Merging contacts together

[GoodShepherdLutheranChurch]

I added an individual email address to a specific group contact list but the person was already in our contacts with a different email address and requested I change the one email address previously associated with her name to the one that I added to that specific group contact list. Is there a way to merge them at all? When I go to try and put that email into her contact  it says it can't because that email is already in the system. 

[William_A · Accepted solution]

Hello @GoodShepherdLutheranChurch ,

Depending on what Compliance elements have already been applied to the existing contact, you may not be able to change edit the email address. The easiest method to go about this, would be to simply upload the new email address as a fresh, new contact, with the accompanying contact info associated via the type/paste multiple or file upload methods. Make sure the "new" contact is being added to the appropriate lists during the upload, then delete the old one.

[JeffC44]

I don't want to lose the engagement history from the previous email by creating a new contact. Since it's just a different email but the same person, how can I make sure that doesn't happen? Is there a way to merge that doesn't involve just starting over?

[William_A]

Hello @JeffC44 ,

If you cannot edit the email address of the contact due to a Compliance-lock on it, then the new email address would have to be a new contact. 

[JeffC44]

I can edit the email address, but before realizing I had the person in the system, I made another contact, but I can't have two with the same email address. How do I merge those?

[William_A]

Contacts and their individual engagement/reporting cannot be merged.