“Digital technologies can help governments improve public accountability and public service delivery. One analysis suggests that the full potential of government digitisation could free up to $1 trillion annually in economic value worldwide”. – Oxford Policy Management
Global software company ELEKS, in partnership with consultancy firm teleologica, has helped Jersey’s Customs and Immigration Service set the benchmark for handling customs administration and revenue by digitalising its operations. The flagship automated revenue administration system – the CAESAR II – has enabled the island’s government to substantially boost its customs-related productivity and growth.
Jersey underwent tax reforms, making most inbound consignments subject to fees that didn’t apply previously. To overcome the increased burden on the island’s CIS, ELEKS re-engineered its customs processes, enabling the government to rise to the challenge of rapid and substantial growth while maintaining control of its expenses. Now, with this innovative software solution in place, Jersey has revolutionised the business processes associated with import GST, as well as the admin and collection of the island’s customs and excise duty, in line with current legislation.
ELEKS launched the solution in a tight time frame, under the intense time pressures dictated by the fiscal reform strategy. The software was built to integrate government and business systems and automate the entire cycle of transactions between Jersey’s government and customs applicants, enabling the CIS to process more than 10,000 consignments a week where it had previously been able to manually process only 200 – an astounding productivity increase of almost 5000%.
Since CAESAR II’s launch, freight processing has become 98% automated, and Jersey’s government agencies are now well-positioned to accommodate future growth, with advanced analytics giving them a clear view of customs performance and goods movement trends. Furthermore, the solution makes the electronic submission of manifests and declarations fast and straightforward for the applicant, offering a user-friendly interface and multiple ways to pay – essential in a digitalised world that still deals in cash, although increasingly rarely. Together with teleologica, ELEKS has continued to tweak and enhance the software with functionality updates that, for example, have allowed Jersey’s CIS to meet the oftentimes complex requirements of post-Brexit import and export legislation. The result is a significantly more streamlined, productive and profitable process with far less administrative pain for government and businesses. Undoubtedly, where Jersey’s government has made big gains, others will seek to follow.
