Duplicate Detection
Duplicate detection scans your database to identify records that represent the same person, company, or entity. It catches exact matches as well as near-matches where data entry variations, imports from different sources, and inconsistent formatting have created multiple records for the same entity.
Most CRMs have a 10-30% duplicate rate and the number grows with every list import, web form submission, and integration sync. Built-in CRM duplicate detection catches obvious matches but misses the subtle ones that cause the most damage to reporting and outreach.
What We Detect
- Exact matches. Identical emails, phone numbers, or company names across records. The easy ones that still slip through CRM detection.
- Fuzzy matches. Robert vs Bob, Deloitte vs Deloitte Consulting LLP, (612) 555-1234 vs 6125551234. Variations in formatting and naming that represent the same entity.
- Cross-object matches. A lead and a contact that are the same person. An account and a lead company that are the same business. Duplicates hiding across different CRM objects.
- Household and company-level matches. Multiple contacts at the same company with slightly different company name spellings, or the same person appearing as both a personal and work contact.
Detection Deliverables
- A complete duplicate report with match confidence scores and recommended merge actions
- Grouped duplicate clusters so you can see all records that match before deciding what to merge
- Match reasoning that shows exactly why two records were flagged as potential duplicates
- Priority ranking so you can tackle high-confidence duplicates first and review edge cases later
Common Questions
How is this different from my CRM's built-in duplicate detection?
CRM duplicate detection typically matches on exact email or exact name plus company. We use fuzzy matching, cross-field matching, and cross-object matching that catches 3-5x more duplicates. We also normalize data before matching, so 'IBM' and 'International Business Machines' get flagged as the same company.
Do you automatically merge duplicates or just flag them?
We flag and recommend. You get a report showing every duplicate pair with a confidence score and suggested merge action. High-confidence duplicates can be auto-merged if you choose, but we never merge without your approval. You stay in control of what happens to your data.
How long does duplicate detection take for a large database?
Most databases under 100,000 records are scanned within 24-48 hours. Larger databases take proportionally longer because the matching comparison grows with record count. We prioritize by confidence so you can start reviewing high-confidence matches while we finish scanning the full dataset.
Related: All Data Cleaning | Data Cleaning Services | Crm Data Cleaning | Data Validation