Progistics is the ConnectShip™ technology that provides
functionality for shipment rating and manifesting, management and
printing of shipping documents, and other related processes.
ConnectShip™ Toolkit is a ConnectShip™ software license that allows
a customer to run any client application that makes use of Progistics
technology. The Toolkit allows customers to develop their own shipping
applications or embed shipping functionality in other in-house or
third-party applications. A license for ConnectShip™ Toolkit typically
provides access to the Software Developer's Kit (SDK) and runtime
software to enable the Progistics technology.
Q: Will Progistics run on any Unix operating systems?
A: At the present time, ConnectShip™ products support
Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Professional, Windows Server 2003 (32 or 64-bit), and Windows Vista (32 or 64-bit).
However, non-Microsoft platforms can
access Progistics functions by using the XML processor interface
over the HTTP protocol.
Q: How are carrier rate updates handled?
A: ConnectShip™ maintains direct contact with all the major carriers
and handles the updates in the method that most suits the carriers
operational requirements.
Q: Does ConnectShip™ Toolkit return a handling charge?
A: Yes. It returns a handling charge based on your rules. The
handling charge can be based on a percentage of goods sold, a percentage
of the shipping cost, or it can be a flat charge.
Q: What carrier components does ConnectShip™ offer for ConnectShip™ Toolkit?
A: Check out our carrier
list.
Q: Can ConnectShip™ Toolkit rate hazardous materials or dimension-rated boxes?
A: Yes. This is a straightforward setup within ConnectShip™ Toolkit.
Q: Does ConnectShip™ Toolkit generate tracking numbers?
A: ConnectShip™ Toolkit creates a tracking number internally based off of
your carrier account information and the particulars of a shipment using
carrier standard algorithms. ConnectShip™ Toolkit doesn't need to access the
carrier sites to generate the tracking numbers.
Q: How does ConnectShip™ Toolkit handle connectivity and communications with
other software packages?
A: ConnectShip™ Toolkit supports ODBC, HTTP, TCP/IP, and XML. Using any of
these forms of communication, you can tightly integrate ConnectShip™ Toolkit into
your web presence.
Q: How do I receive my rate updates from ConnectShip™?
A: ConnectShip™ provides rate updates downloadable from our website and upon
customer shipment request before the carrier rate change is effective.
Q: Can I implement my business rules and customize ConnectShip™ Toolkit for my
organization?
A: Absolutely, yes. In fact, we have Progistics Certified
Integrator Partners listed on our web site. This list shows our
certified Integrator Partners who have experience in a wide range of
applications and installations.
Q: How does ConnectShip™ Toolkit ship through the Internet?
A: ConnectShip™ Toolkit has shipping functionality which can be run across
the Internet. If you wish, you can connect to a server across the net to
update central servers, or even allow your vendors to use this method to
update your incoming shipment information.
Q: What is the difference between the Transportation Toolkit and
ConnectShip™ Toolkit?
A: ConnectShip™ Toolkit is the name for the entire suite of shipping tools,
including a shipping application with the Progistics™ engine
underneath. The Transportation Toolkit, specifically, includes examples
for customization and creation of your own applications using the
Progistics CS engine. The Transportation Toolkit lives on as the
Software Developer Kit for ConnectShip™ Toolkit.
Q: Is ConnectShip™ Toolkit an Internet-only solution?
A: Absolutely not! However, because it can be leveraged both at
the point of order and the point of shipment, it does lend itself to
integrating shipping into the order entry point of e-commerce store
fronts.
Q: Does ConnectShip™ Toolkit interface with FedEx's On Site Server?
A: Yes. ConnectShip™ Toolkit interfaces with FXRS 6.1, 6.8, and 7.6, and supports
shipments from U.S. origins to worldwide destinations.
Q: With which Less Than Truckload (LTL) carriers can ConnectShip™ Toolkit
provide compliance?
A: ConnectShip™ Toolkit provides compliance with any SMC (Southern Motor
Carriers)-compliant carrier. See www.smc3.com
for more information about how to obtain the rate files for
SMC-compliant carriers.
Q: Is ConnectShip™ Toolkit a stand-alone system or a client-server system?
A: ConnectShip™ Toolkit can be either, although there is no doubt that the
fundamental strength of ConnectShip™ Toolkit is in the client-server nature of the
n-tier software. Because of this distributed architecture, it is a
straightforward process to ship boxes with centralized control of the
shipping function.
Q: Does ConnectShip™ Toolkit comply with any standards which are applicable for
integration into my systems?
A: ConnectShip™ Toolkit complies with the COM architecture which is
Microsoft's Component Object Model. It allows customization and
development of your applications in J++, C++, VB, VBScript, ASP, and
Delphi to name a few.
Q: Does ConnectShip™ Toolkit integrate with scanners, scales, thermal printers
and laser printers?
A: ConnectShip™ Toolkit integrates with a number of scanners, scales,
thermal printers, and Windows printer drivers. It is straightforward to
create drivers for those devices which do not have native support.
