> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://help.zaapi.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://help.zaapi.com/contacts/merging-contacts.md).

# Merging contacts

The same customer often reaches you on more than one channel — WhatsApp for an order update, Facebook for a complaint, Shopee chat at checkout. Merging brings those Conversations together under a single Contact, so whoever picks up the next message sees the full picture: every channel, every past Ticket, every note and field.

#### Automatic merging

Zaapi merges automatically when there's a match on **phone number or email**. If a customer messages you on a new channel and their phone number or email matches an existing Contact, the new Conversation is linked to that Contact — no action needed from your team.

This is why it pays to capture phone numbers and emails on your Contacts: they're the keys Zaapi uses to recognise a returning customer on a new channel.

#### Merge manually

Not every customer can be matched automatically — a customer's Facebook profile, for instance, may not expose a phone number or email. When you spot a duplicate, merge it yourself:

* **From the Contacts page** — open the **⋯** menu on a Contact and choose **Merge**, then select the duplicate Contact to combine.
* **From the Ticket sidebar** — while viewing a Ticket, merge the current Contact with an existing one, and the Conversation you're looking at moves under that Contact.

> Double-check you've got the right customer before merging. A merge combines two Contacts' histories into one record — separating them again isn't a one-click operation.

#### What happens when Contacts merge

* **One record, all channels.** The merged Contact shows every channel the customer has used.
* **Nothing is thrown away.** Additional phone numbers and emails are kept as secondary phone numbers and secondary emails on the Contact.
* **Ticket history is combined.** In the Ticket sidebar, switch **Ticket History** to **This contact** to see every past Ticket across all of the customer's channels — not just the channel you're currently on.
* **Fields and notes carry over.** Contact fields, notes, and labels are visible from any of the customer's Conversations.

#### Why this matters

Before merging, an agent answering a Facebook message had no way of knowing the customer had already been promised a refund on WhatsApp yesterday. After merging, that context is one click away — fewer repeated questions, fewer contradictory answers, and CSAT that doesn't depend on which channel the customer happened to pick.