About this project
Autoexports.us is a customs clearance mobile-ready web application exclusively for vehicle exports across the U.S-Canadian border. This application is part of the solutions that SmartBorder provides to its customers and the information is seamlessly integrated with their core platform.
Challenge
SmartBorder's goal was to facilitate the process of exporting vehicles across the U.S.-Canadian border, in a user-friendly way; and, at the same time, automate back office tasks to make life easier for those who process the customs clearance documents.
The Automated Export System (AES) is a requirement for American citizens who are exporting their vehicles to Canada. It's a joint program with U.S. Customs that requires an AES filing to obtain an Internal Transaction Number (ITN). This allows customs authorities to perform a background check on the vehicle to verify it hasn't been stolen.
Our client created a site in 2016 in response to this new requirement, which was put into place after Canadians were required to file export documentation electronically with the U.S. Census. But it had an old look & feel and lacked automation tools such as the uploading of documents.
SmartBorder aimed to reduce churn, closely tied to a poor customer experience based on out-of-date design and limited tracking features. They needed a winning website that combined market, user and the product itself. All these aspects needed to work together to provide customers a unique value, fantastic usability, and better performance.
Solution
We assisted SmartBorder along the whole process, from the research problems to be solved; solution design, with a user-centered approach; the development and implementation of software with the latest technologies, as well as in the maintenance and continuous improvement of the digital product over time.
We revamped this project, by designing and developing an intuitive and modern website to help people export their vehicles with ease, regardless of how many times they’ve done it before. We made sure that everyone from first-time exporters to veterans can use this site without any trouble—and without having to go through the full onboarding process. This solution was built on Angular and .NET technologies.
Milestones
Kaizen focused on nailing the value proposition, target group, business goals and stand-out features of the new website. Our team was responsible for the planning, procurement and execution of the entire project, taking care of the scope, time, and budget.
Thanks to the positive feedback of the prototype designed by our UI/UX Design team, the project went into development in less than one month.
We began developing the new front-end website from scratch using Angular for the front-end, and .NET 4.5 for the back-end of the solution. Our team worked in an Agile way and by using Scrum methodology we delivered product increments every two weeks.
Migration from Chase to Stripe, a modern and connected provider with lower processing fees and a better client interface for payments through credit card.
The website was updated with new technologies and a new design.
New features were added to the app such as SMS notifications to users and vehicle titles automatic generator per U.S. state.
The maintenance of the app is as important as the development itself in order to identify improvements and support it with the latest trends. Our team keeps on working on feature enhancements, preventive maintenance and bug fixes.
I had a great experience working with the development company that built my website. The design team was fantastic to work with; they collaborated with me closely to bring my vision to life and offered innovative ideas that I had not considered before. Their web design and branding work exceeded my expectations.
The development team was equally impressive. They were highly efficient in solving any issues that arose during the project and delivered all major milestone targets on time. Despite working remotely, they were always responsive and addressed all of my questions, comments, and concerns in a timely manner. In the end, the site's deployment was a resounding success. The finished product was everything I asked for and more. Overall, I highly recommend this development company for their exceptional work and exceptional service.
David D’CostaBusiness System Analyst - SmartBorder
From concept to creation
We design with purpose! Take a look of our step-by-step process
More Cases
