Increase Output by 1200% with Accurate Document Management
For a Canadian customs brokerage and transport firm.
The company is a big name in the Canadian logistics and transport industry. Established in 1950, the company provides customs solutions to import and export businesses. Over the years, the company has expanded its businesses across North America. Currently, the company has more than 40 branches spread across different areas in the North American continent.
Problem Areas
The company was continuously searching for a partnering agency that could handle its document management process. Due to rapid expansion and growth in business, the company has continuously neglected the document aspect. But now, it wanted to have a smooth digital document management system to process all customs data online. But developing that system needs support from outsourcing partners so the company was doing that.
Importance of Document Management for Customs Brokerage Firms
Generally, customs brokerage companies have to deal with different documents in regular operations. From tax details to customs clearance, these brokerage companies manage everything. Some companies in the past have utilized digital methods to manage documents. These businesses are now successful and they are still continuing to use the same methods. However, custom brokerage firms that are facing the document management process must ask for help from outsourcing experts.
Managing customs files as documents also included many differences from regular documents. Custom files must be sent accurately without any error to the customs authorities for approval. Therefore, customs brokerage firms need to have some experts who can manage their documents with accurate measures. Interestingly, with the help of an expert document management process, customs brokerage firms can save costs up to 50% to 60%.
Challenges He Faced
Before approaching us, our client has been facing some serious challenges in managing their documents. Here’s the list of challenges that our client has faced continuously for about one year since we took over the process.
Burden in Processing
To clear customs, customs brokerage firms have to fill out the B3 form for a specific reason. This form helps to transmit accounting documents via CADEX (Customs Automated Data Exchange) to the CBSA (Canada Border Service Agency). However, our client has significantly failed to manage the B3 form efficiently due to heavy pressures. The internal team was handling the process and it became very hectic for them to manage the files within time.
Quality Management Issues
The internal team was making significant mistakes in maintaining the quality of the document. They did not apply all the latest technology to maintain the quality of the service. Along with that, inefficient data management staff also did not prepare a separate catalog for the document. As a result, the document retrieval process became very tough and time-consuming.
Dealy in Turnaround
Over a period of one and half years, the company has lost many clients and the biggest reason was delay. Due to inefficient planning and document management processes, turnaround time has been increased. In some cases, the company has also paid penalties for submitting customs files late. Thus, it has created a major issue in the client’s business and damaged its reputation.
Hampering Productivity
The company always wanted to improve the productivity of its services so they implemented various processes. However, it has missed the main area, which is the document management procedure. They mostly relied on the in-house team for all data verification and management tasks, which has hampered overall productivity.
Custom Solution from AskDataEntry
Since 2021 till now, we have been handling the document management process of this client. In the beginning, we have addressed all the issues that the client was facing. Later on, we implemented all our latest additions to data management services. After the initial communication with the client, we have started deploying our solutions to address all issues. To fight all challenges, we have taken a systematic approach to our document management process.
Identifying Desired Outcome
We initiated the process by identifying the desired outcome first. For this calculator, we have considered the estimated time that we need to process all data and compared deadlines. Note that, we have prioritized the client’s needs at the top and applied different methods to calculate it. Also, we have applied different approaches to ensure online reporting and monitoring of all data. Plus, we deployed strong security measures to ensure the safety of the customs data.
Reducing Document Processing Time
Understanding the requirements of the client has immensely helped us to reduce document processing time. The internal team of our client usually took 2 weeks to finish the data processing task. Whereas, we only demanded 24 hours for processing all customs-related documents. However, we never have compromised the quality of the document processing services. Interestingly, we have drastically increased the accuracy rate of the document management system by manifolds. Note that, we have increased the output of the operation by 1200% over 4 years of our operation.
Accurate Data Entry and Digital Submission
We stressed more about creating an online database for quick data reporting and retrieval processes. Our client has also agreed to our proposal so thus we have started implementing the process. In the online database, we have recorded all certificate numbers issued by different authorities and uploaded the scanned documents there. Therefore, it helped the client to get all data in real-time and make the process faster.
Besides that, we have implemented our best practices of data entry to complete all customs forms, especially B3. Also, we have gained expertise in recording all invoice numbers, export-import information, shipment dates, and other vital information. Handling all data became super easy for us because of our excellent team members. We distributed the work into different groups to quickly finish the project.
John S Jorge
Trusting AskDataEntry has been a complete game-changer for us. We have never thought that we could ever have a service that keeps its promise exactly as it is. AskDataEntry’s data management service is quick and efficient when it comes to handling customs needs. We are very happy and sorted with AskDataEntry.
