Duplicates and merging
Prevent multiple records for the same patient; set the duplicate contact preference and merge existing duplicates.
2 min read
When a patient fills in a Facebook form and later messages you on WhatsApp, or when an old list is imported again, the same person can end up with two records. Duplicates lead to two coordinators messaging the same patient, inflated lead counts in reports and a split history. This article explains how to prevent and merge them.
Duplicate contact setting
- Go to Settings → Business Profile.
- Find Allow Duplicate Contact. We recommend keeping it off: a new lead with the same email or phone is then matched to the existing record instead of creating a new one.
- Choose which field is checked first (e.g. Phone as primary, Email as secondary). If most patients come via WhatsApp, make phone the primary field.
- Click Save.
Heads up
Only admins should change this setting. With it switched on, imports and forms can create duplicates; talk to your team before changing it. For the full setting, see Business profile.
Merging duplicates
Merge existing duplicates to bring the full history together in one record.
First select the records you want to merge in the Contacts table (usually 2–10 records) and click Merge in the bulk action bar. In the window that opens:
- Choose the Master record — the record that remains after merging. Usually the oldest one with the conversation history.
- For conflicting fields, choose which value to keep (e.g. one record has no email, the other does).
- Confirm with Merge.
Conversations, notes, tasks and opportunities are combined on the master record.
Important
Merging can't be undone. Before confirming, make sure both records really belong to the same person: two different patients with the same surname (e.g. a mother and daughter) may share an email address.
Finding duplicates
- Use Quick search for a phone number or email; more than one result may mean a duplicate.
- If your Contacts ⋮ menu has a Manage Duplicates tool, it scans records by email, phone or name and lists likely duplicate groups. It's usually admin-only. Use Reject to remove matches that aren't really duplicates.
Preventing duplicates
- Store phone numbers in international format:
+447700900321and07700 900321are different numbers to the system. - Search before adding a contact by hand. See Add a contact.
- Use Create and update contacts when importing. See Import contacts.
Common issues
The same patient got two records from Instagram and WhatsApp. Instagram messages usually carry no phone/email, so they aren't matched automatically. Merge the records with Merge.
I can't see the Merge option. You may not have permission, or only one record is selected; select at least two.
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