Logistics Company ABERG: “Sera AI brings us 75% of new contacts in Finland”

In the logistics sector, where competition is fierce and hundreds of carriers and freight forwarders operate in the market, reaching the right client is difficult. However, the Estonian company ABERG has found a solution to catch "big fish" with a small team. The company's founder and sales manager, Kaspar Soidla, reveals that today, artificial intelligence does the work that used to require entire sales departments – and often does it more boldly than a human.

Aberg has built its business so that the domestic market and exports go hand in hand. Today, more than half of the company's turnover comes from Finland. "We have been a service exporter from the very beginning. Although we are an Estonian company, we started working in Finland immediately," says Soidla.

Aberg started with time-critical shipments and special solutions. This involves situations where, for example, a critical part of a machine breaks in a factory, and the entire production line stops. "Same-day transport may be more expensive, but the cost of downtime is many times higher," explains Kaspar Soidla. Express deliveries have shaped the company's DNA: "Answers must be quick, processes precise, and communication clear," he explains.

Today, the company operates under two brands: Aberg Express, which focuses on express deliveries, and Aberg Europe, which offers full-service freight forwarding from road to sea and air transport.

The Sales Challenge: How to Stand Out from the Noise?

Although Soidla has nearly 20 years of experience in logistics and speaks fluent Finnish, finding new clients—the top of the sales funnel—was always the most time-consuming part. Logistics is a field with immense competition.

"You can have a very strong service, but the noise is so great that even if your service is better than average, you just don't stand out. Clients are bombarded with offers from morning to night. Previously, a huge amount of time was spent finding leads and testing messages. I was trying to reinvent the wheel – a very slow process," recalls Soidla.

The solution arrived in the form of agents from the Estonian startup Sera AI. Since Aberg was one of the very first test clients, the beginning was not without its bumps. "At first, I was skeptical. The AI robot was a bit too enthusiastic and caused some alienation. I communicated with the developers to tone it down. after that, the picture changed drastically," says Soidla.

"In October, I realized this was going to be big. Sera started feeding in so many high-quality leads that I had to start choosing who I had time to deal with. Currently, about 75% of new deals in the Finnish direction come via Sera AI."

The system is in place: AI sends out personalized, professional, and highly accurate native-language messages, where clients don't even realize they aren't initially communicating with a human.

AI is Bolder in Sales Than a Human

One of the most interesting aspects Soidla points out about AI is the machine's "courage." As humans, we tend to censor ourselves – we think that this or that corporation is too big, they won't even look at a smaller player like us.

"Sera doesn't get sick and doesn't have bad moods. But most importantly – it is bolder than me," laughs Soidla. "It writes to places I might not dare to approach myself."

This strategy has brought clients into Aberg's portfolio that they wouldn't have known to target themselves. "Just recently, a well-known Finnish sportswear brand and a large medical industry factory became our clients. It was an incredible story – Sera cast the line, we got a reply, made a quote, and started hauling. Sera has brought us clients whose turnover ranges from 0.5 to 30 million euros."

Finnish Business Culture: Trust Pays More Than Price

Although AI does the "dirty work" of finding contacts, the human role remains indispensable in closing the deal and maintaining the client relationship. This is where Aberg's strength comes into play: Finnish language skills and knowledge of local business culture.

"Finns are straightforward. They like unembellished and concrete communication, especially in crisis communication," explains Soidla. "If a Baltic carrier starts dodging, delaying answers, and lying to hide a mishap, the Finnish attitude is rather: if something happens, say it immediately. You can only deceive a Finn once."

Soidla emphasizes the difference between the Baltic and Nordic countries. "The Estonian client buys price; the Finn looks at the whole picture. While in the Baltics, a price quote is often just thrown out there, the Finn wants to see a full solution along with the price. They know how to value quality service better."

Sera AI agents work as door openers, but the relationship is built by a human. When a client replies to Sera's email, Soidla takes over the communication and carries it through to the end – to test shipments, meetings, and long-term cooperation.

AI Efficiency Keeps the Organization Lean

In the logistics business, margins are small, which means the organization must be as lean as possible. For Aberg, Sera AI essentially fills the role of an entire sales department, handling prospecting and initial communication.

"Sera fills the top of the sales funnel. Before, I spent a huge amount of time looking for leads; today, everything is on automation. I don't have to spend hours searching for contacts, but can focus on talking clients 'in' and maintaining existing relationships," says Kaspar.

Kaspar sees even greater potential in the future: "Sera is an assistant that enables a small team to achieve the results of big players."

An Estonian Company Can Win in Finland and Beyond

Aberg's experience confirms that Finland—and why not other export markets—does not require large sales departments, but rather precision, a solution-oriented attitude, and a smart technology partner.

"If you have a good service and you know who you are selling to, AI helps keep the sales funnel so full that even a small Estonian company stands out from the noise in Finland," says Soidla.

Aberg's story shows that artificial intelligence is not a magic wand for all problems, but a sales leverage that helps companies conquer foreign markets. And sometimes, to be bolder than a human.

If you plan to shift your company into a higher gear in the new year, learn more about Sera AI and the 6 agents that find and create new contacts → seraleads.com