Frequently asked questions
Is SmartBorder a modular system?
Does SmartBorder develop Freight Software?
Does SmartBorder support EDI?
Will you travel to our offices or will this be a remote demo?
What are the hardware requirements to run your application?
Will I have to purchase and maintain special equipment to run SmartBorder?
Is there software to install? And if so, who will do the install?
What are the start-up costs?
Is there a monthly maintenance fee for users?
What methods of training are used?
What are my costs for training?
How does your customer support system work?
How often do updates come out and what are the costs associated with the updates?
What is SmartBorder doing to comply with upcoming Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initiatives such as ACE ESAR and ISF?
What does "customization" mean?
Why would I need to customize?
Is SmartBorder more focused on northern border transactions vs. air/sea clearances?
What size of brokers use SmartBorder?
What happens if there's a disruption in service such as an equipment or internet failure? Will I lose data?
Can I have daily backups of my files sent to my office?
Who will have access to my data?
Will I outgrow SmartBorder's capabilities?
Q: Is SmartBorder a modular system?
A: No. The base SmartBorder package includes all
of the components that you need to be competitive. There is no
additional cost for things like RLF, web tracking, billing and email
notifications.
Q: Does SmartBorder develop Freight
Software?
A: No. SmartBorder specializes in ABI and
compliance software, and focuses all of its efforts on providing a
true, "best-of-breed" application. Our customers choose SmartBorder because they realize it will have the
most significant impact on employee productivity and customer
service, while being fully able to integrate with their existing
accounting and logistics applications.
Q: Does
SmartBorder support EDI?
A: Yes. There are several tools
within SmartBorder that facilitate EDI, as well as the option for us
to create unique links to your freight, inventory, ERP and other systems.
Back to top
Q: Will you travel to our offices or will this
be a remote demo?
A: To keep our software moderately
priced, we perform our initial software demonstration over the
internet. We have had great success with GoToMeeting for our remote demonstrations. It also gives us
the ability to perform our demonstrations to multiple locations at
the same time.
Q: What are the hardware requirements
to run your application?
A: Generally speaking, if you
have Windows 2003, XP or Vista running, you will have at least met
our minimum requirements. For more specific requirements, please
visit our software requirements page.
Q: Will I have to purchase and maintain
special equipment to run SmartBorder?
A: No. SmartBorder
runs on our servers. All you are required to have is a PC with an
internet connection.
Back to top
Q: Is there software to install?
And if so, who will do the install?
A: When logging into
SmartBorder the first time, the system automatically installs all
required software. Future upgrades are installed automatically
whenever you log in. Your version of SmartBorder is always the most
up-to-date.
Q: What are the start-up
costs?
A: The start-up costs for the SmartBorder
application include a small, one-time licensing fee that covers the
technical set up from our end, getting you registered with Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
and initial support and training.
Q: Is there a
monthly maintenance fee for users?
A: SmartBorder's
billing model is a pay-per-use system. Your fees are based on the
number of transactions you make.
Back to top
Q: What methods of
training are used?
A: Our expert training staff offer
both personalized on-site and online training to ensure you are
comfortable and ready to use the system. We also offer an archive of
online tutorials that you can view any time to learn about a new
procedure or refresh your SmartBorder skills.
Q: What
are my costs for training?
A: An initial training
package is included as part of your start-up and there is always
access to archived video tutorials, Q&A sessions and instructional
documentation available on-line at no cost. If necessary, additional
personalized training is available at an hourly rate. These
supplementary packages can be done either on-line or on-site. There
are travel expenses for additional on-site
training.
Q: How does your customer support system
work?
A: Support for all customers is initiated through
an electronic ticket generated by the customer on our site. Our
support staff is on call 24/7 and responds via e-mail or phone. We recognize that Customs issues can be extremely
time sensitive and are committed to providing the most timely
support for our customers. SmartBorder recently invested in a
state-of-the-art customer relationship system (CRM) that manages all
of our support resources and tracks your support tickets. Beyond
that, our online support center contains a comprehensive archive of
content, including FAQs, knowledge base articles and
how-to-videos.
