Client
Customs brokerage
Industry
Customs Brokerage
Timeline
Shipment and document views first
Key takeaway
Clients see what is moving, what is missing, and what is unpaid without waiting on a status email.
A customs brokerage serving importers was spending skilled time on questions that had a factual answer: where the cargo is, which milestone it has passed, which document is on file, and which invoice is open. Those answers existed. They were just not in front of the client. We built a client portal that puts active shipments, clearance milestones, documents, notifications, and billing in one account, and leaves the service team on the exceptions.
The challenge
Every active import generated its own thread. A client wanted arrival, then a document, then an invoice balance, and each answer took a person who could have been clearing the next file. Required documents and overdue balances were easy to miss when they lived outside the shipment the client was actually watching. The brokerage could not scale that follow-up with headcount and still keep the work on the shipments that needed a broker.
Status without the story
A reference number was not enough. Clients needed to know whether cargo was in transit, filed, under review, or cleared.
Documents detached from the file
Paperwork was requested and sent beside the shipment, so the document and the cargo were two conversations.
Balances discovered late
Invoice history and overdue amounts were not sitting next to the shipment, so payment lagged the cargo.
What we built
An importer opens one account and sees active shipments, the route and mode, expected arrival, and the milestone the file is in. Documents for that shipment can be reviewed or added there. Invoices, open balances, and payment status are in the same account, with a direct way to request a quote or reach the service team when the portal is not the right answer.
- A client view of active shipments, route, mode, expected arrival, and current status
- Milestone tracking through clearance and delivery
- Notifications when a status changes or something needs the client
- Documents kept on the shipment they belong to, including a way to add what is missing
- Invoice history, open balances, and payment status
- A path to request a quote or contact the service team from the same account
Before & after
Before
- Clients checked progress through a person at the brokerage
- Document requests were a separate thread from the shipment update
- Open and overdue invoices were not shown next to the cargo they belonged to
After
- Clients review status, mode, and expected arrival in their own account
- Documents are attached to the shipment they support
- Invoice history, balances, and payment status are visible in the same portal
Built with
Our approach
01
Audit
We listed the questions clients asked every week about progress, documents, and invoices.
02
Build
We designed the account around those questions, across air, ocean, and ground.
03
Pilot
We checked the views against realistic shipment, document, and billing situations before opening them to clients.
04
Support
We refine the portal as the questions clients ask, and the services behind them, change.
Frequently asked questions
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