Neon CRM’s Account Match & Partial Match Queue will automatically check accounts coming into the database from forms and the Import Manager to see if there is an existing account with the same identity. If the name & email address on the incoming account data match the name and email address on an existing account, the accounts will be automatically merged together by the Account Match feature. If an incoming account is not a complete match to an existing account, but very similar - say, the email and phone match but not the name - it will be entered into the Partial Match Queue. You may then examine the accounts in the Partial Match Queue to decide if they should be merged, kept as separate accounts, or sent for further investigation to determine if the accounts are a true match via the Duplicate Scan feature.
Contents
- Enable and Customize the Account Match Feature
- What Incoming Account Information is Checked by the Account Match Feature?
- System Emails Related to the Account Match Feature
- The Account Match Feature Dashboard
- The Partial Match Queue
- How Will Accounts Be Merged?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Enable and Customize the Account Match Feature
If your Neon CRM was created after March 14th, 2020, the Account Match feature is enabled by default. There are, however, additional customizations you may make to this feature. To access and adjust this feature:
1. Select the Settings Cog in the upper right corner and then select Global Settings.
2. Select Account Match & Queue under the Account Duplicate Management heading.
On the Account Match & Partial Match Queue page (shown below):
3. Ensure the toggle next to Account Match and the Partial Match Queue (Recommended) is turned to the "on" position.
| Note: After turning on the feature, it can take up to 10 minutes for the Account Match & Partial Match Queue to function. |
4. In the Identifying Duplicate Accounts section, select whether you wish to have the Account Match feature to search for accounts via Account Name and Email Address only OR Account Name and Email Address and/or Account Name and Primary Mailing Address.
5. In the Merging Custom Checkbox Values section, if applicable, select how you wish to merge custom fields that have multiple checkbox selection options. You may combine the new incoming data with the existing data or overwrite existing data with the new incoming data.
6. In the Notifications section, you may decide how often (or if) you wish to receive notifications about accounts that are automatically merged via the Account Match feature.
7. Finally, in the Always Send Account Form Confirmation section, you may decide if you would like to send a confirmation email when accounts are merged via the Account Match feature.
8. Select Save after all selections have been made.
What Incoming Account Information is Checked by the Account Matched Feature?
Accounts will be checked by the Account Match feature if they enter Neon CRM through any of the following ways.
- Front-end form entry
- Account Form
- Contact Information Form
- Donation Form
- Campaign Donation
- Peer-to-Peer Donation
- Peer-to-Peer Event Registration
- Event Registration
- Event Attendee
- Membership Form
- Volunteer Application Form
- Standard Membership Form
- Membership Renewal Form
- Store Purchase
- Custom Form
- Neon CRM API v2
If an account is created based on a new account, donation, or membership form, and the system suspects a potential match, security measures are in place to ensure that the new login credentials must be confirmed before being used to access existing data after an automatic account merge. A required System Email, Login Activation (Account Match), is sent with a link through which the constituent must confirm their pending login credentials.
An optional second System Email, Login Activation (Partial Match Queue) is also available for manual merging.
System Emails Related to the Account Match Feature
To ensure the emails related to the Partial Match Queue will be automatically sent (per the above information):
1. Select the Settings cog in the upper right corner of the page and then select Global Settings on the drop-down menu.
2. Select System Emails under the Transaction Acknowledgments heading.
3. On the System Emails list page, under the Accounts tab, ensure the Login Activation (Account Match) and Login Activation (Partial Match Queue) emails are set to "Active" status.
The Account Match Feature Dashboard
The Neon CRM Account Match checks incoming accounts to see if an existing account has the same name and email address (or name and address, if the applicable selection is made). If a match is found, the incoming account is automatically merged with the existing account. At the top of the Duplicate Management page, is a dashboard that displays how many accounts are matched via the Account Match Feature (per the image below). You may click on the number in this dashboard to view the accounts that that have been automatically matched per the Account Match feature.
There is no action to be taken for these matches; the merge is complete.