Back to top
Q: How often do updates come out and
what are the costs associated with the updates?
A: Our
software resembles a living entity, consistently evolving to address
marketplace demands, technical innovations and new U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
requirements. SmartBorder keeps current with all Customs updates on
a daily basis and updates the application accordingly. Most updates
are applied while you are online and require no down time. All
system upgrades, major and minor, are included at no extra
cost.
Q: What is SmartBorder doing to comply with
upcoming Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initiatives such as ACE ESAR and
ISF?
A: Because SmartBorder devotes 100% of its time to
developing and perfecting customs compliance software, we've
consistently been ahead of the curve when it comes to supporting new
CBP initiatives. Most recently, our ACE eManifest application was
fully tested, launched and processing shipments almost two years
before the mandatory filing date. Our process for developing new
applications and solutions involves consultation with existing
customers and CBP during development, then ongoing training
and support to improve the application. As ISF and ESAR come to
fruition, we're looking forward to continuing this industry leading
practice.
Q: What does "customization"
mean?
A: Any feature or functionality you request that is
not a part of our base package is considered customization. What
sets us apart from our competition is our willingness and ability to
quickly adapt SmartBorder to meet our customers' individual needs.
When requested, each customization project is thoroughly analyzed to
ensure that modified functions and processes conform to the business
practices you already have in place.
Back to top
Q: Why would I
need to customize?
A: Our experience has shown that
there is almost always a certain level of customization necessary to
fully integrate into a customer's existing business infrastructure.
Most of our customers have had customization done to allow
SmartBorder to communicate seamlessly with their accounting or
freight systems. The goal is to have SmartBorder fit into your
business model rather than you being forced to compromise efficiency
or adapt your business practices. Customization programming is done
on an hourly rate and a full project estimate is always agreed upon
before any work is done.
Q: Is SmartBorder more
focused on northern border transactions versus air/sea
clearances?
A: Our ABI application was designed to
support all points of entry and methods of transportation. In fact,
about 90% of the brokers currently using SmartBorder are air/sea
brokers.
Q: What size of brokers use
SmartBorder?
A: All sizes. SmartBorder is extremely
popular with smaller, new brokers but is also used by some of the
country's largest brokers processing over 25,000 entries per
month.
Back to top
Q: What happens if there's a disruption in service such as an equipment or internet failure? Will I lose
data?
A: SmartBorder maintains a multi-million dollar
infrastructure that includes best practices in redundancy and
security. We back up all data every 15 minutes and have spare
machines in place and ready to replace any hardware that fails. We
also have an entire "copy" of the SmartBorder application on servers
at another location in case of a disaster. Because of the
"cooperative' or "shared" nature of our platform, we are able to
leverage the buying power of all of our clients to build a very
stable infrastructure that any individual broker could never afford.
Some of the other companies using the same infrastructure include
Google, Yahoo, General Electric, Merrill Lynch and AOL. We're proud
to say we've achieved 99.999% uptime over the past five years.
Review our technology page to read
more about SmartBorder's redundancy and security
measures.
Q: Can I have daily backups of my files
sent to my office?
A: Yes. There are several options but
the most common is through an FTP account. Our standard format is
XML, but other formats can be accommodated. You are also free to PDF
all your documents and save them to disk if you
wish.
Q: Who will have access to my
data?
A: In your company, only employees with your
log-in password can access your files and data. SmartBorder's technical staff can access your data but would only do so for custom
programming or technical support. South Ranch's parent company and
business partners are legally and ethically forbidden from viewing
any data relating to your business in any form.
Q:
Will I outgrow SmartBorder's capabilities?
A: Right now,
we have some of the nation's largest brokers streaming thousands of
transactions a day through our system - and our existing
infrastructure has the capacity to handle many times that. Beyond
that, we can scale our systems outward to handle an almost limitless
supply of transactions. Here's hoping you grow large enough to
challenge our capacity!
Still have a question? Ask us how
SmartBorder can specifically help your business and request a live
demo by calling 1-800-572-2734 or e-mail
us.