1. When you first envisioned QuickDocs, what did success look like from a user’s perspective?

When we first envisioned QuickDocs, we thought about success from the perspective of trade execution operators using it every day. Our goal has always been to eliminate the inefficiency and risk of manual document validation in global trade. For our users, there are three core priorities for what success looks like. 

The first is finishing trade document tasks in minutes, not hours. Users can upload hundreds of documents in bulk, and then QuickDocs automatically organizes, splits, and cross-checks them against instructions and letters of credit.

The second is highlighting what is most important in terms of AI document checks, rather than displaying a lot of information and creating too much ‘noise’. This means users get a concise list of actionable warnings instead of a wall of information.

And finally, the third is fewer costly surprises. Through AI checks, users catch discrepancies early, so presentations aren’t delayed, vessels don’t wait, letter of credit penalties are avoided, and document-related defaults become even less likely.

In short, success is about giving users confidence that their documents are accurately checked. The related processes are translated into intuitive features for performing the checks and documents are processed quickly.

2. What user insights had the biggest influence on the design of QuickDocs’ interface and workflows?

When it came to designing QuickDocs, we drew directly from how trade teams actually work. Observing their day-to-day processes revealed some key pain points and insights that shaped the interface and workflows.

We know teams have to deal with a mixture of drafts, scans and mixed PDFs on a daily basis. So, they really needed a platform or tool that could ‘handle the mess’. QuickDocs can capture any document, automatically split and organize them, and standardize formats so that users can start their work with clarity, not chaos.

But teams also need to know why automation has taken place. That’s why we developed explainable automation. Every flag, alert of a potential discrepancy, shows the rule applied, the source snippet, and the potential impact. This allows users to drill back, learn why an error was highlighted and ultimately, trust the result.

Crucially, the platform is built for scale. QuickDocs can simultaneously handle hundreds of files and thousands of checks, triaging them into a short, prioritized queue of actions instead of overwhelming users with a wall of noise. Users can then confirm or dismiss actions in one click – with ‘overrides’ available when needed – placing human control where it matters. 

3. What has user feedback been like so far? 

Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Users consistently highlight the platform’s powerful capabilities and intuitive usability, noting how easy it is to get started. This ease of adoption has driven rapid expansion across new client organizations and teams. 

Teams report significant time savings on every shipment, along with a lower error rate in the documents checking process and as there are discrepancies surfaced that previously went unnoticed. Users are also enthusiastic about upcoming features and the tangible impact these developments will have on their day-to-day work.

4. What innovations make QuickDocs stand out from other AI or digital platforms made for the sector?

QuickDocs stands out because it was built specifically for trade, not just as a generic AI tool. It’s a purpose-built workflow that produces an audit-ready result, rather than a one-off answer. Each shipment runs through a multi-step pipeline with hundreds of targeted AI checks to keep accuracy high – and at scale.

What’s particularly valuable is that it creates enterprise-grade collaboration. Documents, checks and their results live in a shared workspace. Everything is organized and easy to track and share (including discrepancies). This enterprise-grade collaboration is joined by enterprise-grade security: data security, confidentiality and access control are built in at every level. 

QuickDocs is also fully integrated within the Covantis platform. This means data can flow across the Covantis ecosystem to reduce re-keying, speed handoffs and boost overall efficiency. And what’s more, in this ecosystem, the platform learns and reuses – checks and user preferences are saved, so recurring work becomes faster and more consistent over time. Above all, from hundreds of shipments to thousands of documents, everything stays organized and accessible in one platform. 

These innovations ensure QuickDocs not only automates document validation but also enhances efficiency, reliability, and team collaboration in ways that generic tools can’t match.

5. How did your team ensure QuickDocs could adapt to different types of documents and trade scenarios beyond the standard cases?

Adapting QuickDocs to handle the wide variety of trade documents was a significant challenge. After experimenting with other technologies, we cracked it by pairing LLMs with purpose-built processing. The results have been exceptional: QuickDocs can now accurately process virtually any document we encounter with the accuracy and scale our customers need.

We’ve achieved this across bulk agricultural shipments – including corn, wheat, soybeans, soybean, oil, barley and sugar – and we’re now looking forward to releasing a container-focused version to expand QuickDocs’ capabilities even further.

6. Looking ahead, how do you see QuickDocs evolving to meet the changing needs of global trade?

Our vision for QuickDocs is to become the fastest, easiest, and most accurate way to verify shipping documents in the industry – a platform that trade execution teams can fully trust. We’re actively working on developments like the container-focused version to expand the range of trade scenarios QuickDocs can handle. At the same time, customer feedback remains front and centre, guiding every product decision we make. Our goal is to keep evolving in ways that make global trade faster, more reliable, and less risky for the teams using QuickDocs every day.

7. How do you expect the management of client organization to track the success of QuickDocs implementation decision ?

I believe the main KPIs for tracking QuickDocs success are:

1. Efficiency gains, time saved in the document checking process; 

2. Reduction of error rate in the documents presentation process; 

3. Decrease in working capital cost, as payments are processed faster and presentations are flawless.

In the current manual scenario, payments are delayed and presentations are rejected due to errors in documents being presented and documents having to be re-issued. When this happens, it delays the final presentation and, ultimately, the payment. With QuickDocs, that problem has been solved.

About Guillaume

Guillaume Perreau is a Group Product Manager at Covantis, based in Geneva, leading the conception and development of Quickdocs and Circleout. He joined Covantis in 2020 and has played a key role in driving product innovation and AI transformation initiatives. Prior to Covantis, Guillaume spent six years at Louis Dreyfus Company, where he managed global projects within the IT and Execution departments.