Have AI call the carrier about a shipment stuck in customs

By the CallForMe team at Great Work LLC · Updated Oct 29, 2026 · 2 min read

Short answer: Give your agent the tracking or waybill number, the account number if you ship on one, and what you need. CallForMe calls the carrier, works the phone menu, waits on hold, and asks why the shipment is held, what document or payment releases it, who owns the case, and the case number. You get it all back in writing.

Add CallForMe to your agentTry a free demo call

$1 when someone answers, first 2 minutes included. Nothing if nobody picks up. Connecting asks for nothing.

"In transit" for a week, or "held at customs" with no explanation. The answer is almost always on the carrier's phone line, behind a menu and a hold. Your agent can make that call while you keep working.

What your agent does

1. plan_call checks what the carrier will ask for: the tracking or waybill number, your account number, the shipper or importer name.
2. place_call calls the carrier's customer service line:

{
  "phone": "+18005550123",
  "business_name": "Carrier customer service",
  "goal": "Find out why shipment 9671097494 is held in customs in Los Angeles and what is needed to release it. Get a named contact or team and a case number.",
  "on_behalf_of": "Sam Ortiz, owner of Ridgeline Goods LLC",
  "details": "Waybill 9671097494. Shipper account 967330277. Held at the Los Angeles gateway since October 19. We are the importer of record. Contents: 40 cotton shirts, commercial invoice value $1,850.",
  "questions": ["Why is it held?", "What document, form or payment releases it, and where do we send it?", "Who owns the case, and how do we reach them directly?", "What's the case or reference number?"],
  "constraints": "Don't agree to return or abandon the shipment. Don't pay anything on the call.",
  "callback_number": "+15035550100"
}

3. get_call follows it. If the agent on the line asks something you didn't include, the question reaches your agent while they wait.

Example result

Illustrative example: names, numbers and amounts are made up.

Your agent's summary: "Held for a product description and your tax ID. Reply to the clearance email with both and quote case CLR-448210."

Tips

• Have the waybill and account numbers ready. Carriers look shipments up by the tracking or waybill number, and account holders by account number.
• Say who you are on the shipment: shipper, recipient, or importer of record. It changes what they'll tell you.
• Ask for the case number every time. The next call goes faster when you can quote it.
• Use redial if the first agent couldn't help: the assistant is told what happened last time and asks for the right team.

What it costs

$1 per answered call, including the first 2 minutes, then 40 cents a minute, up to 30 minutes. Hold time counts. Calls nobody answers are free.

Related

• Let your AI agent make your small business's phone calls
• Phone menus and hold
• Hold and patch-in
• Check on an order's status

Questions