Matching Excel data with existing Salesforce contacts requires sophisticated data comparison that goes beyond basic import matching. Native Salesforce import wizards lack fuzzy matching capabilities and only work with exact field matches, often missing legitimate contact matches due to formatting differences.
Here’s how to implement enterprise-level data matching that accurately identifies existing contacts and prevents duplicate creation during import.
Implement advanced contact matching using Coefficient
Coefficient excels at this challenge by providing advanced data synchronization and matching tools within a familiar spreadsheet environment. You can create multi-level matching logic that handles variations in data formatting and ensures accurate contact identification.
How to make it work
Step 1. Import comprehensive contact data.
Use Coefficient’s “From Objects & Fields” method to import existing Salesforce contacts with all potential matching fields: Email, First Name, Last Name, Phone, and Company/Account Name. Import your Excel data into adjacent columns in the same spreadsheet for side-by-side comparison.
Step 2. Create multi-level matching logic.
Build formula-based matching with increasing specificity. Start with exact email matches, then fall back to name plus company combinations, then phone numbers: =IF(EXACT(ExcelEmail,SFEmail),”Exact Email Match”, IF(AND(ExcelFirstName=SFFirstName,ExcelLastName=SFLastName,ExcelCompany=SFCompany),”Name+Company Match”, IF(ExcelPhone=SFPhone,”Phone Match”,”No Match”)))
Step 3. Assess and validate matches.
Use conditional formatting to highlight different match types and create summary statistics showing match rates. Flag questionable matches for manual review before proceeding with the import process.
Step 4. Execute intelligent upsert process.
Use Coefficient’s export functionality with UPSERT action, configuring Email as the External ID for primary matching. Set up field mapping to update existing records with Excel data and create new records only for “No Match” entries.
Step 5. Generate comprehensive list views.
After successful matching and upsert, export Contact IDs to Campaign Members or a custom list object. Include both updated existing contacts and newly created contacts to generate comprehensive list views containing your complete matched dataset.
Achieve enterprise-level contact matching
This approach provides sophisticated data matching capabilities that far exceed native Salesforce functionality. You’ll get accurate contact list creation with minimal duplicates and complete audit trails. Start matching your contact data intelligently.