Contact merge preview and assignment
Review competing contact details before assigning a visitor or merging contacts.
What it is
Merge Preview lets you compare contact information before combining records. You can also assign a visitor to an existing contact or unlink a visitor from its current contact. These actions affect which customer profile INSIDE uses for the visitor.
Who uses it and why
Operators review possible duplicates and correct contact associations. Visitors do not use the merge controls, but the result affects the information and history associated with their visits.
Where to find it
In the visitor panel, open matching contacts found! when it appears. The visitor menu also includes Assign Contact and Unlink Contact. Conflict screens can show Choose a Contact, Current, Conflicting and Merge Preview, depending on the candidates.
How it works
- Open the conflict notification and compare the available contacts.
- If the visitor belongs to one existing contact, inspect it and use Assign where offered.
- If the records are the same person, open Merge Preview and check the combined values.
- Where the combined values exceed the field limit, select the values to retain. The standard limit is ten.
- Confirm Merge only after checking the customer and communication permissions.
Opening the preview does not commit the merge. Confirming it combines the source contacts into the selected contact, moves linked visitors and channel identities, and brings earlier contact history into the remaining record. Associated visitors refresh and their resolved conflict indicators clear.
Unlink Contact separates the selected visitor from its current contact association and clears leftover visitor identity details that could immediately match it again. Read any deletion warning before confirming.
Configure it
There is no separate merge settings screen. Your contact field definitions and value limits apply during review. Personal-data permission is needed to see the native conflict notification.
Sites using an external CRM have their own contact lookup and association actions. The native matching contacts found! notification is not shown for those CRM set-ups.
Limits and good to know
- Merge only after confirming that the records represent the same person. Matching addresses alone are not proof.
- The operator interface prevents merging or assigning a contact marked as deleted.
- Consent is not always resolved by keeping the most restrictive value. Review the resulting address permissions.
- Unlink Contact is not an undo for a completed contact merge.
- Merging contacts and merging tickets are separate operations.
Depends on and works with
+9 more · used by
- Messaging conversationsEnhances
Contact linking and conflict review manage identities that belong to the same person.
- Visitor data mapping for customer identityEnhances
Competing identities can require contact review.
- Contact matchingEnhances
Conflicting matches can be reviewed and resolved by an operator.
- Customer contact identities across channelsEnhances
Contact linking and merging can change channel associations.
- Contact opt-in and blockingEnhances
A contact merge can affect the resulting communication permissions.
- Contact change historyEnhances
Merge, link and unlink actions contribute association history.
- Personal data exportConfigured by
Contact assignments determine which linked visitor conversations a contact export gathers.
- Customer data deletion and recoveryConfigured by
Contact assignments determine which linked visitors are included in a contact deletion.
- Personal data retention and automatic deletionConfigured by
Contact assignments determine which linked visitors must be processed before an old contact is cleared.
View all connections as a list
This feature uses
- Customer contact detailsRequires
Review and merge operate on contact profiles and their values.
- Contact matchingEnhances
Identity matching identifies contacts that may need review.
- Customer contact identities across channelsEnhances
Merging contacts also moves their channel identity associations.
- Contact opt-in and blockingRelated
Check communication permissions after merging because an opt-in can survive from either contact.
- Contact change historyEnhances
History records merge and association changes.
- Virtual Assistant task data fieldsConfigured by
Visitor/contact field definitions determine which merged values support multiple entries.
- Customer identity and conversation visibility permissionsConfigured by
Personal-data permission controls visibility of the conflict notification and contact details.
- Customer data deletion and recoveryRelated
Deleted contacts cannot be assigned or merged through the contact controls.
Used by
- Favourite visitorsEnhances
Linked visitor identities extend favourite changes to the same customer's other linked visitors.
- Customer notes and remindersEnhances
Notes include records associated with linked visitor identities in the same website.
- Visitor browsing and activity historyEnhances
Linked visitor identities extend the browsing and conversation timeline.
- Floor search and filtersEnhances
Linked visitor identities can be grouped in prior-engagement results.
- Visitor and conversation information panelsEnhances
Assigning or unlinking contacts changes the customer associated with the visitor.
- Merging tickets and related conversationsRelated
Linking a conversation to a ticket can also change its linked contact.
- Existing answers in Virtual Assistant tasksEnhances
An email submitted during pre-chat can produce an identity conflict for review.
- Conversation history tools for AIEnhances
Linked contact identities can extend lookup beyond the current visitor identity.
- Messaging conversationsEnhances
Contact linking and conflict review manage identities that belong to the same person.
- Visitor data mapping for customer identityEnhances
Competing identities can require contact review.
- Contact matchingEnhances
Conflicting matches can be reviewed and resolved by an operator.
- Customer contact identities across channelsEnhances
Contact linking and merging can change channel associations.
- Contact opt-in and blockingEnhances
A contact merge can affect the resulting communication permissions.
- Contact change historyEnhances
Merge, link and unlink actions contribute association history.
- Personal data exportConfigured by
Contact assignments determine which linked visitor conversations a contact export gathers.
- Customer data deletion and recoveryConfigured by
Contact assignments determine which linked visitors are included in a contact deletion.
- Personal data retention and automatic deletionConfigured by
Contact assignments determine which linked visitors must be processed before an old contact is cleared.
FAQ and troubleshooting
Does opening Merge Preview change the contacts?
No. The preview shows the proposed combined information. The merge happens when you confirm Merge.
Why must I choose values before merging?
The combined records contain more values than the permitted number for a field. Select at least one value and stay within the displayed limit.
Why can't I see the matching-contacts notification?
It requires personal-data permission and a relevant conflict. Sites using Salesforce, Zendesk or Dynamics 365 use their CRM contact controls instead of this native notification.
Will unlinking delete the contact?
INSIDE can display a deletion warning for an association that depends on this visitor. Treat that warning seriously and ask Powerfront to review it if retaining the contact is essential.
Can I use Unlink Contact to reverse a merge?
No. It separates a visitor association; it does not restore the original contacts and divide their merged history.