TL;DR
- Two reps often share an account because it exists twice, each record with its own owner.
- Round-robin routing can send repeat inquiries from one customer to several different reps.
- Reps who can't see another rep's account may create a second record for it.
- Merging duplicate accounts with a written owner rule leaves one record and one owner.
- Dedupely finds duplicate accounts and merges them with the owner your team chooses.
Two sales reps usually end up on the same account because it exists twice in the CRM, with a different owner on each record. Each rep sees a record with their name on it, so neither has a reason to think someone else is working the company.
You find out the awkward way. A contact mentions they spoke to your colleague yesterday, or another rep's name shows up on a thread you thought was yours.
In this post, you'll see how the problem shows up from a rep's seat and why your colleague sees a different record. You'll also see what to do when you find one, and how merging settles who owns the account.
How it shows up for reps
Nobody sees a duplicate in the CRM and thinks "ownership problem". You see the symptoms first, usually in front of a customer or a colleague.
- A prospect says someone from your team called them last week.
- You work an account for a few days, then learn another rep owns it.
- An inbound inquiry lands with you, and with two other reps at the same time.
- You can't find a client in search, create it, and later learn it already existed.
- Two of you claim credit for the same deal.
Each of these has the same root: one company, more than one record, more than one owner.
Why you see a different record than your colleague
Causes are case-specific, so not all of these apply to every team. Each one creates a second record for an account that already has an owner.
The company is stored under different names or domains
"Acme", "Acme Inc." and "ACME Corporation" look like one company to you and like three to an exact match. Country domains and rebrands do the same with websites. You search one name, your colleague searched another, and you each found a different record.
Routing treats repeat inquiries as new ones
Round-robin and other routing rules often run on each new record. If a customer inquires twice or a colleague of theirs fills a form, the new record goes to the next rep. How this happens is covered in how lead routing and ownership rules create duplicates.
You can't see an account someone else owns
Some teams limit which records each rep can see. When a search comes back empty, the natural move is to create the account, even though it exists under another rep.
Lists and tools add accounts in bulk
Imports, enrichment tools and prospecting tools add companies when they don't find an exact match. The new account gets whoever ran the import as owner, or an integration user.
What it costs you as a rep
The first cost is time. You research an account, write the first emails and book a call, and then hand it over. One sales manager estimated that the team's account executives spend one or two hours a week sorting out duplicates.
The second cost is how you look to the customer. Two reps from one company, each starting from zero, tells the buyer nobody talks to each other. If the account is already a customer, it's worse, as covered in why sales keeps cold calling existing customers.
The third cost is credit. When two records each carry a deal, the question of who gets paid lands on your manager. That side of it is covered in duplicate records from a sales manager's point of view.
What to do when you find a second record
A rep can't fix duplicates alone, but a few habits keep the damage small and help whoever does fix them.
Search by domain before you create an account
Company names vary; domains vary less. Search by the company's website or the domain in your contact's email before creating anything. If you find a record you can't open, ask before creating another.
Don't settle ownership between reps
Two reps agreeing on a split leaves both records in place, and the next rep runs into the same problem. Tell your manager or the CRM admin which records you found and who owns each one.
Log your work where it can be found
Until the records are merged, note on your record that a duplicate exists and who owns it. When the merge happens, your calls and emails move with it, and the next person sees the full history.
How deduplication settles who owns the account
Ownership gets settled when there's one record. That takes three decisions from the team, usually made by sales leadership and whoever runs the CRM.
Decide which owner wins
A merge keeps one owner, so the rule has to exist before the merge. Common choices are the owner of the oldest record, the owner with the most recent activity, or the owner with an open deal. Owners who left the company should lose to an active rep.
Decide what counts as the same account
What counts as a duplicate is case by case, and what one team considers a duplicate, another may not. A subsidiary with its own buyer may be a separate account with its own owner. Agree on branches, subsidiaries and divisions before you merge them.
Match accounts the way reps miss them
An exact match on company name misses most of the cases above. Matching on the core domain, which ignores everything before and after the domain itself, groups records a name search splits. Adding the company name as a second field keeps unrelated companies apart.
Some teams merge duplicates owned by the same rep in bulk, and send duplicates with different owners to a person for review. That keeps the quick wins quick and the ownership calls deliberate.
How Dedupely gives each account one owner
Dedupely Intelligence finds duplicate companies without any match settings, and its scans run automatically.
You can also build duplicate searches that match accounts on their core domain and name. You set a rule for which owner wins, like the owner of the oldest record, and preview each merge. Contacts, deals and activities move to the surviving account, except where your CRM's API doesn't allow it.
One account, one record, one owner
When two reps work the same account, the CRM usually gave each of them a different record. Neither rep did anything wrong from where they sat.
Reporting what you find, searching by domain and keeping ownership questions with your manager limit the damage. Merging the duplicate accounts with a written owner rule ends it, and every rep sees the same account with the same name on it.
Frequently asked questions
Why do two reps own the same account in our CRM?
Usually because the account exists on two records, each with its own owner. Name variants, routing rules, records reps can't see and bulk imports all create second records. Each rep sees their own record, so neither knows the other is working the company until a customer or deal brings it up.
Who should own an account when two reps have duplicate records?
It depends on your team's rule, so write one down before merging and apply it every time. Common choices are the owner of the oldest record, the rep with the most recent activity or the rep with an open deal. Former employees should lose to active reps.
How do I stop round-robin from sending one company to several reps?
Check for an existing record before a new one enters the round-robin, and send matches to the current owner. Repeat inquiries and second contacts from the same company are the usual cause. Merging existing duplicate accounts also helps, because routing then finds one owner to send them to.
What should a rep do when they find a duplicate account?
Tell your manager or CRM admin which records you found and who owns each one. Don't settle ownership with the other rep or create another record. Note the duplicate on your record so your activity can be moved when the records are merged.
Should a subsidiary be merged into its parent account?
Only if your team treats them as one customer: a subsidiary with its own buyer and budget can be a separate account. One that buys through the parent may belong on its account. Agree on the rule before merging, since it differs from team to team.
Or sign up with Google
