Duplicate plumbing leads across calls and forms

The decision to make first

The same customer may call, submit a website form and use chat, leaving the office with several records that look like separate jobs. Define a cautious duplicate-review rule that considers time and request context, rather than merging every inquiry with the same phone number.

What the handoff should contain

Retain source, received time, supplied contact details, service location and the original record references involved in any proposed match.

Suggested wording to approve

Example wording: “It looks as though this may relate to an earlier request. The office can review the connection while preserving any new information you provide.”

Test the difficult case

Test one caller using two channels, a property manager submitting two properties and a genuinely new request from a repeat customer. Do not merge different properties, household members or unrelated problems simply because they share a callback number.

Worked example

Fictional example: A property manager submits two different addresses using the same phone number. The duplicate rule should preserve two service inquiries, while repeated submissions for the same address and issue can be flagged for review. A simple phone-number merge would hide a genuine job, so the test needs both cases side by side.

Review it in operation

Review both missed duplicates and incorrect merges, because reducing record count is not useful if distinct service needs disappear.

Check before you launch

• Define a cautious duplicate-review rule that considers time and request context, rather than merging every inquiry with the same phone number.
• Retain source, received time, supplied contact details, service location and the original record references involved in any proposed match.
• Test one caller using two channels, a property manager submitting two properties and a genuinely new request from a repeat customer.
• Review both missed duplicates and incorrect merges, because reducing record count is not useful if distinct service needs disappear.

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