Merging Duplicate Contacts
From PikaDocs
Occasionally, duplicate information may be entered into Pika. This may be due to a client having more than one open case with your organization or a particular contact (such as an opposing counsel) having a role in more than one case. In these instances, it is best to use the "merge duplicate contacts" feature in Pika. In addition to lavoiding wasting disk space with multiple identical records, merging duplicate contact records will help avoid confusion.
For example, if an opposing counsel named Fred T. Flintstone has been involved in four cases with your organization, his contact information might be entered four times into the system. This can create confusion, especially if Flintstone's records contain conflicting information. For example, he might have moved offices, or his phone number might have changed. After ensuring that the most recent entry for Flintstone is the most accurate, you may click the "Merge Duplicate Contacts" button. This will create a new record that contains all information contained in the previous four records, including both current and previous contact information and notes.
To merge duplicate contacts, click "Merge Duplicate Records for this Contact" under the "Actions" header of an Address Book entry. Pika will search the system and display possible duplicate entries. On the page that follows, review the records Pika has identified as possible duplicates. Click the checkbox next to those records which should be merged. Please note: Merging duplicate contacts will cause the old contact records to be deleted. Please be absolutely sure that the records being merged are the same contact before merging, as there is no way to "undo" the merge. Once you are sure that the records are accurate, click the "Merge" button.
Once the contacts have been merged, a record of the merger will appear in the "notes" section of the primary contact record for the individual. For example, if two records for Fred Flintstone are combined, the system will populate some information to appear in the "Notes" section of the contact record, along with any alternate information from the merged record. For example, if Fred Flinstone's phone number is 216-555-1212, but had a previous phone number listed in the system as 330-555-1212, the notes box will contain the following information: "Merged with: Fred Flintstone (330) 555-1212." This allows records to be merged while retaining historical information about the contact.
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