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  1. Contacts - Allow duplicate contact names

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    103 comments  ·  Contacts & files » Contact  ·  Admin →
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    Not in pipeline  ·  AdminKelly Munro (Community Manager, Xero) responded

    Hi everyone, we want to thank you all for your meaningful feedback and detail of the uses you each have for enabling duplicate names for contacts.

    Right now, the contact name field is the key identifier that interacts with many other Xero features, and as such, changing how this field functions is not a small feat.

    As noted by others in the comments, some users have found adding unique characters or using the account number in the contact name useful.

    At this time we don’t have plans for developing the ability to have duplicate names of a contact in Xero. However, the work happening around core features might open the door for improvements like this down the line.

    For now, we'll keep a close watch on the support this idea continues to build, and we’ll make sure to share updates if anything changes.

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    Kerry Brammer commented  · 

    Its not just about contacts having the same contact and trading name but with different addresses (like headoffice/branch situation), the main problem here is that Xero is an international accounting software and there are many many thousand John Smith's in this world, and Xero users should be able to create multiple John Smith clients or suppliers which ever is the case. Xero's CRM system needs to properly reflect the needs of current everyday businesses. Simply putting another full-stop in the contact name field - which then so unprofessionally appears on any invoice/statement etc that you generate is just totally wrong.
    Surely contact name could be the same but the system require a unique account number be allocated to those contacts.
    Or have the contact name used like an internal-use name/client nickname but that all documents generate contact information from new fields set up especially for the Company Name, a tick box to show the contact is an individual and therefore addressee appears as Mr/Mrs Smith etc.
    This problem has been an issue since Xero was developed XX years ago. Should have been a much higher priority than given to date.

    Kerry Brammer supported this idea  ·