Client Creation - Best Practices – Clientbook

Best Practices for Adding New Clients

Whether you're adding clients manually or uploading them in bulk, following best practices helps keep your client database clean and accurate. Duplicate client profiles can cause confusion, disrupt your messaging, and make reporting less reliable.

Important: Avoiding Duplicate Profiles

What causes duplicates:

Clientbook checks for duplicates using two identifying factors, typically the client's name combined with their phone number or email. However, duplicates can still occur if:

Spelling or capitalization is different across profiles (the system is case-sensitive)
Different contact information is entered, such as a different phone number or email
Different POS IDs exist for the same person in your point-of-sale system
A client is manually added before their profile transfers from an integration

Prevention is key because cleaning up duplicates after the fact requires support intervention and takes time.

Steps for Adding New Clients

1. Search Your Client List First

Before adding any new client, search your existing client list to ensure the profile does not already exist. Use the client's name, phone number, or email to conduct a thorough search. Even slight variations in spelling could indicate an existing profile.

2. Verify Client Details Carefully

When entering client information, double-check that the name, phone number, and email address are entered exactly as they appear in other systems, including your point-of-sale system. Remember that Clientbook's duplicate-checking process is case-sensitive, and spelling must be precise.

3. Update Existing Profiles Instead of Creating New Ones

If you find an existing profile that needs corrections or updates, edit that profile directly rather than creating a new one. This keeps your data consolidated and accurate.

Special Considerations for Integrated Accounts

If your Clientbook account is integrated with a point-of-sale system, please be aware:

Client data transfers can take up to 24 hours, depending on your integration type
During that synchronization, if you create the client again in Clientbook, you will end up with a duplicate unless all info matches exactly
It’s okay to create profiles in Clientbook to immediately start texting clients, just be cautious and be aware the info MUST match exactly if you enter it manually in both places.

Tip: If you're unsure whether a client's profile will sync from your POS, wait until the next business day before manually creating their profile.

Bulk Client Uploads: Additional Precautions

If you are uploading clients in bulk, take extra care to avoid duplicates:

The bulk upload feature is not available for accounts with POS integrations.
- This restriction exists specifically to prevent duplicate data from being created in both Clientbook and your point-of-sale system.
Before uploading, review your file to remove any clients who may already exist in Clientbook.
- To easily compare your existing clients with your new client list, you can export your client data from the Clientbook Dashboard: “How to Export Data from Clientbook”
Include POS reference numbers in your upload file when possible, as Clientbook uses these to match and merge with existing profiles
- This is the ONLY way to guarantee duplicates are not created. If the list you upload contains POS ID numbers that already exist on client profiles in Clientbook, our system will recognize those profiles as a match 100% percent of the time.
Remember the “Rule of Two”!
- Whether you’re manually creating one client profile or uploading a list of clients in bulk, at least two pieces of information HAVE TO be an EXACT match. This can be:
  - Name and Phone Number
  - Name and Email
  - Phone Number and Email

What to Do If You Have Duplicate Client Profiles

If you discover duplicate client profiles in your account, take action as soon as possible. This helps prevent future messages, notes, and activities from being split across multiple profiles.

For more details on why duplicates occur and how they are handled:

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