Duplicate inquiries from property portals and phone calls

The decision to make first

A prospect can use a portal form and then call the team, creating two records that different agents may both treat as new assignments. Use a cautious duplicate-review process that preserves the original sources and any new information rather than merging solely on a shared contact value.

What the handoff should contain

Retain inquiry timestamps, channel, property reference, contact details and candidate record identifiers for a staff-reviewed match.

Suggested wording to approve

Example wording: “I can note that you may have already contacted the team about this property and include any new information with your request.”

Test the difficult case

Test one prospect using two channels, two people sharing a number and a repeat caller asking about a genuinely different listing. Do not merge unrelated properties or household members simply because they share an email address or business phone number.

Worked example

Fictional example: A prospect submits a portal inquiry and calls ten minutes later about the same listing. Staff should see a possible duplicate relationship and the new question. In a second test, the same person asks about another property; merging those two property requests into one undifferentiated record would lose a genuine separate need.

Review it in operation

Review both duplicate follow-ups and incorrect merges, since a smaller database is not useful if a distinct inquiry disappears.

Check before you launch

• Use a cautious duplicate-review process that preserves the original sources and any new information rather than merging solely on a shared contact value.
• Retain inquiry timestamps, channel, property reference, contact details and candidate record identifiers for a staff-reviewed match.
• Test one prospect using two channels, two people sharing a number and a repeat caller asking about a genuinely different listing.
• Review both duplicate follow-ups and incorrect merges, since a smaller database is not useful if a distinct inquiry disappears.

Related guides