# Third-party logistics (3PL)? So you’re using a 3PL. It’s often the case that 3PLs offer remote interaction and transactions with their systems. From an efficiency perspective, it makes sense for your Salesorder system to interact with the 3PL system to automate the dialogues. Our engineering team has hundreds of hours of experience making Salesorder interact with 3PL systems. Sophisticated 3PLs often provide a playbook containing options for connectivity to their services. Make sure you ask for this first. ### 3PL technology? We need to know as much detail as you can acquire about what technology options your 3PL offers for your Salesorder system to communicate with their system. Either a technical contact or a playbook or documentation will suffice. Send the information to ### Connectivity options Communication to the 3PL can be provided in many formats: * **User Log in** to a form-based web interface to rekey instructions from your system, for example, shipment instructions including line item data, shipping address, etc. The 3PL system returns transaction status updates. Sometimes they can provide stock balances. * **FTP** (File transfer protocol). You send a file from your system to a remote folder accessible from their system. Their system reads in the file. The file contains shipping instructions. * **EDI** (Electronic Data Interchange). Either via a third-party gateway (i.e. SPS Commerce) or the 3PL’s own VPN (Virtual private network), your system and the 3PL systems exchange documents. For example: | EDI Document # | Purpose | | -------------- | ---------------------------------------- | | 940 | Warehouse Shipping Order | | 943 | Warehouse Stock Transfer Shipment Advice | | 944 | Warehouse Stock Transfer Receipt Advice | | 945 | Warehouse Shipping Advice | | 947 | Warehouse Inventry Adjustment Advice | * **API** (Applications Programmer Interface). A direct connection between the two systems. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://helpwith.salesorder.com/third-party-logistics-3pl.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.