How to Merge Duplicate Leads in LeadLocate

The same customer on three leads means three owners and three half conversations. Merging folds them into one record without losing a note.

1. Open the newest lead

   Go to Leads on the desktop CRM and open the most recent record for the customer. The scan treats the newest matching record as the one that survives, so starting from it keeps the customer's latest phone and email on top.

2. Start the scan

   In the lead's button row, click the merge button. The Merge Duplicate Records overlay opens and scans the account for other records that match this lead by name, phone or email. The scan takes a moment on a large account.

3. Read the match list

   Matches appear in a table with the ID, the match type, name, phone, email, status, date and who it is assigned to. The row marked as the keeper is the newest record and is preserved. Phone and email matches are strong matches and come pre-ticked; name only matches are listed but left unticked for you to judge.

4. Tick the rows that are the same person

   Check every row that is truly this customer and untick any that are not. Two people with the same name at the same store happen more often than you would think, so read the phone and email columns before you trust a name only match.

5. Confirm

   Click Confirm Merge. The ticked records fold into the keeper, the overlay reports that the merge is complete, and the lead reloads as one record.

Merging is done on the desktop CRM from the lead itself. Any user who can open the lead can run it; there is no separate permission and nothing to turn on, because Merge Duplicate Records is on every lead and contact from the day the account is created. Have the customer's phone number or email handy so you can tell a true duplicate from a namesake in the match list.

Know what the merge keeps. The keeper is the newest matching record, and it keeps its own name, phone, email, status and assignment. The notes, texts, emails and calls from the merged rows attach to the keeper, and the merged rows are retired rather than erased. If the older record carried the better phone number, write it down before you merge and update the keeper afterward. The Merge Duplicate Leads feature page explains what a strong match is and why the newest record wins.

While the scan runs, the overlay says it is scanning for duplicates and checking name, phone and email matches. When it finishes you see either a count of matching records with the table beneath it, or a message that no duplicates were found, in which case the lead is left alone and there is nothing to confirm.

After Confirm Merge, the overlay reports the merge is complete and the lead reloads. Open the lead's history and you should find the notes and the communications log from the merged rows on this one record, in date order. The merged leads no longer appear in Leads or Contacts, so the salesperson who owned one of them now sees the customer only if they own the keeper. Tell them, or reassign the keeper, before they go looking.

A good follow up is to run the Phone Validator and Email Validator on the keeper so the surviving number and address carry a validity dot. The Phone Validator page shows what the dots mean.

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The scan found nothing, but you can see the duplicate in the list. The scan matches on name, phone and email exactly as they are stored. A number typed with a different format, a misspelled name or a work email versus a personal one will not match. Fix the phone or email on one of the records so the two agree, then run the scan again from the newest one.

The keeper is the wrong record. The keeper is always the newest matching record, and it is not something you pick in the overlay. If the older record is the one you want to survive, cancel, open the newest record, copy anything unique from it onto the older one, and delete the newest record before merging the rest. The trash bin keeps deleted leads with a restore option if you change your mind.

The overlay reports a connection error. Nothing was merged. Close the overlay, reload the lead and run the scan again. If it repeats, send a ticket from the account portal with the lead ID and our team looks at the account.

Most duplicates arrive through a contact import, because a book of business usually contains customers who are already in the CRM from a lead, and through customers who submit forms on more than one site. Round robin assignment is why two reps end up with the same person, so a merge is often followed by a reassignment. Every guide for the CRM is in the Help Center, and the LeadLocate CRM page shows how leads, contacts and the customer profile fit together.

Merge from the newest record every time; it is the one with the customer's current details. Do the merge before you text, not after, so the conversation is on the record that survives. After any sizable import, expect to merge a handful. And make it a rule that the rep who spots the duplicate merges it on the spot rather than emailing the manager, because a duplicate that sits for a week has two people texting the same customer about two different cars.

Which record survives a merge?

The newest matching record, which the overlay marks as the keeper. It keeps its own contact details, status and assignment, and the notes and communications from the merged rows attach to it.

Are the merged leads deleted?

They are retired rather than erased. They stop appearing in Leads and Contacts, and their history now lives on the keeper.

What counts as a strong match?

A phone or email match. Those rows are pre-ticked in the list. A name only match is shown but left unticked, because two different customers can share a name.

Can I merge contacts as well as leads?

Yes. Merge Duplicate Records is available on contacts as well as leads and runs the same scan.

Merge Duplicate Records is part of every LeadLocate CRM plan, month to month. Schedule a live training session and a specialist walks your team through it on your own account.

Prefer to talk right now? Call or text 844-376-2274.