Before you begin
Duplicate handling protects your team from working the same person twice. Flowforce usually matches by email first, then phone.
Merge rules
A match merges new activity into the existing record instead of creating a duplicate.
- Form submissions — visitor accepts consent; merge when email or phone matches
- CSV import — preview shows likely merges before you confirm
- Manual add — duplicate warning when contact info matches
- Inbox or capture workflows — link to an existing person when Flowforce finds one
After a merge
- Timeline shows the new form, import, or capture activity on the existing record
- Assignee and cadence automations run per form or ingest rules
- Filter Contacts or Leads by source or form to find merged submissions
When to create new anyway
- Different person sharing a household phone — use judgment; update phone or create with distinct email
- Test submissions — use a sandbox workspace or test assignee
What you should see
A merged submission or import row should not create a second person. It should add the new activity to the existing timeline and preserve the previous history.
Common issues
- Submission succeeded but no new record — it may have merged into an existing contact or lead
- Wrong record merged — contact support with submission time, source, and form or import name
- Household shares a phone — use distinct emails or review manually before merging