Migrations & Acquisitions
Bring Two Companies' Customers into One Clean CRM
Choose a source of truth, match the customers both companies share, keep separate offices apart, and decide who owns every account before anything merges.
What we hear from teams after an acquisition
6%
5%
5%
Why acquisitions create duplicates
Two companies in the same market often sell to the same customers. Each one kept those customers under its own names, owners and IDs, so when the data is combined, every shared customer arrives twice, along with the duplicates each side already had.
- Same customer, different records: one company has "Acme Inc." at acme.com, the other has "ACME" at acme.co.uk.
- Two owners for one account: a rep from each company has been working the same customer.
- Offices that look like duplicates: regional offices and subsidiaries share a name or a domain, and some of them need to stay separate.
- Fields that don't line up: each company tracked lifecycle stages, regions and IDs its own way.
How Dedupely compares for acquisitions
| Criterion | Native CRM tools | Other dedupe tools | Custom scripts | Dedupely |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matching the same customer under different names | Most compare a set list of fields. A few let you edit the matching rules, with limits. | Most offer fuzzy matching, with varying options. | Possible, with custom logic for each field. | Match on any fields, with Domain Root, Similar Words and Ignored Terms for names like "Acme Inc." and "ACME". |
| Keeping offices and subsidiaries apart | Depends on each CRM's matching rules, which are hard to change in most. | Most let you add fields to a match. | Possible, if every exception is written into the logic. | Add City or Country as an Exact field, or reject the match so it stays out of future searches. |
| Deciding which owner survives | Few let you save a rule for which owner wins, so it's decided one merge at a time. | Most offer merge rules, with varying detail. | Whatever the script is written to do. | A Merge Rule on the owner field, like "the owner of the oldest record wins". |
| Reviewing with both teams | Most show duplicate suggestions to review one pair or set at a time. | Most let you preview merges, and some offer a review queue. | Only if you build one. | A Manual Review queue for account owners from both companies, with unlimited users on every plan. |
| Combining two CRMs | Each CRM dedupes its own records. The other company's data comes in through an import. | Most match within one CRM, across objects rather than across systems. | Possible, with custom logic for both systems. | Merges both companies' exports as CSV files before import, and matches across the HubSpot–Salesforce sync. |
Native CRM tools as of October 2026, from the help documentation of HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Close, Nimble and Google Contacts.
How to merge two companies' CRM data in four steps
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Step 1Decide
Which CRM should be the source of truth after an acquisition?
Choose one CRM to keep, and decide for each object (companies, contacts, deals) whose records and values win when both companies have them. Clean each side before you combine them.
- Connect each CRM to Dedupely and merge its own duplicates first, so old duplicates don't move over.
- Bringing the other company's data in? Upload its exports as CSV files, merge them, and import one clean file. See Migrate to a new CRM without duplicates for the move itself.
- Agree on the matching field for each object: email for people, website domain for companies.
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Step 2Match
How do you find customers both companies had without merging separate offices?
Match companies on their domain root and the words in their name, then add a location field set to Exact to keep offices apart. Whether offices should merge is your call, account by account.
- Use Domain Root so acme.com and acme.co.uk match, and Similar Words with Ignored Terms so "Acme Inc." matches "ACME".
- Add City, Country or a region field as Exact for offices you track separately. Leave it out where you want them merged.
- Reject matches that aren't duplicates, like a franchise or reseller, so they stay out of every future search.
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Step 3Own
Who should own an account that both companies had?
Decide it once, as a rule, before you merge: for example, the owner of the oldest record keeps the account. Then set a Merge Rule so every merge follows that decision.
- Set a Win Rule on the owner field in Merge Rules, like Create Date "is oldest", so the original owner stays.
- Set field-level rules for lifecycle stage, region and other fields each company tracked differently.
- Check the Merge Preview column in View Match Details before you merge.
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Step 4Review
How do you review unclear matches with both teams?
Bulk merge the clear duplicates, and send the unclear ones to Manual Review for the account owners from both companies to decide.
- Invite people from both companies, with no per-user fees. See Users.
- Send matches to Manual Review, and agree on a weekly time to clear the queue.
- Merge History keeps every original record, and Admins can see who ran each merge in the Audit Log.
What makes Dedupely different
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All features included in yearly subscriptions.
Merge Rules, Auto Merge and Auto Match come with every plan. Yearly subscriptions add Dedupely Intelligence in full.
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Priced by records, not seats.
Unlimited users, with no per-user fees.
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Every merge on record.
Preview each merge first. Merge History keeps the original records, so you can see exactly what changed.
Merge both companies' exports into one clean file before you import.
Upload your CSV files
Frequently asked questions
How do you merge two CRMs after an acquisition?
Choose the CRM you'll keep, clean each side first, then bring the other company's records in with an import. Once everything is in one CRM, match the customers both companies had, set rules for owners and other values, and review unclear matches before merging.
Should regional offices be merged into one account?
It depends on how your teams sell. Some keep every office as its own account, others want one account per customer. Add a location field set to Exact to keep offices apart, leave it out to merge them, and reject the matches you want to keep separate.
Do both companies need to use the same CRM?
No. Dedupely cleans one CRM at a time, with one exception: it matches and merges across the HubSpot–Salesforce sync. For other pairs, merge both companies' exports as CSV files in Dedupely, then import one clean file into the CRM you keep.
What happens to deals and contacts when two company records merge?
They move to the company that survives, except where your CRM's API doesn't allow it. Each CRM handles IDs differently: HubSpot usually gives the merged record a new ID, while Salesforce keeps the surviving record's ID. Update any reports or integrations that store IDs.
Can we see who merged which accounts?
Yes. Merge History records every merge, with the original records and the values that won. Admins can also see who ran each merge, and when, in the Audit Log, along with changes to searches, rules and users. Each person gets their own login, so the trail stays clear.
