Duplicate CRM records can easily occur and to avoid losing any data from one of the records, you're able to merge two records together. Our merge feature will merge record details such as notes and Child Records will also be merged along with the standard fields. You will also be given the option to choose which fields get merged so then you have full control over your data.
The steps below will outline how to merge a Company and a Contact but you're able to do the same steps to merge Company Group, Problem, Opportunity records.
Prerequisites
You'll need to have CRM Delete rights in order to follow the steps in this article.
What's covered in this article
How to Merge a Company Record
With our Merge feature you can merge two CRM Company records together. This does not include the Sales Ledgers and therefore any Sales History will not be merged onto the new Company. Please complete a merge within your ERP/Accounting System and then assign the new Sales Ledger to the new retained Company.
🤓 Tip: If you need to recover data from a merged company, use the 'Deleted Companies' report within the Companies area to retrieve lost information.
Step 1: Locate Duplicate Company Record
To merge a Company, start by opening the Company record that you wish to merge into another record. The Company record you start the Merge on will be the record that is deleted.
Please make sure the record you are merging into is under the correct parent, as this is the Parent the merged record will be under. If this needs to be moved you can use our Change Parent function, here.
Step 2: Select Merge Company
Once on the Company Record you wish to merge, select the Merge Company option from the three-dot menu on the right-hand side.
Please Note: If you don't see the Merge option in this menu, you likely don't have the Delete permission. Please contact your Admin to check this for you or follow this guide.
Step 3: Search for the other Company
Once Merge Company has been pressed, you now need to find the Company you wish to merge with. Once you have found the Company you wish to merge with, press Select on the Company.
Step 4: Choosing how to Merge
Once you've selected which Company Record you'd like to merge with, you can select which value for each of the set fields will be retained.
At this step it will also clearly state which record will be deleted and which will be retained.
The Company record on the left-hand side will be the record you started the merge on with the right-hand Company record being the selected record.
Any Contacts under the Company which will be deleted will also be moved under the retained Company. Sales Ledgers are not included in the merge, and so should be changed after the Companies have been merged.
Please note: The field selection will always default to using the value of the record that is being retained, unless this is not set on the retained record and is set on the deleted record, in which case the selection will default to the deleted record.
Step 5: Complete the Merge
Select the Merge button to confirm the Merge. This will start the Merge process.
Once the record has been merged, you can't restore or undo the merge.
Manage Errors After Merging Company Records
When managing merged company records in Access CRM, it is important to address errors quickly, especially since merges are irreversible. The following steps can guide you in recovering from accidental merges.
What to Do if You Merged the Wrong Company Records
Create a New Company Record: Navigate to the Companies area and create a new company record.
Retrieve Data from the Deleted Companies Report: Access the 'Deleted Companies' report to find details of the merged record.
Re-enter Data: Manually input the details into your newly created company record, ensuring correctness at every step.
Tips to Avoid Errors During Merges
Double-check Records Before Merging: Always verify that the records intended for merging are correct.
Use Non-Critical Data for Practice: Test merge functions with non-critical data to become familiar with the process.
These guidelines help minimize disruptions from errors during the merging process.
How to Merge a Contact Record
The steps below outline how to merge Contact records. There is no need to follow these steps if merging a Company, as the Company merge will do this for you!
Step 1: Locate Duplicate Contact Record
To merge a Contact, start by opening the Contact record that you wish to merge into another record. The Contact record you start the Merge on will be the record that is deleted.
Step 2: Select Merge Contact
Once on the Contact record you wish to merge, select the Merge Contact option from the three-dot menu on the right-hand side.
Step 3: Search for the Contact to merge into
Once Merge Contact has been selected, you now need to find the Contact you wish to merge with. Once you have found the Contact you wish to merge with, press Select on the Contact.
Step 4: Choosing how to Merge
Once you have selected which Contact Record you'd like to merge with, you can select which value for each of the set fields will be retained.
At this step it will also clearly state which record will be deleted and which will be retained.
The Contact record on the left-hand side will be the record you started the merge on with the right-hand Contact record being the selected record.
Please note: The field selection will always default to using the value of the record that is being retained, unless this is not set on the retained record and is set on the deleted record, in which case the selection will default to the deleted record.
Step 5: Complete the Merge
Select the 'Merge' button to confirm the merge and start the process.
Once the record has been merged, you can't restore or undo the merge.If the wrong Contact records were merged, consider recreating the details in a new Contact record and referring to relevant reports if available.