TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS > INSIGHT® SUITE OF TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS > INSIGHT E-LINK USA > INSIGHT E-LINK USA FAQS

What is Insight e-Link USA?
What are the benefits of using e-Link USA?
How does it work?
How is e-Link USA different from EDI?
What do I need in order to use Insight e-Link USA?
If I use Insight e-Link USA, do I need to use Livingston for customs clearance services?
How much does Insight e-Link USA cost?
How can I find out more?

What is Insight e-Link USA?
It is a unique web-based system that enables any company responsible for supplying shipment information to send the data electronically, as easily as sending an email message.  With minimal effort on your part and no special software requirements, Livingston’s system will accept just about any format of information you can supply and convert it into readable files. Upon receipt of the data Livingston’s system processes the information through compliance filters to ensure the fastest possible Customs & Border Protection (CBP) release and the highest level of accuracy.

What are the benefits of using Ie-Link USA?
With Insight e-Link you will get improved efficiencies almost immediately. Livingston will consistently receive the information we need to clear your shipments.  Paperwork will not go  missing.  And by building your personal augmentation rules, we can help to ensure the accuracy of the information.

Once our relaese branch is advised of your shipment arrival via fax and your customs invoice data has been received prior to shipment arrival, Livingston can process your shipment faster and with greater accuracy.  This helps to meet your delivery times and eliminates your dependency on the carrier delivering the paperwork.

Insight e-Link will work with virtually any file format.  Livingston’s internal system will accept files extracted from ERP, mainframe or PC based systems.  Transmitting your data to Livingston is a simple as sending an email.  Most companies are up and running within days or a few short weeks.  This is of great benefit to those companies who have minimal IT resources allotted to support their customs process.

How does it work?
The data can be sent in almost any structured file format.  Livingston’s system processes this data in order to prepare a release request to the Customs & Border Protection (CBP).

Livingston will work with the sender of the data to develop an automated profile to validate your information.  Once this profile is developed, Livingston’s internal system will automatically check each piece of data and correct any errors before the information is sent to CBP.  For example, when documents are transmitted via Insight e-Link, Livingston’s system receives the electronic information and will validate and correct country of origin, country of export, unit of measure, currency and address information.

There are several ways that you can send your data to Livingston:
-You can copy a file to Livingston’s FTP (File Transfer Protocol) server. Each company receives a unique user name and password to access Livingston’s FTP server
-If you are using Insight® Docs USA to create your export documents for shipments to the U.S., your data can be automatically forwarded to Livingston at the time of printing
-You can simply send the invoice data to Livingston via e-mail. We just need to know the file type that you would be able to supply us with.  The acceptable file types include:
       XML  (Extensible Markup Language)
       Delimited Text
       Fixed Position Text
       ANSI X.12 DOCUMENT  (810, 857)
       Microsoft Excel
       Plain Text (with rules provided by vendor)

How is e-Link different from EDI?
EDI is a time and resource consuming process to implement.  E-Link USA on the other hand takes much less time and effort and does not require heavy IT involvement on the importers/exporters side.

What do I need in order to use Insight e-Link?
- PC with Internet access
- 56K modem speed or faster; LAN or ADSL access for optimal performance
- Microsoft Explorer 5.5 or higher
- Insight Docs USA recommended, but not required

If I use Insight e-Link, do I need to use Livingston for customs clearance services?
Yes.  Insight e-Link is only available for shipments which are customs cleared by Livingston.

How much does Insight e-Link cost?
There are no implementation or ongoing fees.  

How can I find out more?
View the PDF brochure, e-mail us or contact your account Livingston manager at 1-800-837-1063.

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