Connect3PL. Quick start
Created on - 07/16/2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS: Overview Welcome to Connect3PL! Familiarizing yourself with our features empowers you to tailor the platform to align seamlessly with your unique setup. While the possibilities are vast, there are essential steps that everyone should follow to ensure a smooth start. This guide's sections will walk you through connecting Connect3PL to your order source and fulfillment destinations, configuring vital elements such as order routing rules and location settings, and ensuring that orders are directed to the correct destination for shipment. Additionally, it will guide you through the testing phase, allowing you to confirm that your setup is operational before your official launch. Key terminology Before we delve into the details, let's take a moment to familiarize ourselves with key terminology [back] Account setup To create your Connect3PL account, kindly proceed by signing up. This involves completing the registration process, where you will be prompted to provide the necessary information and create login credentials. Follow the steps outlined during the sign-up procedure to successfully set up your Connect3PL account. Once completed, you'll gain access to the platform and its features. Here is the registration process: 1. Visit the Connect3PL Website. Access the official Connect3PL website. 2. Sign-Up Option. Look for a "Sign-Up" button on the website's homepage or login page. 3. Provide Basic Information. Fill out a registration form with essential details. This includes your business name, contact information, email address, and other relevant information. 4. Create Login Credentials. Choose a username and password for your account. Ensure that the password meets security requirements. 5. Verification. Our platform requires email verification to ensure the provided email address is valid. Check your email for a verification link. 6. Business Information. Complete additional fields related to your business, such as industry, location, and company size. This information helps tailor the platform to your specific needs. 7. Accept Terms and Conditions. Read and accept the terms and conditions and user agreement. Make sure you understand the platform's policies. 8. Account Confirmation. After completing the registration process, you may receive a confirmation message indicating that your account has been successfully created. 9. Login. Use the provided credentials to log into your Connect3PL account. 10. Profile Setup. Complete your profile by providing any additional required information, setting preferences, or configuring account settings. Connect3PL provides a 14-day trial period for you to explore and assess its suitability for your business. At the conclusion of the trial, you'll have two choices: either cancel your account or subscribe to the service. If you choose the latter option, you'll be prompted to select a plan and input your preferred payment method. Integrations, Order sources, and Fulfillment destinations Given that Connect3PL is an integration tool, it's essential to delineate your order sources and fulfillment destinations. This involves specifying the types of data that could be exchanged between systems, encompassing details such as products, customer information, carriers, shipping methods, and more. Clarifying these parameters ensures a smooth and accurate flow of information through the integration process. When you define integration there will be additional step to map objects from different systems, like SKUs in Amazon and 3PL , shipping methods in Shopify and 3PL, etc Adding Integration Navigate to the Integrations tab in your Connect3PL menu. On the Integrations page, select "Add Integration." Locate and choose the specific integration you want to add. Click on it, and then select "Add." On the "Settings" page, maintain the default settings by leaving everything disabled. Proceed to the "How to connect..." page. Here, establish the connection between Connect3PL and your chosen integration. The connection process may vary: For Open authorization (OAuth): Simply click "Connect." A new tab may open, directing you to the login page of the chosen channel. Complete the login with your credentials to finalize the connection. For API key and secret: Some integrations require API credentials. Follow the instructions on the page to locate and input the necessary API credentials for the channel. If you encounter difficulties, consider reaching out to the support team of that channel. Once the required information is provided, click "Connect." Your integration is now added and accessible under the Integrations section in your Connect3PL dashboard. Proceed to configure it further based on your specific preferences. Integration settings To access integration settings, navigate to the Integrations menu item and select the desired integration. For detailed insights into each specific setting tailored to your integration, refer to the helper text available directly on the Connect3PL page. This will provide comprehensive information, ensuring you make informed decisions regarding the configuration of your specific integration. Order Sources Every order source may have its own specific settings but there are common settings that apply to all order sources. Those settings drive the way Connect3PL handles information received or sent from/to order source. Pull Products: This feature enables Connect3PL to retrieve product information from the specified order source. When activated, Connect3PL will systematically gather details about the products available on the designated order source. This includes essential product data such as descriptions, SKUs, pricing, and any other relevant information necessary for managing inventory and fulfilling orders. Pull Orders: With this setting, Connect3PL is empowered to fetch incoming orders directly from the designated order source. It ensures that all orders placed on the specified platform are seamlessly integrated into Connect3PL, streamlining the order management process. This is particularly beneficial for maintaining real-time order visibility and effectively processing customer requests. Push Availability: By activating this functionality, Connect3PL can transmit product availability information back to the original order source. This ensures that the order source remains updated with accurate and current information regarding product availability within the Connect3PL system. It contributes to a synchronized and reliable representation of product availability across different platforms. Push Fulfillments: When orders are successfully fulfilled within Connect3PL, this setting triggers the transmission of fulfillment and tracking information back to the originating order source. This includes details about items shipped, tracking numbers, and any other pertinent information related to order fulfillment. It enhances communication with the order source and provides end customers with timely and accurate updates on the status of their orders. These settings collectively establish a seamless and bi-directional flow of information between Connect3PL and the designated order source, ensuring that product data, orders, availability, and fulfillment details are consistently synchronized for efficient and accurate operations. Depending on the API capabilities of the order source and fulfillment destinations, additional settings may be available on the Connect3PL integration page. The integration page serves as a centralized hub for configuring and fine-tuning the connection between Connect3PL and the designated platforms. The purpose of these additional settings is to empower users to optimize the data exchange between Connect3PL and the order source/fulfillment destinations. This could involve adjusting data formats, specifying handling of specific order attributes, or configuring how certain information is treated during the integration process. In summary, the availability of additional settings on the Connect3PL integration page is contingent on the capabilities of the APIs involved. This flexibility empowers users to tailor the integration to their specific business needs, ensuring a seamless and efficient exchange of data between Connect3PL and the integrated platforms. Filters: If you prefer not to have Connect3PL process every single order from your order source, you can employ the order tag, SKU or order status filter. This allows you to precisely define which orders or line items should be imported into Connect3PL. For instance, you might choose to pull only orders tagged with "ERP" or those with the status "Paid." This selective approach provides you with greater control over the types of orders that are integrated, aligning the process more closely with your specific requirements.If you wish to selectively import specific SKUs into Connect3PL, precisely specify the ones you want included or excluded. Processing Start Date: By default, this is set to the date when you initially add the integration. Should you opt to modify this date, either retrospectively or for a future occurrence, Connect3PL will exclusively retrieve orders placed after the specified date. It's important to note that orders already processed by Connect3PL will not undergo reprocessing unless they have been subsequently modified.
