
They searched a specific equipment type in a specific market
-
They used specialized services filters (liftgate, hazmat, temp-controlled, etc.)
-
They repeated searches over multiple days
Medium intent
-
Broad searches by location without filters
-
A single session with a couple page views
Low intent
-
One-off visits that don’t include carrier searches
The play isn’t to jump on every blip like it’s a five-alarm fire. The play is to notice patterns and respond intelligently.
Why this is more valuable than “net-new intent” for many teams
Net-new intent is exciting, but it’s also messy. You’re often reaching out cold, competing with other brokers, and trying to earn trust from scratch.
Account monitoring is different. You already have context. You already have some relationship leverage, even if it’s just familiarity.
And the ROI can be immediate:
-
Prevent churn
-
Expand wallet share
-
Get invited into a bid before it’s public
-
Win a new lane before someone else even knows it exists
If your top 20 accounts drive the bulk of your revenue and margin, then keeping and expanding those accounts often beats hunting 200 random logos.
The “proactive expansion” script (without sounding creepy)
The biggest worry reps have is, “How do I bring this up without sounding like I’m spying?”
Easy. Don’t make it weird.
You don’t have to say, “I saw you searching for reefer carriers in El Paso at 10:12 AM.”
You can say:
-
“Wanted to check in. Are any lanes changing this quarter or any new facilities coming online?”
-
“We’ve seen a few shippers in your space tightening capacity strategies. Are you doing any network changes or mini-bids?”
-
“If you’re adding new lanes or reviewing providers, I’d love to make sure we’re covering everything you need. Want to do a quick lane/requirements check?”
The goal is to create a natural opening for them to confirm what’s happening.
If they say “No,” you’ve still done the right thing. You reminded them you’re engaged and proactive. If they say “Actually yes…,” you just pulled forward a conversation that normally happens after you’ve already lost volume.
A simple workflow your team can implement this week
You don’t need a massive rollout. Start small:
-
Pick 25–50 accounts to monitor
-
Top customers by margin, not just revenue
-
“Almost closed” prospects
-
Accounts with known volatility or upcoming contract renewals
-
-
Define routing rules
-
If it’s a high-intent signal, notify the account owner immediately (Teams/Slack + CRM task)
-
If it’s medium intent, bundle into a daily digest
-
If it’s low intent, log it, but don’t distract the rep
-
-
Create a standard response playbook
-
One email template for “check-in + lane changes”
-
One call talk track for “network review”
-
One escalation rule for “this looks like a bid event”
-
-
Track one metric
-
“Expansions + saves influenced by monitoring”
-
Even if it’s directional at first, you’ll quickly see if it’s paying off
-
The real secret: you’re not just monitoring accounts, you’re monitoring risk
In freight, churn rarely starts with a breakup text. It starts with curiosity.
A customer gets curious. They look around. They test someone. Then your volumes slide and you’re left asking, “When did this happen?”
Account monitoring helps you catch curiosity earlier, while you still have time to steer the story.
And that’s the point.
Intent data isn’t just a hunting rifle.
Sometimes it’s the smoke detector that keeps your house from burning down.
