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TL;DR

  • A client's reps notice a cleanup the morning after, so tell them before it starts.
  • The email should come from the client, not the consultant, so reps know it's approved.
  • Say what will change, when, what won't change and how to flag a record that must stay as it is.
  • Ask reps for their exceptions before the merge, not complaints after it.
  • Dedupely keeps every merge in Merge History, so you can answer reps' questions with the original records.

When a consultant or agency cleans a client's CRM, the sales team is the group most affected and the least informed. They open the CRM one morning and find fewer records, a few accounts with a new owner and a saved link that doesn't work.

A short email before the cleanup turns that surprise into a plan. It also gives reps a chance to point out the records that must not be merged, which is information the consultant can't get anywhere else. This post covers what to put in the email and includes a template.

Who should send it

The client should send it, usually the sales leader or the CRM owner. Reps trust a message from their own manager more than one from an outside consultant. The consultant writes it; the client sends it, or forwards it with a line of their own.

When to send it

When What
A week before The main email: what's happening, when, and how to flag exceptions
The day before A one-line reminder with the date and time
The day after What changed and where to report a problem

For the day after, What to check after a large merge in your CRM covers what to look at before reps start asking.

What to include

  • Why: one sentence on the problem reps already feel, like calling a customer someone else already called.
  • What changes: duplicate contacts and companies become one record, with the history of both.
  • When: the date, and whether reps should avoid editing records during the merge.
  • What doesn't change: deals, notes and activities stay; they move to the merged record.
  • How to flag exceptions: records that look alike but must stay separate, and by when.
  • Who to ask: one name and one channel.

The template

Fill in the brackets, and agree on the ownership rule with the client before sending.

What to do with the replies

  • Add every exception to the list of records that must never merge.
  • Answer ownership questions with the rule the client approved.
  • Thank people who reply. They're the ones who'll trust the result.

How Dedupely helps with client cleanups

In Dedupely, you can reject the sets reps flag as separate, so they stay out of every future search for that object, including automatic merges. Each client can have its own Duplicate Searches and Merge Rules. After the merge, Merge History shows every merged record with its original values, so when a rep asks "where did my contact go?", you can find it in a minute. Most merges can be undone for 30 days from Merge History, but treat every merge as permanent and use undo for the rare mistake.

Run your next client cleanup

Tell them first

A client's sales team will notice the cleanup either way. Tell them before it happens, from their own manager, with a date, a plain explanation and a way to flag exceptions. Their replies make the merge safer.

Frequently asked questions

How do I tell a client's sales team about a CRM cleanup?

Write a short email for the client's sales leader to send a week before: why, what changes, when, what doesn't change and how to flag exceptions.

Should the consultant or the client send it?

The client. Reps trust a message from their own manager, and it shows the cleanup is approved.

What should reps do before the cleanup?

Reply with records that look like duplicates but must stay separate, like branches or related companies.

Should reps stop using the CRM during the merge?

They can keep working, but ask them to avoid editing records during the merge window if your client's setup allows it.

What if a rep objects after the merge?

Check the merge in your merge history, explain the rule the client approved, and fix it quickly if it was wrong.