Help Center

Merge Contacts

The Merge Contacts feature helps you combine duplicate contact records into one clean profile. When you merge contacts, you choose one primary contact to keep, and the selected duplicate records are merged into it.

Important: Merging cannot be undone. Always confirm that the correct primary contact is selected before you merge.

Overview

LeadCenter can flag contacts as possible duplicates when they share the same primary email or primary phone number. When duplicates are found, you can review them and merge them into a single contact record.

Note: Contacts that are linked as family/household members, primary contacts, or professional contacts may be excluded from duplicate detection even if they share the same primary email or primary phone.

During the merge:

• The primary contact is kept
• Activity and related records from the duplicate contacts are moved to the primary contact
• The duplicate contacts are no longer accessible in LeadCenter after the merge

How to Open the Merge Page

There are three ways to open the merge page:

Option 1: From the Duplicates tab

1. Open the contact you want to keep as the primary.
2. In the left sidebar, under Miscellaneous, click Duplicates.
3. Review the duplicate contacts listed there.
4. Click the green Merge button.

If the contact has been flagged as a possible duplicate, you may also see a warning banner at the top of the contact details page linking you to the Duplicates tab.

Option 2: From the contact Actions menu

1. Open the contact you want to keep as the primary.
2. In the top-right corner of the contact details page, click Actions.
3. Select Merge.

Option 3: From the Contacts or Pipelines list

1. Go to the Contacts page or the Pipelines page.
2. Find the contact you want to keep as the primary.
3. Open the row actions menu.
4. Select Merge.

Tip: All three options open the same merge page. The contact you start from is set as the primary contact by default. If needed, you can change the primary contact on the merge page using Make primary contact.

How to Complete the Merge

1. Open the merge page using one of the options above.
2. Review the primary contact at the top.
3. If needed, click Make primary contact on a different record.
4. Select the duplicate contacts you want to merge.
5. Click Merge.
6. In the confirmation pop-up, click Yes, Merge Contacts.

What Data Moves to the Primary Contact

When contacts are merged, LeadCenter moves related activity and records from the duplicates into the primary contact, including:

• Appointments and calendar entries
• Accounts
• Event registrations
• Notes
• Tasks
• Emails and drafts
• Documents
• Phone calls and transcriptions
• Text messages
• Form submissions
• Tags
• SMS keyword subscriptions
• Redtail activities

LeadCenter also brings over unique contact details from the duplicate, such as additional email addresses, phone numbers, addresses, websites, and social links.

What Will Not Be Replaced During the Merge

LeadCenter keeps the primary contact’s main profile details. The duplicate contact’s versions of these fields do not replace the primary contact:

• Basic info such as name, primary email, and primary phone
• Pipeline stage
• Lead source
• Owner

For custom fields, if the primary contact’s field is empty and the duplicate has a value, LeadCenter uses the duplicate’s value. If both have values, the primary contact’s value is kept.

Important: The duplicate contact’s versions of the fields above are not preserved in a way you can recover from the UI after the merge. If you need to keep any of that information, make the correct record the primary contact before merging, or copy the values you need first.

How Marketing Opt-Outs Behave During a Merge

When you merge contacts, LeadCenter keeps the most restrictive marketing opt-out settings on the surviving primary contact. This helps make sure unsubscribe and opt-out preferences are still respected after the merge.

The rule is simple: if either contact has an opt-out enabled, the primary contact keeps that opt-out enabled after the merge. A merge never removes an existing restriction.

Opt-Out Fields Affected

Locked Opt-Out Fields

Some opt-out fields can become locked when a contact unsubscribes through an email unsubscribe link or sends STOP by text. If either merged contact has a locked opt-out field, the primary contact keeps that field locked after the merge.

Field Not Affected

• Marketing text opt in — this opt-in setting is not turned off by a merge

Where to Verify After the Merge

1. Check the Opt outs section in the contact masthead at the top of the contact detail page.
2. Scroll down on the Overview tab to the Marketing opts in card.

Example: If the primary contact has Don’t email enabled, and the duplicate contact has Don’t call and Don’t mass email enabled, the merged contact will keep all three restrictions after the merge.

