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Delays in customs clearance are all too common in the supply chain, holding up customer orders and causing frustrating bottlenecks that resonate throughout the organization. You can only plan for so much.
Extreme weather and last-minute changes to shipping schedules can’t be accurately predicted either, but customs delays are often the most frustrating. Without a clear idea of when your goods will be released, you will have to re-plan deliveries (sometimes multiple times), communicate with the customer, and delay remuneration of your capital commitment.
Three Strategies to Ease the Negative Effects of Customs Clearance Delays
Though it is verging on impossible to eliminate these setbacks completely or speed up the process, there are ways to mitigate the damage, reduce stress, and optimize costs in the process.
Here are three of our top tips to help importing companies increase strength and agility while minimizing unnecessary costs and delays due to delayed customs clearance.
Be Prepared.
Have all your documents should be ready to go on time. Digitize the process, if possible. Manual processes are more cumbersome to manage, especially if further information is requested. Choose a platform or a partner that can help ensure all documentation, invoices, certificates of origin, and packing slips are submitted on time. When all documents are available at an early stage of the process, pre-customs clearance is enabled, and any issues can be resolved without undue delay.
Apply a Data-Driven Planning Approach.
Leveraging a data-based approach helps you make more accurate predictions about clearance delays, thus allowing you to determine optimal buffer times. This method reduces the “guesswork” that results from manual processes and will enable you to make determinations based on a) what’s happened in the past, and b) the probability that history will repeat itself.
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Enable Real-Time Insights.
Since you can’t predict every delay, having access to real-time data will allow you to respond immediately as the need presents itself. The faster you act, the more agile and fluid your supply chain operations become. A digital platform offers complete visibility into your global inventory, enabling the highest possible levels of control and governance and allowing you to make timely business decisions.
How DTS Helps
To achieve these three operational and organizational goals, you need to partner with an experienced freight forwarder. DTS World Cargo Services is a trusted expert in global supply chain operations. We leverage our expertise to help you better manage your international and cross-border shipping, giving you the support you need to deliver quality results, improve cash flow, and improve customer service from every possible standpoint.
DTS is a Full-Service International Freight Forwarder
Our team is well-versed with international customs, ensuring your clearance process is as easy and stress-free as possible. We apply a data-driven, technology-enabled approach to help you eliminate unnecessary costs, reduce unexpected customs delays, and avoid transportation rerouting complexities.
Reach out today to request a quote or call us directly to learn more about how we help.
