Patience

 
Patience can be found in every aspect of Customs and compliance.
For example...

Obtaining an Advanced Customs Ruling for HS or origin determination purposes, from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), can usually take 90 days or longer. From a business perspective, this is quite cumbersome as the supply chain continues to move (even in today's environment) pending the outcome of the ruling application.

Submission of claims to Customs also can have a turnaround time of about 90 days (sometimes longer). This can affect cash flow, business decisions, inventory controls and other aspects of compliance.

Even during conversations with Customs officials, it is strongly encouraged to be patient and calm. Customs verification officers, Border Services Officers, Policy Officers, etc. are all mandated with tasks and jobs that the business community may not know about or understand. Having dealt with many officers, it always is appreciated when we, in the business community, try to understand the perspective of the Government official that we are dealing with instead of taking a forceful tone with the communication. 

Patience is not an easy character trait and in some circumstances it is not easily achieved. However, patience can lead to a more robust communication process with Customs when, in today's complex compliance and supply chain world, everything is delayed and had to "get there yesterday".

I learned an aspect of patience through cooking.
A close and dear friend of mine suggested that I make a Key Lime Pie.
Recipe can be found at: https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/key-lime-pie.html?recipe_print=yes 
In this recipe, it outlines that for the topping one has to "beat the heavy cream until it forms peaks". With my cooking focused on main courses and not on desserts, I was a bit confused as to how long this task will take. I turned on the mixer and started to beat the heavy cream. One minute... Two minutes... Three minutes pass and the cream is still a liquid without having formed any peaks.
Is it the cream that I used?
Was the mixer not set to the correct speed?
Minutes continued to pass and then... all of a sudden...
I SEE THE PEAKS FORMING!!!
I thought it was quite amazing that by just being patient the heavy cream did have peaks form and I was able to complete the key lime pie recipe with an amazing tasting topping that had the correct consistency and texture.

A bit of patience with cooking can provide the end result that the chef is looking for. This, in turn, will allow for the dish to be enjoyed by all.

Similarly, with Customs, being patient can provide the time required to ensure that the proper decisions are made for the applicable supply chain structure. Yes, in today's environment, speed and efficiency do take center stage and this has to be taken into consideration. However, allowing for the Customs agency to finalize their review process can also have its benefits.

Lastly, when an importer obtains the services and guidance of a Customs practitioner, there is usually a cost associated with these services. Capping the amount of time spent can provide certain dollar savings. However, allowing the practitioner to focus on the issue at hand and understanding that the amount of time spent may not be able to be accurately estimated at the onset of the project, could effectively benefit the importer in the long run as the total deliverable will hopefully be of top quality and not having been rushed to fit into a window of limited time.

Patience...
It's important.
With cooking, it allows for the dish to form properly and taste great.
With Customs, it allows for the company to avoid being a "patient" of non-compliance and also builds relationships with Customs practitioners and with Customs officials. 



A special note of thanks to Mr. Gordon Elkin for the many years of friendship and the recipe idea for key lime pie. Can't wait for our next walk!

Location: Montreal, QC, Canada

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