CASE STUDY
AI MEANS THEY’ RE NOW CONSISTENTLY ABLE TO APPLY THEIR INTELLIGENCE, ADDING VALUE AND REALLY SUPPORTING CUSTOMER NUANCES AS AI DOES THE DONKEY WORK.
industries agreeing that AI could change the game in terms of efficiency and capacity challenges – 27 % of respondents to the same 2024 CSG Strategic Radar Customer Survey also viewed AI as a potential risk. Trade compliance and customs regulations can prove incredibly complex and are continually evolving – heightening this threat. This highlighted the importance of maintaining oversight by qualified human expertise when introducing any kind of AI into customs.
A strong solution
AI has the potential to dramatically accelerate document processing. Yet, any errors could have serious consequences, from shipment delays and demurrage to non-compliance fines and detention. Customs Support Group therefore wanted to get things right, introducing technologies that allowed it to process dozens of documents – in various formats and quality – quickly, whilst leaving the customs clearance decisions and other significant actions to its team of qualified humans. AI is used to automate data entry within the documents, then a customs declarant reviews the input, applying deep expertise and judgement. Only then can declarations be signed off and submitted to the authorities.
Unprecedented results
Thanks to the changes made, what once took a human declarant hours to complete now takes just a fraction of the time, with Customs Support Group hoping to boost its overall efficiency by up to 50 % in 2025 as a result.
“ Initially, our agents felt nervous,” Featherstone said, explaining that“ when people see tech come in and work 50 % faster, they automatically assume that we will need less people. This couldn’ t be further from the truth. Our efficiency savings have actually improved career satisfaction, as people can now focus on the interesting jobs, whilst the company overall gains profit because it is able to do much more work.”
Indeed, beyond speedier declarations for customers, the switch to Intelligent Document Processing( IDP) empowers existing Customs Support staff to contribute greater value through Real Intelligence, such as optimising duty management to help reduce the financial impact of constantly evolving global trade tariffs. Equally, a customs agent might use
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