Setup checklist: similarity is not identity
Two records with the same name may be different people, while one person may use several addresses. An organization can also share a general inbox across several staff members. Define which identifiers the team trusts and which combinations require human review. Capsule’s import mechanisms do not replace that judgment. Never merge records solely because a spreadsheet formula produces a likely match; a mistaken merge can combine unrelated history and confuse future communication.
Use three outcome categories
Classify a suspected match as confirmed same entity, confirmed different entity or unresolved. For a confirmed match, decide which values should remain authoritative and preserve meaningful history. For different entities, retain the distinction and clarify labels if necessary. For unresolved cases, keep an exception list with an owner rather than forcing a decision to finish the import. This approach makes uncertainty visible without making the entire migration depend on a perfect database.
Inspect obligations before consolidation
Before any supported merge or update, check open tasks, opportunities and notes attached to both records. A duplicate-looking contact may carry a separate commitment that should not disappear. Record the original identifiers and the chosen destination. This is an operational precaution, not a claim that every product merge is reversible. Verify current merchant behavior and permissions before making changes, especially when several systems synchronize the same information.
Prevent recurrence at the entry point
Ask why duplicates are created: repeated imports, inconsistent identity fields, shared addresses or an integration retry. Repair that source rather than repeatedly cleaning the visible symptom. Keep the matching rule simple enough for colleagues to apply when adding a record. Review ambiguous cases periodically, but do not use cleanup as a reason to send unnecessary messages to contacts. Continue with shared-address handling or the import reconciliation process according to the observed cause.
Sources used for this page
These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.
- Capsule importing contacts — Merchant documentation · capsulecrm.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-20
- Capsule contact management — Merchant documentation · capsulecrm.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-20