Duplicate Client Detection
Duplicate client records create confusion, split your communication history, and make reporting inaccurate. creavio actively prevents duplicates and gives you tools to merge any that slip through.
Automatic Detection
When you add a new client or receive a booking inquiry, creavio checks for existing records that match by:
- Email address: Exact match on primary or secondary email
- Phone number: Normalized match ignoring formatting differences
- Name similarity: Fuzzy matching that catches "Rob" vs "Robert" or minor spelling variations
If a potential duplicate is found, you'll see a warning banner before the record is created. You can choose to merge with the existing record or create a new one if it's genuinely a different person.
Merging Duplicate Records
If duplicates already exist, here's how to merge them:
- Go to Clients and select one of the duplicate records
- Click the three-dot menu and select Merge Client
- Search for and select the other duplicate record
- Choose which fields to keep when values conflict (e.g., different phone numbers)
- Click Merge to combine the records
What Happens During a Merge
When two records merge, creavio combines all associated data:
- All sessions and bookings are preserved under one record
- Email history from both records is combined chronologically
- Invoices, contracts, and galleries are reassigned to the surviving record
- Notes from both records are concatenated
- Tags from both records are combined
Bulk Duplicate Scan
If you imported clients from another platform, you may have duplicates from the start. Go to Clients > Tools > Find Duplicates to run a scan across your entire client list. creavio will group potential duplicates for your review.
The duplicate scan is non-destructive. Nothing is merged automatically. You review every suggestion and decide which records to combine.