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Introduction

This topic will teach you how to locate duplicate contacts. This form is usually used to locate duplicates that you wish to merge together (using the merge duplicate tool).

Usage

Use this form to scan Total Office Manager and identify duplicate contacts based on search criteria you choose. Once duplicates are identified, you can then merge them – if you wish.

Form Access

  • From the main menu, click Tools | Utilities | Locate\Merge Duplicate Customer:Job

Field Definitions

Criteria

Select what information you want to use to detect a duplicate. Many people use the Address or Contact. You can select several at a time.

 

Show All Active Contacts

Check this box to include contacts that are inactivated.

Buttons

Find

Click this button the locate the duplicates. Experiment with different criteria until you have the results you are looking for.

 

Merge

Click this button to open the Merge Contacts form.

 

Clear

Click this button to clear the form.

Step-By-Step

  1. Open the Find Duplicate form as noted above.

  2. Select the search criteria as needed. You can select multiple criteria if needed. Experiment with different criteria and combinations of criteria. You can’t hurt anything at this point.

  3. Click the Search button to display a list of duplicate contacts.

  4. Once you have located duplicates, you can select the ones you wish to merge. Do this by checking the box on the left hand side of the contact’s row.

  5. If you wish to merge these records, click the Merge Contacts button. Please see the Merge Contacts help topic for more information.

Tips

When entering a new customer, get into the habit of entering the customer name only, then saving immediately to see if a duplicate exists.  Just click the Menu button and choose Save.  If the save is successful, enter the remaining info.

  • If the save is not successful, compare the new name, contact, phone number, address, and any other relevant data to confirm it is not a duplicate of the existing entry.
  • If it is truly is a new customer, consider adding the state abbreviation to the end of the Customer Name field.
  • Alternatively, consider adding extra spaces along with other characters to the end of Customer Name field to make it unique.  Then you will be able to save the entry.
  • If you discover duplicates using another form (like the customer:job list), you may consider adding something in the contact or address 2 field (like XXXX) to help you located them later with this form.