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There has been countless times where I manually input an order we have received from a repeat buyer, and only after I fill out the company name, primary person, contact details, address, and then click save, it informs me that 'Contact name must be unique'.

Coming from Quickfile, this has a feature which would automatically detect the contact/comapny name already exists within your contacts, so saves you having to input all the above information.

Would it be possible to have a feature like this added to Xero?

It is all too easy to make a duplicate contact in Xero. It is simple enough to merge contacts, so identifying them first is critical.

Finding and merging dupe contacts is such a time waste with many dozens created monthly and then even different versions of the same ones a few months later. please create a restriction feature at a minimum or a pop up question if that is easier to create

i have the same issue - to many duplicate contacts are being created - the system should not allow such easy contact creations. there should be a way that only admin and senior reviewers are able to create contacts

This is a ridiculously easy fix and required, as it's a flaw to create a whole new contact so easily. Issue brought up over a year ago

This creates such a problem having to merge and fix up errors which could all be very easily avoided by having to select a current contact or initially by having to enter full contact details not just having an automatic new contact. It is very frustrating that these new contacts are currently made like this so easily.
A warning would definitely stop you in your tracks to enter the information correctly and avoid all these issues.

I've got a massive tidy-up going on because somebody junior within the accountant's office creates a new contact every time a payment comes in, AND my client can't spell, so it doesn't flag that the contact should not be there. I have to go through the entire file and merge up to 7 names per contact. Junior people should not be able to set up a new contact in my opinion.

a possible duplicate contact report that can be run in Xero to pinpoint contacts that may be duplicated for easy contact management

Yes this is a massive downside to xero that you cannot restrict access to contact creation. Given the mess this can create I do not understand how this has not been introduced.

Most definitely.
So annoying when I create a contact with all their details and go to save, and then tells me there is a duplicate and all the info I've typed in is lost.

Sue

Agreed - then we wouldn't need the bulk merge functionality :)

Restrict the ability to create a new contact,
or at least do a verification of a new contact by e.g. pop up window "are you sure you want to create a new contact?"

And taking it one step further - running a validation check in the current contact list and make suggestions of other current contacts that is closely alligned.
e.g. after entering " H and M stores" a pop up can ask, did you not mean "H&M Stores" that is currently a contact?

Also if you try to add a contact with the exact same name like John Doe it will not allow it but we have customers with the same name

Totally needed. It can easily create duplicate contacts, and it is currently very time consuming to 'clean up' contacts so this is another basic function that is required to make contact management alot easier

This is my biggest annoyance. While I'm entering lots of bills, and type in the contact name - I may be interrupted and hit enter - which creates a new contact!!! It shouldn't be that easy! This means I have to archive this 'new' contact which is not ideal. But when I wish to create a new contact from a bill - it doesn't take you to the new contacts screen, just puts NEW beside it.

an obvious problem