If your business imports or exports regularly, you probably assume your customs processes are under control. But assumptions can be costly. Hidden errors, outdated authorisations, and unnoticed overpayments are common, and they can quietly erode margin or create compliance risk.
A Customs Health Check is the simplest way to uncover issues before HMRC or your auditors do. Powered by CAT360, the process can be largely automated, providing data-driven insights in hours, not weeks.
Here are five warning signs that it’s time to schedule one
1. You Rely on Multiple Brokers (and No One Has the Whole Picture)
When different freight forwarders or brokers handle declarations, your customs data becomes fragmented. No single dashboard shows what’s actually being declared under your company’s name.
CAT360 consolidates all declaration data across ports, brokers, and countries so you can see exactly what’s happening and where risks lie.
2. You Haven’t Reviewed Commodity Codes in Over a Year
Incorrect classification can lead to wrong duty payments and invite HMRC scrutiny. Even small errors can cost thousands annually.
CAT360 review automatically flags inconsistent codes, valuation errors, and outliers, helping you correct issues before they become liabilities.
3. You’re Unsure Whether You’ve Missed Duty Reclaim Opportunities
Businesses that don’t analyse their import data leave reclaimable funds untouched, often significant amounts.
CAT360 scans historical CDS data to identify potential overpayments and quantifies the value of each reclaim opportunity, giving you a clear financial picture.
4. Your Internal Teams Assume Compliance Is “Handled Externally”
Outsourcing declarations doesn’t outsource responsibility. The Customs Regulations and standard Broker contracts default to the importer, not the broker, carrying ultimate liability.
CAT360 gives finance leaders visibility to confirm what’s being submitted on their behalf, helping you challenge and validate your agents’ performance.
5. You Couldn’t Defend an HMRC Audit Tomorrow
If you were asked today for an audit trail linking invoices, declarations, and duty payments, could you produce it easily? If not, you’re exposed. Surprisingly, businesses are still heavily reliant on Excel spreadsheets for compliance.
CAT360 maintains an automated, reconciled audit trail, ensuring your business is always audit-ready.
Check Before You’re Checked
A customs health check isn’t about catching mistakes it’s about gaining confidence. It helps finance and supply chain leaders verify compliance, recover lost cash, and tighten control.
With CAT360, this process becomes data-driven and efficient. The platform surfaces anomalies, highlights reclaim opportunities, and benchmarks performance across your supply chain so you can act before issues escalate.
Proactive, not reactive. Clarity, not confusion. That’s what a modern customs health check delivers.
Start your free 14-day trial of CAT360 today and see how AI² — the fusion of automation and expert insight — can uncover savings, reduce risk, and give you full control of your customs operations. No card required, just instant intelligence.
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