Connaught Air Services

Having worked with ASM for many years, David Irwin and Paul Simms of Connaught Air Services, discuss that relationship and the benefits Sequoia brings to their business.

Irwin states: “We went with Sequoia with the future in mind, we’re a relatively small company and wanted a long term solution that would integrate with us going forward.”

Simms comments: “We were happy with GeMS but when ASM gave us an overview of Sequoia, there was a clear fit with our plans. Operationally, Sequoia is a solution I can see working for us now, and looking at the bigger picture, give us opportunity to expand. Admittedly, right now we’re not using it to its full capacity but it’s what Sequoia will do for us in the future that’s important.

“The feedback from my team is positive - Sequoia is intuitive and makes it easier to create files and jobs. The transition from GeMS to Sequoia was seamless, the team received a comprehensive run through Sequoia at ASM, however if you’re familiar with GeMS, you only need minimal training before you can use Sequoia with confidence.”

From Irwin’s perspective, a key benefit with Sequoia is the ability to enable Connaught Air Services to complete port clearances directly from their offices:

“Sequoia gives us overall control of our clients’ business, and importantly gives us the flexibility to talk to and integrate with other systems.”

Irwin also observes: “ASM are exceptionally proactive and ready to ‘jump on’ remote support and help solve any issues, which creates an important level of confidence. ASM are also good at solving problems, you can rely on them to come back with an answer, even in cases where it might not be their remit. Some companies I’ve dealt with distance themselves from problems or push them onto someone else, but experience proves that ASM will take ownership of an issue".

"The key word with Sequoia is reliability - you know it’s going to work,” Simms confirms. “My experience of third-party systems is not great, however our positive experiences with ASM made Sequoia the logical solution. They are specialists, when you work with people whose core business is focused on customs clearance you avoid half-baked solutions.”

Irwin closes: “It may sound clichéd but ASM are simply decent people to work with and that counts for a lot. They’re personable as well as dependable – after all, why do business with people you don’t like?"