Small business operations guide
A careful way to outsource contact deduplication
Find likely duplicate contacts while preserving history and leaving merge decisions with the record owner.
Quick answer
A duplicate review compares identifiers, names, contact details, source records, and the evidence that two records may describe one person.
Use a named record, an approved handoff, and a clear owner decision point. The U.S. Small Business Administration business guidance provides broader context for organizing this kind of work.
What to set up first
- use approved matching fields and thresholds
- keep both source records visible during review
- separate a likely duplicate from a name or household collision
Keep the boundary clear
Do not merge records, delete history, or reveal unrelated personal details to resolve uncertainty.
How to tell whether it is working
Track pairs reviewed, likely matches, and merges awaiting approval.
Owner review question
Which part of contact deduplication is a repeatable record update, and which decision should remain with the owner?