How duplicate contacts occur in Xero
Duplicates can create issues between Syngency and Xero if not managed correctly. The two instances where you will encounter duplicates are:
If you have existing contacts in your Xero account prior to connecting it to Syngency, you will find that Syngency will create duplicates in Xero if they are not named exactly the same.
If a contact of the same name already exists, but it wasn't created by Syngency, you will receive the following blue "Response from Xero" message:
Another contact has this contact number. Please enter a different contact number.
This means that a contact already exists with this name, but it wasn't the one which was created by Syngency. It's important that any contacts shared between Xero and Syngency are ones created by Syngency.
Identifying the corresponding contacts in Syngency and Xero
Merging the two contacts in Xero will solve the issue, but it's important that this is done the right way.
The right way is to always merge into the contact which Syngency has created.
How can you tell which contact this is? Go to the Accounts tab of any contact or talent in Syngency, and you'll find a "Xero" field like this:
This is the unique ID of the contact in Xero. If you click the arrow button next to the field, it will open the contact in Xero, and you will see in your browser's address bar that it matches the string at the end of the Xero URL:
Likewise, in the Contact Details panel on the right side of the page:
You will see a "Contact Code" which matches the unique ID at the end of your browser's address bar in Syngency (C for Contact, M for Model/Talent/Artist):
This is the Xero contact which you will want to merge any other duplicates into.
The merge process is very safe, and completely reversible, so don't worry if you don't get it right the first time – we'll help you undo the merge at the end of this article.
Merge correctly, and be duplicate-free forever
Once you have located the Syngency-created contact identified above, you will want to locate the other duplicate(s) in Xero and open those contacts.
Search for them in Xero (note: they may be Archived in some cases) – when you open the contact you will see that they do not feature a Contact Code in the side panel. This means it is the contact you will want to merge into your Syngency-created contact, which has the Contact Code.
To do this, click the Options button above the Contact Details panel on the right side of the page, and select Merge from the menu:
From the Merge Contacts dialog, search for the Syngency-created contact, and then click the Merge button.
This will archive the contact you are currently viewing, and merge all details and transactions with the Syngency-created contact.
Now when you save the contact, talent, or booking in Syngency, you will no longer receive the Xero error message.