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How Form Submissions Fill in Missing Email or Phone on Existing Contacts

When a form submission matches an existing contact, LeadCenter can fill in a missing Email or Phone on that contact using the value from the new submission. Existing values are not replaced.

When This Happens

This applies when a form submission matches an existing contact using LeadCenter’s duplicate-matching rules. If the existing contact has a blank email or phone field, LeadCenter fills in the missing value from the new submission.

• If Email is blank and the form submission includes an email, LeadCenter adds that email to the contact.
• If Phone is blank and the form submission includes a phone number, LeadCenter adds that phone number to the contact.
• If the contact already has a value in either field, that existing value stays as-is.

LeadCenter fills in missing contact details only. It does not overwrite an existing email address or phone number.

Where This Applies

• External Forms on third-party websites using the LeadCenter script
• Form Builder public forms and embedded Form Builder forms
• LeadCenter-hosted website forms

How It Works

1. A visitor submits a form.
2. LeadCenter checks whether the submission matches an existing contact.
3. If a matching contact is found, LeadCenter reviews the contact’s current email and phone fields.
4. If one of those fields is blank and the submission includes that value, LeadCenter fills in the missing field.
5. If no matching contact is found, LeadCenter creates a new contact as usual.

What Does Not Change

• Existing email addresses are not overwritten.
• Existing phone numbers are not overwritten.
• Appointment booking and event registration submissions are not changed by this behavior.
• CSV imports and other non-form contact creation methods are not affected.

Workflows and Contact Updates

If a missing email or phone field is filled in by a form submission, LeadCenter treats that as a contact update.

• Lead Updated workflows can run when that backfill changes the contact.
• Connected tools that listen for contact updates receive the change the same way they would for any other contact edit.
• The form submission still stays attached to the matched contact.

Example

A contact record already exists for Jane Smith with a phone number on file but no email address. Jane submits a website form using the same identifying details and includes her email address.

After the submission:

• No duplicate contact is created.
• Jane’s existing contact record keeps its current phone number.
• Her missing email field is filled in from the form submission.
• The submission appears on her record as a form submission.

Related Articles

• Capturing Leads from Website Forms
• Form Submission Triggered Workflows