How to Avoid and Merge Duplicate Leads in Zoho CRM?
Duplicate leads can clutter your CRM and create confusion in your sales pipeline. Zoho CRM offers smart tools to help you identify, prevent, and merge duplicate records seamlessly.
Step 1: Enable Duplicate Check in Zoho CRM
Go to Setup (gear icon in the top-right).
Under Customization, click Modules and Fields.
Choose Leads module.
Click the Settings (gear icon) beside Leads.
Enable "Check for Duplicate Records".
Select the fields you want to use for duplicate detection (e.g., Email, Phone Number, or Company Name).
Save the settings.
Step 2: Prevent Duplicates While Adding New Leads
When adding a lead manually:
Go to the Leads module.
Click + Create Lead.
Enter the lead details.
If Zoho CRM detects an existing lead with the same email or phone, it will show a duplicate warning.
You can choose to:
Step 3: Merge Duplicate Leads Automatically
Go to the Leads module.
Click the More Options (three dots) at the top right.
Choose Deduplicate Leads.
Select the fields (Email/Phone/Company) to search for duplicates.
Zoho CRM will display potential duplicate records.
Select the records you want to merge.
Choose the Master Record (the one to keep).
Click Merge.
Note: You can also schedule this as an auto-deduplication process using Zoho’s Data Enrichment Tools or via API/webhooks if leads are auto-created from third-party forms.
Step 4: Merge Duplicates Manually (Optional)
Select the duplicate lead records from the list view.
Click Merge at the top.
Choose the primary (master) lead.
Select which values to keep for each field.
Click Merge to combine the records.
Best Practices to Avoid Duplicates
✅ Use Webform Duplicate Check when capturing leads via website forms.
✅ Integrate leads with Zoho Forms or Zoho Campaigns with deduplication enabled.
✅ Train your team to search before creating a new lead.
✅ Use Zoho CRM Blueprint or validation rules to block duplicate creation.
Need Help?
Facing trouble merging or configuring? Contact our Zentegra Support Team—we’re happy to help!
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