Merge duplicate customers

Two records for the same person appear more often than you would think: a guest registers online after you already added them, or books online a second time. Online registrations and bookings always create a new record, one per person when several are booked together, even when the email address is already on file. DivePilot does not block duplicates. Instead it lets you merge them.

Start a merge

1. Open Customers in the sidebar and press Merge. The list switches to selection mode.
2. Tick the two records you want to combine. The Continue button at the bottom of the screen becomes active once exactly two are selected.
3. Press Continue. The Merge customers dialog opens.

You can also start from one of the two profiles: open it and choose Merge from the actions menu. The dialog opens with that customer as the primary, and you search for the other one under Secondary. You see Merge only if your permissions include merging customers, and only active customers can be merged, so restore an archived record first.

Choose which record stays

The dialog shows both records side by side. One is marked Primary and is kept, the other Secondary and is deleted. Use the swap button between them if they are the wrong way round.

Where the two records disagree on a field, the dialog lists it under fields to review with both values, and the primary's value is selected. Pick the secondary's value for any field where it is the better one. Where they agree, nothing needs your attention. Above the fields you see what moves over from the secondary record: its bookings, certifications, signed waivers and course enrolments. Its rentals move over too. A certification at a level the primary already holds, or an enrolment on a course the primary is already on, is removed instead of moved.

Bookings made together follow too: if the merged customer was the person who booked, the surviving customer takes that place, and their requests for a number of dives move with them.

Press Merge customers to finish.

Note: A merge cannot be undone. Read the fields to review before you confirm, and pick as primary the record with the better contact details.

Prevent duplicates where you can

• Search by name or email before you add someone by hand. The search box on the Customers page matches first name, last name and email.
• Ask returning guests whether they have dived with you before, instead of handing them the registration QR code again.

Other ways to clean up a record

• Delete on a row deactivates the customer. They move to the Archived tab and can be restored from there.
• GDPR delete in a profile's actions menu permanently anonymises the personal data while keeping bookings and waiver records for audit. This cannot be undone.
• Export data in the same menu downloads the customer's record as a spreadsheet for a data access request, but it leaves out bookings, courses and rentals.

Note: The bills follow the merge. The two guests' open bills are combined on the one that stays, and the duplicate's automatic discounts and stay lines are worked out again for the merged guest. Merging is refused while the duplicate's open bill, which the merge would empty into the other, has an invoice, credit note or receipt, or while an automatic line of the duplicate on another open bill is already on an invoice. A merge revokes the payment links of both guests and closes the payment forms open on them. Send the guest a new link afterwards with Send payment link. See Bills.