Overview
The External Reference field in the Address Book is an optional identifier that links a Shipwell location to a record in an external system (such as an ERP, WMS, or order management platform).
What It Is Used For
1. Order Imports and Integrations
When your company imports shipments or orders from an external system, the External Reference field stores the Customer ID or Supplier ID from that system. This allows Shipwell to automatically match incoming order data to the correct address book entry — without requiring manual location selection.
2. Carrier Rate Contract Lane Matching
External Reference IDs can be used in carrier rate contracts to match shipment origins and destinations to specific contract lanes. This is especially useful when the same physical address needs to map to different contract rates. You can create multiple address book entries with the same address but different External Reference IDs, and the contract uses those IDs for precise lane matching.
3. Address Book List View
The External Reference column appears in the address book list view alongside Company Name, so you can quickly identify entries by their external system identifier.
Do I Need to Fill This In?
No — the External Reference field is optional. If your company does not use integrations or external imports, you can safely leave it blank. It is most relevant for companies with ERP/WMS integrations or complex contract lane configurations.