Get started fast

From install to first booking
in under 5 minutes.

Watch the walkthrough or follow the written guide below — no logistics software experience required.

New to Navis N4?

Learn what Navis N4 is and how Booking Buddy automates the pre-advise workflow.

Navis N4 explained →

Step-by-step guide

Follow these six steps to have Booking Buddy running in your environment.

  1. Download & Install

    Download the Booking Buddy installer from the Downloads page and run it on Windows 10 or 11. Installation takes under two minutes — no configuration wizard needed.

  2. Enter Your N4 Credentials

    Open Booking Buddy and enter your Navis N4 terminal URL, username, and password. Credentials are stored locally and encrypted — they never leave your machine.

  3. Import Your Container List

    Paste a list of container IDs directly or upload a CSV. Booking Buddy accepts any delimiter and auto-maps common column headers like CONTAINER_ID, BOOKING_REF, and GATE_DATE.

  4. Run Auto Pre-Advise

    Hit 'Run' and watch Booking Buddy submit every container to the terminal in seconds. Carrier Mode is set to Truck automatically. Errors are flagged and isolated — the rest continue.

  5. Enable Slot Hunter

    Toggle on Slot Hunter, set your rebook criteria (e.g. 'find me anything 2+ days earlier'), and minimise Booking Buddy to the system tray. It will notify you when it rebooks.

  6. Review & Export

    When the run completes, review the status dashboard. Every successful booking, retry, and failure is logged. Export the report as CSV for compliance or handover.

Ready to try it?

Download Booking Buddy and follow along with the guide above.