Overview

Duplicate contact records are a common data quality issue that can lead to miscommunication, missed follow-ups, and inaccurate reporting. Wealthbox provides two tools to address this:

• Reports — to surface duplicate records based on matching criteria such as name or email address
• Merge Duplicates — to combine two records into a single, consolidated contact

Please use this feature with caution, as merged contacts cannot be unmerged.

Part 1: Create a Report to Identify Duplicates

A saved Contacts report lets you filter and sort your records so that duplicates are easy to spot. Once built, the report stays active and updates in real time as you work through your merges.

1. Navigate to Reports — From the left sidebar, select Reports, then click + New Report.
2. Select the Contacts object — Choose Contacts as the report type to pull in all contact records.
3. Add relevant columns to the display fields — Include fields such as Name (which combines first and last name for people records), Email Address, and Phone Number — the fields most likely to reveal duplicates.
4. Apply filters — Add filter conditions to narrow results. It is recommended to filter by "Type" since you can only merge like record types (People, Household, Organization, or Trust records).
5. Apply Grouping — Add the field you would like to group by to identify duplicates based on that field. If name is the most commonly duplicated field, group by "Name."
6. Sort the results — Sort by Last Name or Email Address so that matching or similar records appear next to each other, making duplicates easier to identify at a glance.
7. Save the report — Give the report a descriptive name (e.g., "Duplicate Contacts Review") and save it. You can return to this report at any time as you work through your list.

Part 2: Merge Duplicate Same-Type Records

Once you have identified a pair of duplicate contacts in your report, use the Merge Duplicates feature to combine them into a single record.

1. Open the primary record — From your report results, click on the contact you want to keep as the primary (master) record.
2. Access the Merge option — On the contact's record page, click the Options menu in the top right corner and select Find Duplicates.
3. Search for the duplicate — In the merge dialog, search for and select the duplicate record you want to merge into the primary contact.
4. Review and confirm field values — Wealthbox will display the fields from both records side by side. Select which value to keep for each field, then click Merge to complete the process.
5. Return to your report — Navigate back to your saved report. Refresh the report and the merged record will no longer appear as a duplicate. Continue working through the remaining items on your list.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I merge contacts of different types?

No. Wealthbox only allows merging of like record types. A Person contact cannot be merged with a Household, and Trust contact types cannot be merged using the Find Duplicates tool. Trust contact types cannot be merged using the Find Duplicates tool.

Q: How do I merge contacts synced with LPL ClientWorks?

The merge duplicate feature cannot be used while a contact record is linked in ClientWorks. To resolve duplicate records, first unlink the contact in LPL by clicking Unlink from Wealthbox. This disconnects the ClientWorks and Wealthbox records. Next, return to Wealthbox to merge the duplicates. Once the merge is complete, go back to LPL and select Link to Wealthbox to reconnect the contact.

Q: Can a merge be undone?

No. Merged contacts cannot be unmerged. Review all field selections carefully before clicking Merge to confirm.