Top Producer® 8i CRM: Cleaning Up Duplicate Contacts

Since we offer multiple ways for you to get your contacts in Top Producer CRM, you may find your contact list contains a lot of duplicates. Top Producer CRM makes it easy to find your duplicate contacts and merge them into one record.

You can search for duplicates by name or email address and, before any contacts are merged, view a preview of the merged record and make any necessary changes.

Note: You can merge up to 5 contacts at one time.

To find and merge duplicate contacts:

  1. Go to Contacts > Show Duplicates. Top Producer CRM finds duplicates and displays the results on the Duplicates page.

    duplicate-contacts

    Tip: By default, Top Producer CRM looks for duplicates by name, but you can also search for duplicates by email address (select Email Address on the right > click Refresh List refresh-icon).

  2. Select the contacts you want to merge, and then click Merge Selected.

    The Merge Contacts page appears. The Merged record preview on the right shows you how the contact’s information will be merged into one record.

    merge-contacts

  3. If there are different values for the same item (for example, two different email addresses), the conflict indicatorconflict-indicator appears. You can either accept the solution that appears on the right, or click edit to select another value.
  4. Click Merge when you are ready to merge the contacts.

FAQs

How does Top Producer CRM determine which contacts are duplicates?

When you search for duplicates (Contacts > Show Duplicates), Top Producer CRM displays contacts with matching names. However, you can also search for duplicates by email address (on the right of the Duplicates page, select Email Address > click Refresh Listrefresh-icon).

search-by-email-address

 

Will incoming leads, imported contacts and contacts I sync automatically be merged?

No, a duplicate check and/or merge is not performed when you sync or import contacts, or when you receive leads from your lead providers. However, you can easily find duplicates in your contact list and merge them by going to Contacts > Show Duplicates.

 

I know I can search for duplicates and merge them by going to Contacts > Show Duplicates. Can I merge duplicates when viewing a list of contacts?

Yes, you can merge duplicate contacts from the Search Results screen (shown below) and the Contacts Summary.

search-results

 

Can I search for duplicates based on multiple criteria (i.e. matching names and email addresses) at the same time?

No, you can only search for duplicates based on one criterion at a time. However, you can easily run another duplicate check based on a different criterion from the Duplicates page (select Name or Email Address > click Refresh Listrefresh-icon).

duplicate-check-criteria

 

Can I exclude contacts when I'm searching my list for duplicates?

No, currently there is no way to prevent specific contacts from being included in a duplicate search.

 

Is there a maximum number of contacts I can merge at a time?

Yes, you can merge up to 5 contacts into 1 record at a time.

 

If the duplicate records contain notes, family/friends, photos and activities, will these be included in the merged record?

Yes, all of this information will automatically be linked to the merged record.

 

If some duplicates contain a spouse's name and others don't, will the spouse's name and information be included in the merged record?

Yes, if you select the contact and their spouse in the Merged record preview.

For example, Top Producer CRM finds two duplicate contacts:

  • John Smith
  • John & Mary Smith

When you preview the merged record, Top Producer CRM displays a conflict indicatorconflict-indicator beside the name to indicate there’s a conflict. If you select John & Mary Smith in the Merged record preview on the right, the merged record will contain the spouse’s name and information. If you select John Smith, the spouse’s name and information will not be included in the merged record.

name-conflict

 

Will any listings/closings and properties in the duplicate records be included in the merged record?

Yes, all listings/closings and properties will be linked to the merged record.

 

If there are data conflicts among the duplicates (for example, two different email addresses), how does Top Producer CRM determine which value to use, and are the other values deleted?

If different data exists for the same value, Top Producer CRM displays a conflict indicatorconflict-indicator in the Merged record preview to indicate a data conflict.

For data conflicts involving the name, who the contact is assigned to, source and contact status, you need to select the value you want to use going forward. For example, a contact record can only have one primary name, so if you have a “Maryann Jenkins” and a “Mary Jenkins”, you’ll need to select the name you want to use. (Just click edit and select the value you want to use, as shown below.)

primary-name

In all other cases when there are data conflicts, you select the “Primary” value you want to use. Any other values you don’t choose are saved as “Other” in the merged record.

 

If I'm merging contacts and their creation dates are different, what date will be used in the merged record?

The oldest creation date will be used. For example, if a contact was entered in Top Producer CRM on January 2010, and the other was entered in May 2011, the creation date of the merged record will be January 2010.

 

I have a team/partnership account. Can my team members and assistants clean up duplicate contacts?

Yes, the responsible agent just needs to grant the appropriate access rights.

To grant a team member merge rights:

  1. Log in to Top Producer CRM as the responsible agent (account owner).
  2. Open the My Account area.
  3. Click the Team Members tab and, if granting access to an assistant, click the Assistants tab.
  4. Click the agent/assistant’s name.
  5. Click Edit [Agent/Assistant] Info, and then click Allow this [agent/assistant] to delete or merge data from Top Producer at the bottom of the page.

    merge-rights

  6. Click Save [Agent/Assistant] Info.
  7. The agent or assistant will now be able to clean up duplicate contacts.

 

Once I merge a contact in Top Producer CRM, will the changes appear in Top Producer CRM Mobile?

Yes, just like other changes you make, when you merge contacts in Top Producer CRM, the changes are immediately available in Top Producer CRM Mobile.

 

Can I reverse a merge once it has been completed?

No, a merge cannot be undone after it has completed. When merging your contacts, ensure you take special care to preview the merged record and make any necessary changes before you merge.

merge-preview

 

Log in to clean up duplicate contacts.


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