Tip of the Week #92: Turn On "Merge Facebook Contacts" in Settings

Overview

GLM has expanded its Facebook contact merge functionality to help reduce duplicate contacts created from Facebook sources.

Previously, contact merging by name was only available for Facebook Messenger conversations. With this update, businesses can now independently enable contact merging by name for:

  • Facebook Messenger conversations
  • Facebook Lead Form submissions (Facebook Lead Ads)

This enhancement helps keep your CRM cleaner by preventing duplicate contact records when the same person interacts with your business through Facebook.

What's New?

The original "Merge Facebook contacts by name" setting has been separated into two individual settings:

  1. Merge contacts by matching contact names from Messenger conversations
  2. Merge contacts by matching contact names from Facebook Lead Form submissions

This gives users more flexibility and control over how Facebook contacts are deduplicated within GLM.

Where to Find These Settings

Navigate to:

Settings → Business Profile → General

Scroll down to the Facebook contact merge settings section.

You'll see the following options:

  • Merge contacts by matching contact names from Messenger conversations
  • Merge contacts by matching contact names from Facebook Lead Form submissions

Enable either setting based on your preferred contact management workflow.

How It Works

Messenger Conversations

When enabled, GLM will attempt to match incoming Facebook Messenger contacts against existing CRM contacts using the contact's first and last name.

If a matching contact is found, the Messenger conversation will be associated with the existing contact record rather than creating a duplicate contact.

Facebook Lead Form Submissions

When enabled, GLM will attempt to match incoming Facebook Lead Ad submissions against existing contacts using the lead's first and last name.

If a contact with the same name already exists, the lead submission will be merged into the existing contact record instead of creating a new contact.

Why This Matters

Facebook Lead Forms and Messenger conversations do not always provide consistent contact identifiers such as email addresses or phone numbers.

As a result, duplicate contacts can be created when:

  • A lead submits a Facebook Lead Form more than once
  • A contact messages your business through Messenger after already existing in your CRM
  • Facebook submits incomplete or inconsistent contact information

By enabling name-based matching, you can:

  • Reduce duplicate contacts
  • Keep CRM records cleaner
  • Maintain lead history within a single contact record
  • Improve contact management across Facebook channels
  • Create a more organized customer database

When Should You Enable This?

Consider enabling these settings if:

  • You regularly receive leads through Facebook Lead Ads
  • Your team uses Facebook Messenger as a lead source
  • You notice duplicate contacts being created from Facebook interactions
  • Your CRM contains multiple records for the same individual

These settings can significantly reduce manual cleanup and improve CRM accuracy.

Important Considerations

Name-Based Matching

This feature matches contacts based on first and last name.

Because matching is name-based, there may be situations where different individuals share the same name. Review your contact management processes to determine whether name-based merging is appropriate for your business. Community discussions have noted that contacts with identical names can potentially be merged when name matching is enabled.

Independent Controls

Messenger and Lead Form merging are now managed through separate settings.

This allows you to:

  • Enable Messenger merging only
  • Enable Lead Form merging only
  • Enable both
  • Disable both

You can tailor the behavior based on your business needs and lead sources.

Best Practice

If duplicate contacts are commonly created from Facebook Lead Ads or Messenger conversations, enable the relevant merge setting and monitor your contact records after activation.

This helps maintain a cleaner CRM while preserving customer interaction history within a single contact record whenever possible.