The Partial Match Queue
If the incoming account data does not meet the criteria based on the Account Match feature, but rather is almost a match (i.e. the same email but a different account name), the incoming account will appear in the Partial Match Queue. You may then assess the accounts in the Partial Match Queue to take one of several actions, per the image and information below.
To access the Partial Match Queue:
1. Select Tools in the navigation menu and then select Duplicate Management on the drop-down menu.
The Partial Match Queue appears at the top of the Duplicate Management page, as seen below.
To reconcile accounts in the partial match queue:
1. Select the checkbox next the account(s) on which you wish to take action.
Three options will then appear (per the above image):
a) Select Merge if you determine the accounts belong to the same constituent and you wish to merge the accounts.
b) Select Mark as Not Duplicates if you determine the accounts belong to two different constituents. The accounts will then be kept separate and will not appear in future duplicate searches or scans.
c) Select Defer to Duplicate Scan if you cannot determine if the accounts are duplicates. You may then conduct further investigation and/or a Duplicate Scan for the accounts.
How Will Accounts Be Merged?
When using any Neon tool to merge accounts, all transactions will be kept on the merged account.
If merged by the Account Match or Partial Match Queue, generally the incoming account data takes primacy over the existing data. For example, Phone 1 on the incoming account will become Phone 1 on the merged account, bumping existing phone numbers into Phone 2 and Phone 3, if necessary. The same is true for email & mailing addresses. However, account ID and origin tracking are maintained from the existing account.
A blank field will not overwrite a populated field. For example, if the existing account has a phone number but Phone 1 was not filled in on the incoming account, the existing account’s Phone 1 remains on the merged account.
- Origin information (Account ID, Origin Category, Origin Detail) will be preserved from the older account. These fields can only retain one entry.
- For Prefix, Suffix, Gender, Birthday, Website, Facebook, and Twitter, incoming values will overwrite existing values.
- For any account custom fields using the One-Line Text, Multi-Line Text, Dropdown, and Radio field types, the incoming account data will overwrite the existing values.
- For any account custom fields using the Checkbox field type, you can choose if incoming values should overwrite or be combined with existing values. To make this selection, navigate to the Settings Cog > Global Settings > Account Match & Queue (under the Account Duplicate Management heading) and in the Merging Custom Checkbox Values section on the Account Match & Partial Match Queue page, select the top option of Combine checkbox values when merging custom checkbox fields. Select Save at the bottom of the page to save any changes.
When merging accounts with a Duplicate Scan, you will have the opportunity to select which account to keep. The kept account’s data will be treated as the primary data. When only one value can be kept (e.g. Birthday or One-Line Text Account Custom Field), the values from the “kept” account will be preserved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn’t the Account Match automatically merge accounts with the same phone number, address, name, etc?
All merges are irreversible outside of a database rollback. You must be cautious and make sure you do not irrevocably merge accounts that should not be merged.
Can I use the Partial Match Queue without the Account Match?
The Partial Match Queue is a backup to the Account Match feature, so both features are only available together.
Can I use the Constituent Login Portal with the Account Match & Queue?
Absolutely. The Constituent Login Portal provides some unique benefits like Volunteer Timesheets, easy membership renewal, and more.
- If your system was created after March 14, 2020, you can just share the Constituent Login Portal link with your constituents to begin using them together. Here is a guide on encouraging constituents to log in.
- If your database was created before March 14th, 2020, follow these instructions on how to use them together. Note that constituents will need to create their login credentials by clicking the token in a System or Campaign Email, as described here. Login names & passwords cannot be created on Public Access forms to protect your constituents' information.
Will this match event attendees, distribution list records, etc. without accounts to incoming accounts?
The feature does match company contact records (non-account records) with incoming individual accounts. It does not match with other types of contact records (e.g. distribution list records, event attendee records, household contact records). Incoming sub-member accounts and full account event attendees will be checked by the Account Match & Queue.
Does this mean I do not need to use the Duplicate Scan?
No, you will still use the Duplicate Scan to manage existing duplicates, deduplicate incoming accounts based on address, and create relationships between accounts. Clear out your Partial Match Queue before beginning to work on the Duplicate Scan results since this will be a faster way to merge. The Account Match will help prevent duplicate accounts ending up in the Scan.