Case Study: Import & Export Compliance - More Than a Project, It’s a Journey.
At Bethan Customs Consultancy, we often hear the same concerns from businesses trying to manage their imports and exports.
Freight documents can feel like an indecipherable string of numbers and letters, and many companies aren’t sure what to do with them once they arrive. We hear reports such as MSS/CDS are filed away without context or understanding, which leave businesses exposed to risks they may not even realise exist.
This was exactly the situation one of our clients faced! They asked us to step in on a project basis to review a full year of their import and export activity ( from January to December 2024); and what started as a one-off project became a valuable partnership that delivered clarity, confidence, and capability across their organisation.
Our work began with the foundations:
Data collection and reconciliation - gathering all import and export documentation from freight agents
Compliance checks - reviewing customs entries against our compliance criteria
Import and Export Register – building a clear, year-long record for easy reconciliation
Insights - identifying anomalies and highlighting trends
But the real value came in what followed! Each month, we gave the management team the tools to make compliance part of their everyday decision-making:
Summary reports to show exactly where the business stood
Tailored video explainers, helping to translate compliance issues into plain English
Board-level talking points to ensure all leaders could act with confidence
And we didn’t stop there. Together, we developed a tailored training programme, empowering the wider team to build a knowledge bank and shaped new processes to make sure that we embedded compliance into everyday operations.
The outcomes were clear:
Compliance confidence - everything stood up to HMRC scrutiny
Clarity for management - no more filing data away without context
Continuous improvement - findings turned into actions
Empowered people - training and processes that gave the team control
Reassurance - with #TeamBethan as a safety net, support was always close by
For us, compliance is never just about ticking boxes or finishing a project. It’s a journey we take with our clients; breaking down barriers, building confidence, and providing ongoing support.
When customs becomes clear, businesses don’t just meet requirements; they thrive.
