# Contact merge preview and assignment

Review competing contact details before assigning a visitor or merging contacts.

*Release 3.3 · operator, visitor*

## 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

1. Open the conflict notification and compare the available contacts.
2. If the visitor belongs to one existing contact, inspect it and use **Assign** where offered.
3. If the records are the same person, open **Merge Preview** and check the combined values.
4. Where the combined values exceed the field limit, select the values to retain. The standard limit is ten.
5. 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

### This feature uses

- **Requires** [Customer contact details](CRM-001.md): Review and merge operate on contact profiles and their values.
- **Configured in** [Virtual Assistant task data fields](ENG-012.md): Visitor/contact field definitions determine which merged values support multiple entries.
- **Configured in** [Customer identity and conversation visibility permissions](SEC-016.md): Personal-data permission controls visibility of the conflict notification and contact details.
- **Works better with** [Contact matching](CRM-003.md): Identity matching identifies contacts that may need review.
- **Works better with** [Customer contact identities across channels](CRM-005.md): Merging contacts also moves their channel identity associations.
- **Works better with** [Contact change history](CRM-008.md): History records merge and association changes.
- **Related** [Contact opt-in and blocking](CRM-007.md): Check communication permissions after merging because an opt-in can survive from either contact.
- **Related** [Customer data deletion and recovery](SEC-019.md): Deleted contacts cannot be assigned or merged through the contact controls.

### Used by

- **Configures** [Personal data export](SEC-014.md): Contact assignments determine which linked visitor conversations a contact export gathers.
- **Configures** [Customer data deletion and recovery](SEC-019.md): Contact assignments determine which linked visitors are included in a contact deletion.
- **Configures** [Personal data retention and automatic deletion](SEC-021.md): Contact assignments determine which linked visitors must be processed before an old contact is cleared.
- **Enhances** [Favourite visitors](VIS-015.md): Linked visitor identities extend favourite changes to the same customer's other linked visitors.
- **Enhances** [Customer notes and reminders](VIS-016.md): Notes include records associated with linked visitor identities in the same website.
- **Enhances** [Visitor browsing and activity history](VIS-020.md): Linked visitor identities extend the browsing and conversation timeline.
- **Enhances** [Floor search and filters](CON-007.md): Linked visitor identities can be grouped in prior-engagement results.
- **Enhances** [Visitor and conversation information panels](CON-017.md): Assigning or unlinking contacts changes the customer associated with the visitor.
- **Enhances** [Existing answers in Virtual Assistant tasks](ENG-013.md): An email submitted during pre-chat can produce an identity conflict for review.
- **Enhances** [Conversation history tools for AI](AI-038.md): Linked contact identities can extend lookup beyond the current visitor identity.
- **Enhances** [Messaging conversations](CHN-002.md): Contact linking and conflict review manage identities that belong to the same person.
- **Enhances** [Visitor data mapping for customer identity](CRM-002.md): Competing identities can require contact review.
- **Enhances** [Contact matching](CRM-003.md): Conflicting matches can be reviewed and resolved by an operator.
- **Enhances** [Customer contact identities across channels](CRM-005.md): Contact linking and merging can change channel associations.
- **Enhances** [Contact opt-in and blocking](CRM-007.md): A contact merge can affect the resulting communication permissions.
- **Enhances** [Contact change history](CRM-008.md): Merge, link and unlink actions contribute association history.
- **Related** [Merging tickets and related conversations](CHAT-026.md): Linking a conversation to a ticket can also change its linked contact.

## 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.