Solidarity Tech incorporates several safeguards to prevent the creation of duplicate profiles, ensuring the integrity of your supporter data. However, a form submission still creates a new profile when its phone number and email match no primary value in the organization. This section outlines the mechanisms in place to handle duplicates and provides guidance on identifying and merging them.

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Quick access: In addition to the centralized Duplicates page, you'll also see merge suggestions directly on individual Person profiles. If the system detects potential duplicates for someone, the 'Potential Duplicates' field in the 'Admin' box of their profile shows a link. The link opens the 'Merge Duplicate Accounts' modal, where you pick the primary profile.

Safeguards Against Duplicate Profiles

1. Primary Identifier: Phone Number

   • The primary phone number serves as the unique identifier within an organization.
   • No two profiles in an organization can share a primary phone number. A secondary phone number can match the primary phone number of another profile.

2. Secondary Identifier: Email Address

   • While email addresses act as secondary identifiers, the system allows:
     • Multiple profiles with the same email address but different phone numbers.
     • One profile with a blank phone number and another with a populated phone number.

3. Form Submission Handling

   • Logged-In Users:
     • A form submission signs the person in on that browser only when the page allows it. 'Log In User After Submission' must be on, and 'Don't Recognize Logged-In User' must be off.
     • Later forms can then hide fields for data the profile already has, such as name and phone number.
     • A submission from a signed in person usually updates that person's profile. With 'Don't Recognize Logged-In User' on, the page matches each submission by phone number and email instead.
   • Logged-Out Users:
     • When a form requesting phone or email information is submitted:
       • The system first searches for an existing profile whose primary phone number matches.
       • If no match is found, it searches for a profile whose primary email matches.
       • If neither identifier matches an existing profile, a new profile is created.
       • People who share one email and submit a form with no phone number all update the same profile.

Identifying and Managing Duplicate Profiles

Solidarity Tech provides a dedicated interface for identifying and managing duplicate contacts in your database. This centralized approach makes it easy to maintain data integrity by merging duplicate records.

Accessing the Duplicates Management Page

To open the Duplicates page, go to People, click the "..." (ellipsis) menu at the top right of the People list (the same menu that holds Bulk Update and Export), and choose Duplicates. You can also go directly to /people/duplicates.

The Duplicates page is not in the left sidebar or the main navigation menu. It appears in the menu for a team member with 'Merge People' in the scope they are logged into, such as a chapter. Only the 'Ignore' buttons and the reference file need 'Merge People' for the whole organization.

Understanding the Duplicates Interface

The duplicates page is organized into three main sections:

1. Users Sharing Same Email

This section lists each email address that two or more active profiles share. For each duplicate group, you'll see:

• The shared email address
• The number of occurrences (how many profiles share this email)
• A "Merge" action button

Click 'Merge' to open the 'Merge Duplicate Accounts' modal. The modal shows every profile in the group.

2. Users Sharing Same Full Name

This section lists each full name that two or more active profiles share. For each duplicate group, you'll see:

• The shared full name
• The number of occurrences (how many profiles share this name)
• A "Merge" action button

Click 'Merge' to open the 'Merge Duplicate Accounts' modal, which shows every profile in the group.

3. Users with Phone Number Conflicts

This section lists phone numbers that two or more active profiles share as a primary or a secondary number.

Reference CSV for Smarter Merging

If your 'Merge People' permission covers the whole organization, this box shows at the top of the page:

A reference CSV file helps the system make smarter recommendations when merging duplicate contacts.

This feature allows you to upload a trusted source of contact information that the system can use to make intelligent recommendations when merging duplicates. When you click "Upload or manage reference file," you can:

1. Upload a new reference CSV file
2. Delete the current reference file. The organization has one file, so delete it before you upload a new one.

The reference data is particularly valuable when merging contacts with the same name but different contact information, as it helps determine which information is most likely correct.

Merging Duplicate Profiles

When you click the "Merge" button for any duplicate group, a modal window appears:

This modal provides comprehensive information to help you decide which profile should be the primary one:

Contact Information

For each profile, you'll see:

• Full name and avatar
• Phone number (if available)
  • Call success rate and statistics (if calls have been made)
  • Carrier information (if available)
• Email address (if available)
• Physical address (if available)

Profile Details

Additional information includes:

• Creation date
• Number of activities
• Chapter association

Reference Data Matching

If you've uploaded reference data, the system will:

• Mark with a checkmark icon each email, phone number, or address that matches a reference row with a similar name
• In a 'Users Sharing Same Full Name' group, list reference emails and phone numbers that no profile has
• Recommend a primary profile based on which one best matches your reference data

Making the Merge

To complete the merge:

1. Review all profiles in the modal
2. Click "Choose as Primary" for the profile you want to keep
3. The profiles you merge go into this primary profile, combining their:
   • Activity history
   • Notes
   • Tags
   • Custom fields, only where the primary profile has no value
   • Relationships
   • Communication history

After merging, you'll be returned to the duplicates page with the merged group removed from the list.

Best Practices for Managing Duplicates

• Regular Review: Schedule regular reviews of the duplicates page to maintain data cleanliness
• Reference Data: Keep your reference CSV updated with trusted contact information
• Prioritize: Focus first on duplicates with the highest occurrence counts
• Verify Before Merging: Always review all profile information before merging, as this action cannot be undone
• Consider Activity History: When choosing a primary profile, consider which has the most complete activity history

By consistently managing duplicates, you'll maintain a more accurate supporter database, improve communication effectiveness, and ensure reliable reporting and analytics.