How to merge duplicate customers in QuickBooks Online Good management of your customer list is crucial for accuracy in your QuickBooks tool hub records. Duplicated customers inflate your database and may misrepresent the recording, billing, and reporting of QuickBooks and your customer contact. Fortunately, it is pretty easy to merge duplicate customer records if there are any duplicates in QuickBooks Online. This walk-through will show how you can merge duplicate customers in QuickBooks Online and keep your customer list clean and tidy.

Why Merge Duplicate Customers?

Before the elaboration of how the process is to be carried out, it is pertinent to establish why merging is essential:

• Accurateness: Merging ensures that there is no confusion because a customer only appears once.
• Efficiency: Merging helps in easing the process of invoicing and reporting since records are smoothed out.
• Avoids Errors: This ensures that the same customer does not receive different letters or bills.

Step-by-Step Actions for Merging Duplicate Customers

1. Identify Duplicate Customer

Find duplicate customers. Here is how:

• Log In to QuickBooks Online: Sign in to your QBO account.
• Go to Customers: Along the top menu bar, click “Sales,” then “Customers.”
• Search for Duplicates: Scroll through the list or utilize the search to identify customers with similar business names or contact information.

2. Compare Customer Records

Before merging, confirm that true duplicates have been identified:

1. Review Details: Click on each customer’s name and review their Contact information, Transaction History, and any existing Balance.
2. Confirm Duplicates: Ensure records are duplicates and verify the information that describes them. Look out for slight variations that may show that they were distinct subjects.

3. Identify Primary Customer Record

Select one primary customer record from the records that have been identified as duplicates. This will be the surviving record after the merging exercise, and the remaining record will be used to merge other duplicate records. 

• The customer record with the most updated information may be a good choice.
• The one having maximum transactions or recent activity.

4. Merge the Duplicate Records

Once the main customer record has been identified, you can merge the duplicate as follows:

• Open the Customer You Want to Merge: Open the main customer record.
• Edit Customer Information: Click “Edit” to open the customer details.
• Find the Duplicate: Open the duplicate customer record in another tab or window.
• Remove the Duplicate Record: From the additional customer’s record, click the “More” button, then “Delete.” QuickBooks opens a window to confirm the merge.
• Confirm the Merge: Confirm it, and QuickBooks will merge this duplicate into the main record of 

           the customer.

Important: Be sure you are merging into the correct record. Once merged, the duplicate customer record will be permanently deleted and cannot be undone.

5. Review and Verify

Once this merge is complete, the primary customer record should be reviewed for:

1. All Transactions are Consolidated: The transactions that were a part of the duplicate record are now attached to the primary record.
2. Customer Information is Complete: All contact information and attachments/notes are intact.

Tips to Manage Customer Records

• Periodically Review Customer List: Set a regular review of customers for potential duplicates and clean up those as necessary.
• Establish Unique Identifiers: Ensure all customers have unique identifiers like an email address or phone number.
• Establish Naming Convention: Establish a naming convention when it pertains to your customer records so that in the future you will not have any duplicate customer records.

How to Fix Common Issues

Deleted the Wrong Record: If you deleted the wrong customer record like Fix Error OLSU, you might need to re-create the record manually and then reconcile missing transactions.

Missing Transactions after Merge: It might be that all the related records have yet to be merged but instead stayed behind in their original place. 

Conclusion

Merging duplicate customers in QuickBooks Online is a painless yet powerful way to keep your customer database true and lean. By following the above steps, you will have a correct list of customers without any duplicates to ensure proper billing, appropriate reporting, and customer management. Ongoing maintenance and careful review of customer records prevent future duplicates and make sure everything about your business stays in order. it is pretty easy to merge duplicate customer records if there are any duplicates in QuickBooks Online.

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