What Happens to Redtail and Wealthbox Links

If one of the duplicate contacts is linked to Redtail or Wealthbox, LeadCenter shows a warning before the merge.

When you continue:

• The duplicate contact’s connection to Redtail or Wealthbox is removed from LeadCenter
• The contact record in Redtail or Wealthbox is not deleted or modified
• The primary contact’s CRM connection is not affected

Note: You do not need to disconnect Redtail or Wealthbox before merging. LeadCenter handles the duplicate contact’s CRM disassociation during the merge.

How Household Relationships Are Handled

If the duplicate contact is part of a household, LeadCenter updates household relationships automatically as part of the merge. This can include transferring spouse references, adjusting head-of-household roles, or moving remaining family members to the surviving contact’s household when needed.

How LeadCenter Handles Household Relationships

When a merged contact is part of a household, LeadCenter follows these rules:

1. If the surviving contact does not already belong to a household — the surviving contact takes over the merged contact’s household role, and the rest of the household stays together.
2. If the surviving contact already has a household and the merged contact’s household includes a spouse — the spouse is automatically promoted to Head of Household, and the rest of that household stays in place.
3. If the surviving contact already has a household and the merged contact’s household has no spouse, only children or other dependents — the remaining family members are automatically moved into the surviving contact’s household.
4. If the merged contact’s household has no other members left — the empty household is deleted automatically.

Example

Suppose you have:

• Household A — John Smith (Head of Household) and Emma Smith (Child)
• Household B — James Wilson (Head of Household) and Sarah Wilson (Spouse)

If you merge John Smith into James Wilson:

• John’s household has no spouse, only a child
• Emma Smith is automatically moved to James Wilson’s household
• The original household is deleted if it becomes empty
• James Wilson’s household now includes James, Sarah, and Emma

What Is Preserved

• Relationship types — children remain children, grandchildren remain grandchildren, and other family roles stay the same
• Contact data — appointments, notes, tasks, accounts, emails, and other contact-related records stay intact for moved family members
• Household visibility — the surviving contact’s household updates immediately after the merge

Where to Verify After the Merge

1. Open the surviving contact and review the Family tab.
2. Open any moved child or dependent and review their Family tab.
3. Review the household list to confirm the old empty household no longer appears.

Important: This automatic reassignment prevents children and other dependents from being left behind in a household with no head of household after a merge.

What Can Prevent a Merge

The merge can be blocked if a selected duplicate has:

• A Financial Questionnaire submission
• Been set as the primary contact for another lead

If that happens, resolve the issue first, then retry the merge.

What Happens to the Duplicate Contact After the Merge

• The duplicate contact no longer appears in searches, contact lists, reports, or pipelines
• The duplicate contact can no longer be opened from the UI
• Old direct links to the duplicate contact will no longer open the contact record
• Only the primary contact remains accessible in LeadCenter

Troubleshooting

• No duplicates found: Open the Duplicates tab and use the search box to search by ID, first name, last name, email, or phone.
• Merge is blocked: Check whether the duplicate has a Financial Questionnaire or is set as the primary contact on another lead.
• I chose the wrong primary contact: Before confirming the merge, use Make primary contact on the record you want to keep.

Best Practices

• Choose the contact with the most accurate basic information as the primary contact
• Review the duplicate records carefully before merging
• Check CRM links before merging if the records are connected to Redtail or Wealthbox
• Review the primary contact after the merge to confirm the expected data moved over

FAQs

Can I undo a merge?

No. Merging is permanent and cannot be undone.

Can I merge multiple duplicates at once?

Yes. You can select multiple duplicate contacts and merge them into the primary contact in one action.

Will the merge delete the contact in Redtail or Wealthbox?

No. The external CRM contact is not deleted. Only the duplicate’s connection from LeadCenter is removed.

Will the primary contact’s CRM connection be affected?

No. The primary contact’s Redtail or Wealthbox connection stays in place.

Does merging trigger workflows?

It may. After a merge, the primary contact is updated, which can trigger workflows or other automations that run on contact updates.

Need help? Contact support@leadcenter.ai.