How to correctly identify all duplicates in your CRM

Most CRM users think duplicates are easy to spot: same email, same phone, same company name. But duplicates rarely show up that cleanly; they usually hide behind spelling variations, formatting differences, and missing fields - and if you don’t catch them correctly at the matching stage, every merge that follows is risky.

This guide shows you how to identify duplicates with confidence. You’ll learn the difference between obvious and hidden duplicates, which fields are most reliable, how match options work, and how to test your setup before automating.

What’s the difference between obvious and hidden duplicates?

• Obvious duplicates are straightforward: two records with the same email address, phone number, or domain. They can be matched safely and merged without hesitation.
• Hidden duplicates are trickier:
  • “Chris Johnson” vs “Christopher Johnson”
  • “Brightline Technologies” vs “Bright Line Tech”
  • One record has a work email, another has a mobile number, both belong to the same person

Obvious duplicates are rare. Hidden duplicates are where most of the cleanup effort lives, and where matching logic matters most.

Which fields are most reliable for finding duplicates?

Even though some fields are strong identifiers, we recommend using at least two fields combined.

• Strong when paired:
  • First Name + Last name + Email
  • Company name + Address + Zip Code
  • First Name + Last Name + Phone
• Unreliable fields:
  • Job title
  • Notes
  • Free-text fields

What match options are safest to start with?

In Dedupely, you choose match options for each field you rely on, so you can decide what a duplicate is. Available match options include:

• Exact match: Fields must match exactly
• Similar match: Catches small differences in spelling.
• Fuzzy match: Detects close variations, like “Chris” vs “Christopher.”
• Similar Word (Any Order) match: Finds matches where words are rearranged (e.g., “Brightline Technologies” vs “Technologies Brightline”).
• Domain Rootmatch: Strips subdomains to match on the core domain (e.g., “mail.greenfield.io” vs “greenfield.io”).

Best practice:

• Start with Exact match on First Name + Last Name + Email
• Add Similar/Fuzzy for names and company names once you’ve tested accuracy.
• Use Domain Root for companies to catch format differences.

You can save these in Search Pads that you can reuse. That way, you don’t rebuild logic each time.

How do I test my match setup to avoid false positives or negatives?

Matching logic needs testing before you can trust it at scale. Here’s a simple loop:

1. Run a scan with your chosen match options.
2. Review 5-10 matched pairs manually.
3. Mark which are true duplicates and which are false matches.
4. If false matches appear, tighten thresholds or add supporting fields.
5. Re-run the scan until results are consistently accurate.
6. Once confident, save the logic as a Search Pad for repeat use.

Testing prevents two common risks: merging different people by mistake (false positives) and missing duplicates entirely (false negatives).

Good matches are the foundation of safe merges

Deduplication starts with matching and without strong match logic, merges are either unsafe or incomplete.

When you use reliable fields, apply the right match options, and test your setup, you can surface true duplicates consistently. Search Pads then let you repeat the process without starting from scratch.