If you have duplicate contacts in CRM – you can merge them together into 1 contact, without losing any of the data associated with either of them. All notes, activities, and information attached to either, can now be consolidated into just 1 contact.
For example, maybe the 2 duplicate contacts have different email addresses – you can have both emails go into the one, “master contact” record. So you would end up with Email and Email 2. All the data from both records now in one.
Here’s How to Merge 2 Contacts in Dynamics CRM
1. First, in your Account, if you notice duplicate contacts, go to the Contact Associated View by clicking on the grid box in the Contacts area.
2. Place checkmarks next to the 2 contacts to merge together
If you have 3 or more of the same contact, you can merge them, but 2 at a time – you will just have to go through the Merge process a few times.
3. Click on MERGE at the top
The Merge screen will show you the information for both contacts, side-by-side. Select what you want to be shown in the output. For example, if you have a job title for one, and it’s blank for the other, make sure you select the job title.
4. Once all the buttons are selected appropriately, click on OK at the bottom
You will then get a box stating the system is Merging Records… please wait. Depending on the amount of information CRM has to merge together, the time will vary for this. Once the Merge is complete, you will see another message box.
What does this message mean? Reading this message after you merge, it’s telling us that we now have 1 master contact record, with our information; however, if needed, the other contact is deactivated. If there was an issue, you could always go find the deactivated contact and retrieve information or activate it again. No worries – we won’t lose any data doing a merge in Dynamics CRM.
5. Click on OK and you are done.
6. Repeat the process as needed.You can also do this Merge for Accounts, Leads, Opportunities, and other places in Dynamics CRM.Just look for the “Merge” button on the toolbar when you select 2 items in a list.
If you need more information, watch this quick video on How to Merge 2 Contacts in Dynamics CRM or get ahold of us at Marketing@Crestwood.com.
