IJS Global
Peter Venner, Regional Director (South) IJS Global UK Ltd., talks about working with ASM, changing from GeMS to Sequoia and ASM’s support services.
“We have been working with ASM for some considerable time, something in excess of 15 years, which must prove that we are a satisfied customer. Up until last year we worked with them on the GeMS system before we decided to migrate all our branches to the Sequoia customs clearance platform for both our import and export needs. Currently, we have Sequoia installed across our UK branches in London Heathrow, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow.
“We made the decision to move to Sequoia after attending an ASM seminar where the benefits were presented. Following a period of evaluation, with the competitively priced package and the advantages on offer, our Head of IT in the Netherlands approved the migration at the tail-end of 2014.
“The migration to Sequoia was smooth and problem free. Often, software suppliers promise problem-free migration but the reality is sometimes different. With ASM and Sequoia everything was delivered as promised and the entire process worked as expected.
"To ensure the switchover was problem-free, ASM provided us with both online and in-house training before we went live.
“From the start, we received a positive reaction from our branches on Sequoia’s intuitive operation. It’s easy to use and certainly user-friendly, not that GeMS wasn’t but Sequoia had made many of the processes faster and easier. The feedback from our teams complemented Sequoia’s performance and ASM’s support, across the board we’ve had no complaints at all.
“Customer support must be available whenever it’s needed, not simply when the supplier wants to provide it. The ASM Help Desk is a true 24x7x365 operation that’s always responsive and deals with issues quickly and efficiently. It’s easy to see why ASM has such an enviable customer support reputation.
“Another advantage of ASM is their strong track record in the industry. You’re dealing with people who know what they’re talking about. That’s important. A software supplier must understand the software of course, however, they must also understand the industry they serve.
ASM know where the ‘pain points’ are in the freight forwarding industry, which is why Sequoia provides the service we need for our customers. Any issues inevitably reflect on the logistics provider and that’s why we rely on Sequoia - when our customers are happy, so are we.
“Sequoia has never let us down and it works well with our own systems. We have complete faith in its reliability and in ASM. I have worked in this industry a long time and with experience of other customs clearance software, I would not consider another system in place of Sequoia.”
