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Managing Duplicate Contacts in Ecanvasser

Contact Database, Duplicates, Contacts, Multiple Contacts

Updated this week

Having duplicate contacts in your database can cause confusion and poor contact management. Manually finding and managing duplicates is both difficult and time-consuming. To solve this, Ecanvasser provides a Duplicates Tool powered by AI that identifies potential duplicate contacts and makes it easy to merge or dismiss them.

When contacts are added from multiple sources, such as uploads, Salesforce, NationBuilder, or the mobile apps, the same person may be entered more than once. The duplicates tool helps you maintain a clean, accurate database without losing valuable data.

How the Duplicates Tool Works

The tool uses AI algorithms to flag potential duplicate contacts based on factors such as:

  • Name

  • Email address

  • Mobile/Cell phone number

  • Date of birth

  • Gender

Exclusions

Two contacts will not be flagged as duplicates if they share a name, email, or phone number, but have:

  • Different dates of birth

  • Different contact IDs

  • Different gender

Accessing the Duplicates Tool

  1. Go to the Database page from the left-hand menu in your dashboard.

  2. Click the ellipsis (three dots) in the top-right corner.

  3. Select Manage Duplicates.

You’ll be brought to the Duplicates Page, where you can review flagged contacts.

Reviewing and Managing Duplicates

  • REVIEW: Opens both contact records in a side-by-side view. Choose which record to keep, then click MERGE. The selected record will remain, and all data (including interactions) from the other record will be merged into it. If duplicate data exists, the selected record’s data takes priority.

    ⚠️ Note: Merging contacts cannot be undone.

  • DISMISS: Removes the pair from the duplicates list without merging.

  • REFRESH LIST: Updates the duplicates list after you’ve completed merges or dismissals.

Duplicate Detection Schedule

  • The system automatically checks for duplicates every day at 7am (Irish Time for non-US customers, Chicago Time for US customers).

  • You’ll also receive an email every Monday if new duplicates are detected.

Why This Matters

The duplicates tool is especially valuable for companies that:

  • Continuously add new contacts, leads, donors, or volunteers

  • Merge datasets from multiple sources

  • Collect contacts via online forms or in-person events

By keeping your database clean and accurate, the tool saves you time, improves data privacy, and ensures database integrity.

If you have any questions please contact support@ecanvasser.com or info@ecanvasser.com

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