Home I Introduction I Poetry I Literature Review I Methodology I Findings & Results I Implications I Conclusions

   Implications

            Beyond the scope of our findings, collectively as a team we recommend that Customs Brokers should consider the following guiding principles before exploring their digitalization options:

1.     Privacy and security issues with regards to undisclosed records and confidential company information that go along with becoming a more digitalized firm.  Customs Brokers must be able to protect confidential information.  Cargo-Lift has moved in this direction as they implement exclusive connections with their customers using EDI.  Calgary Customs Brokers tries to build an element of trust between itself and customers.  They do this by promoting themselves as a small organization that looks after their customers.  Cargo Expediters does not give potential customers any sense of security in dealing with them.

2.     The cost savings and service improvements must be quantifiable to compare with capital expenditures incurred implementing the IS/IT. 

3.     Must offer comparable services and prices to major competitors.  Calgary Customs Brokers Ltd emphasizes that they seek to obtain the lowest cost of duty for goods that it imports.  Cargo-Lift emphasizes that the use of their advanced EDI technology will save customers time that they can dedicate to other more important business issues.  Cargo Expediters need to find a way to communicate the value that a customer would receive by choosing them.

4.     Analyze the needs and wants of potential and current clients to provide satisfying service.  As a potential customer to all three websites, we felt that none of them provided enough information on the service processes they are able to provide. 

5.     Maintain the integrity of the website to ensure service quality is unaffected by tech problems.  Minimize site down-time.  Cargo-Lift was the only website with a link that did not work.  They claim to offer service in Spanish, but it appears that the Spanish translation of the website is still under construction.

6.     The goal is to eliminate paper transactions.  Cargo-Lift emphasizes that the use of their EDI technology will help eliminate paper transactions for customers.  Calgary Customs Brokers provides links to fill out documents online.  If Cargo Expediters wants to meet customer needs, helping them eliminate paper transactions is an essential step.

7.     Provide tech support for website and digital transactions either through detailed instructions/FAQ pages or a human support contact.  All three websites had a feature for contacting the organization.  Calgary Customs Brokers was the only one with a FAQ page, however, its main focus seemed to be on convincing potential customers that a small professional brokerage firm was a better option than a large corporation or using transportation companies that look after customs brokerage for free with shipment payment.

8.     Develop the infrastructure for clients to track/trace their cargo throughout the shipment process.  Calgary Customs Brokers and Cargo-Lift both seem to be moving in this direction.  Once you are hooked up to Cargo-Lift’s EDI technology, it provides tracking information.  Calgary Customs Brokers provides track/trace links to companies that it presumably works with on a regular basis.  Once again Cargo Expediters lacks in this capacity.

9.     Provide better service than before implementing IS/IT initiative.  We feel that the development of Cargo Expediters website has probably not changed the service that they offer at all.  It seems they built a website solely for the purpose of being online.  Calgary Customs Brokers has been able to provide better service because they receive more of their documents digitally, helping eliminate paperwork.  Cargo-Lift’s EDI technology puts them in direct contact with customers and transporters, allowing for easier transition of data, as well as up-to-date tracking information.

10. Maintain accurate/detailed records of customer shipping data to further improve customer service quality.  Cargo Expediters, well, what can we say, there is no evidence of them maintaining detailed records.  Cargo-Lift uses detailed records to help eliminate repeatable service processes with each new transaction.

            Through our research on these companies, we believe that customs brokers that do not follow the trend of increased digitalization will quickly fall behind their competitors in the market.  Customers of third party logistics carriers and customs brokers desire quicker and easier service transactions, as well as a full range of support services.  The internet and related IS/IT enables customs brokers to provide the quality of service desired at the price that is demanded.  Canadian Customs Brokerage as an industry can not escape the revolution that is the internet and the demands that accompany it.