Pipeline

Duplicate lead merge

When Flowforce merges vs creates a new lead — forms, import, and manual add.

5 min readUpdated June 2026

Merge rules

Flowforce matches existing leads by email first, then phone. A match merges 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

After a merge

  • Timeline shows a **Submitted [form]** or import activity on the existing lead
  • Assignee and cadence automations run per form or ingest rules
  • Filter Leads by **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

Common issues

  • Submission succeeded but no new lead — merged into existing; check assignee's leads
  • Wrong lead merged — contact support with submission time and form name

Ready to try this in FlowForce?

Start free — set up your workspace and follow along with this guide.