During the Xero contact sync with Karbon, you may encounter contacts listed under "Match Issues." This occurs when the integration finds a partial match – either the contact name or the billing email matches an existing Karbon contact, but not both. This guide will walk you through the steps to review these partial matches and resolve them, ensuring your contact data is accurately linked or that new contacts are created as needed.
Understanding Common Conflict Scenarios
When reviewing partial matches, you'll often encounter a few common situations:
Slight Name Differences: For example, Xero might list "Robert Smith," while Karbon has "Rob Smith," but the email address is identical. In such cases, it's highly likely they are the same person, and you should Confirm Match.
Different Email Addresses, Same Name: You might see the same contact name in both systems but with different email addresses. This could mean the client has updated their email, or they are indeed two separate contacts. Carefully review the other available information to determine if you should Confirm Match (if it's an email update) or Create New Contact.
Minor Typos: Small errors in spelling within the name or email address can also lead to partial matches. Examine the details closely. If it's clear a typographical error exists and the contact is the same, correct the mistake in either Karbon or Xero (whichever you believe holds the accurate information) before you Confirm Match.
Accessing Match Issues
Navigate to Connected Apps: Go to Settings > Connected Apps in your Karbon account.
View Xero Integration Details: Locate the Xero integration and click the Manage button.
Go to Resolve Match Issues: On the Xero integration details page, you will see a section or button labeled Resolve Match Issues.
Click on this to view the list of partial matches.
Reviewing and Resolving Partial Matches
The "Partial Matches" screen will display a list of contacts where a potential matching issue has been identified. For each contact, you will typically see the Xero contact information and the potential matching Karbon contact information. You will have options to either Confirm Match or Create New Contact.
Carefully examine the details of both the Xero contact and the suggested Karbon contact. Pay close attention to the names and email addresses. Consider if they represent the same client or two distinct entities.
Option 1: Confirm Match: If you determine that the Xero contact and the suggested Karbon contact are indeed the same client, click the Confirm Match button.
What happens: The two contacts will be linked. The data from the Xero contact will overwrite the corresponding synced fields (Contact Name, Billing Email, Primary Phone Number, Billing Address) in the Karbon contact. The contact will then be moved to your synced client list, and bi-directional synchronization will begin.
Option 2: Create New Contact: If you determine that the Xero contact represents a different client than the suggested Karbon contact, click the Create New Contact button.
What happens: A new contact will be created in Karbon using the data from the Xero contact. This new contact will be assigned the default ContactType you selected during the initial Xero integration setup. The Xero contact will then be linked to this newly created Karbon contact, and bi-directional synchronization will begin.
Work through the entire list of partial matches, making a decision for each one. It's important to resolve all conflicts to ensure accurate data synchronization and avoid potential data duplication.