As different users create new vendor, customer, or contact cards over time, or the new records are created automatically during migration, a vendor, customer, or contact may be represented in the system with more than one record. In this case, you can use the Merge Duplicate page from the card of the record that you want to keep.
The Merge Duplicate page gives you an overview of duplicated field values and provides functions to select which values to keep or discard when merging two records into one.
To merge two customers, follow these steps:
Select the Search for Page icon in the top-right corner of the page, enter customers, and select the related link.
Select the customer that you know or suspect that a duplicate record exists for, and then choose the Edit action.
On the Customer Card page, choose Actions, Functions, and then Merge With.
On the Merge Duplicate page, in the Merge With field, select the customer that you believe is a duplicate of the one you have opened, indicated in the Current field.
The Fields FastTab lists the fields where the values are different for the two customers. This means that if the selected customer is a duplicate, then only very few fields should be listed, such as typing errors and other data entry mistakes.
The Related Tables FastTab lists tables where there are fields with a relation to both customers. The Current Count and Duplicate Count fields show the number of fields in related tables where the No. value of both the current and the duplicate customer is used. On the Merge Duplicate page, this section is informational only, however, if merge conflicts exist, you'll need to resolve them on the Merge Duplicate Conflicts page. (See steps 8 through 12).
For each field where you want to use another value than the current one, select the Override option. The value in the Alternate Value field will then be transferred to the current record when you complete the process.
When you have finished selecting which values to keep or override, select the Merge action. The system checks if the merge of values for the duplicate customer into the current customer causes any conflicts. A conflict exists if a value in at least one primary-key field is the same for both customers while the value in the No. field is different for the two customers.
If no conflicts are found, select the Yes button in the confirmation message box.
The duplicate customer is renamed so that all usage of its No. value in all fields with relations to the customer table will be replaced with the No. value of the current customer.
If conflicts exist, select the Resolve (xx) conflicts before merge action on the Conflicts FastTab, which will appear if conflicts exist.
On the Merge Duplicate Conflicts page, select the line for a related table with a conflict, and then select the View Details action.
The Merge Duplicate page will show the fields in the selected table that cause a merge conflict between the two customer records. Notice in both the summarized values in the Current and Conflicts With fields and on the lines that at least one primary-key field is the same for both customers and the value of the No. field is different for the two customers.
If you don't want to keep the duplicate customer record, select the Remove Duplicate action, and then select the Close button.
Identical field values, other than the value in the No. field, are removed from the duplicate record and inserted on the current record.
If you want to keep the duplicate customer record after the merge, select Rename Duplicate.
On lines (not for the No. field) where the field has the same value on both records, change the value in the Alternate Value field, and then select the Close button.
The conflicting field value is updated on the duplicate record so that it can be merged with the current record. The duplicate record continues to exist after the merge.
Repeat steps 8 through 12 until all conflicts are resolved. The Conflicts FastTab disappears after all conflicts are resolved.
On the Merge Duplicate page, select the Merge action again, and then select the Yes button in the confirmation message box.
Merging customer accounts is a critical process to ensure a streamlined customer relationship management system. It involves consolidating duplicate or multiple accounts associated with the same customer into a single, unified profile. This not only helps in maintaining accurate and comprehensive records but also enhances the customer experience by providing consistent and personalized interactions. The process typically involves identifying duplicate records, verifying the data, and ensuring that no vital information is lost during the merge. Properly merging accounts can lead to improved operational efficiency, better analytics, and a deeper understanding of customer behavior, ultimately driving business success.