Update an existing Salesforce Contact by matching email OR phone

We are experiencing integration errors to Salesforce for "Duplicates Detected."

The form's integration is currently trying to update existing records based on an Email match, but we also have a Salesforce duplicate rule based on Phone. What we believe is happening is that Jotform does not find a match of the Contact's Email, so then instead of updating an existing record - Jotform attempts to create a new Contact record. While attempting to create the new record our Salesforce duplicate rule for matching Phone is run into causing an error and the Contact to not be created or updated.

Is it possible to update an existing record based on matching to an Email OR Phone?

Example:

Contact ABC exists in Salesforce with email abc@email.com and phone 123-456-7890.

Contact ABC submits Jotform with email abc10@email.com and phone 123-456-7890.

Jotform does not find the match on email, attempts to create new and is blocked by the match on phone.

Hi zerotothree,

Thanks for reaching out to Jotform Support. Unfortunately, the Salesforce integration doesn't currently support conditional matching between fields, like matching by phone only when an email match isn’t found. However, you can configure the integration to use both Email and Phone as matching fields. This means the system will only update the existing record if the Email and Phone already exists in Salesforce. Take a look at the screenshot below to see how:Also, you can consider using a middleware solution like Zapier, which allows for more flexible matching and update conditions before sending data to Salesforce.

Reach out again if there’s anything else we can help you with.

Hello Reymae,

Thank you for the response. If we were to add Email and Phone to the 'update an existing record' would both fields need to be a match to update an existing record? I am trying to confirm if this would successful solve for my example, or if it would create a duplicate contact:

Contact ABC exists in Salesforce with email abc@email.com and phone 123-456-7890.

Contact ABC submits Jotform with email abc10@email.com and phone 123-456-7890.

It seems like no, because the Jotform submission is not an exact match for both email and phone, then a contact will not be updated and instead Jotform will attempt to create a duplicate contact with a different email and same phone.

Hi zerotothree,

If you configure Salesforce integration to match on both Email and Phone, then both fields must match exactly in order for an existing Contact to be updated and makes the match stricter. So in your scenario, the Email does not match, even though the Phone does, the integration will not consider this a match. Instead, it will try to create a new Contact and at that point, Salesforce will block it due to your duplicate rule on phone field.

While the feature you're looking for isn't available at Jotform right now, we've gone ahead and escalated your request to our developers. Exactly when or if it's developed depends on their workload, how viable it is, and how many other users also request it. If there are any updates, we’ll circle back to this thread and let you know.

Thanks for your patience and understanding, we appreciate it.



Thank you Reymae for escalating to the Jotform Developer Team. Ideally we would have the option to select either And or Or for conditions to match and to note what happens if there is no match, one match, or multiple matches. This functionality is available to us with another form software, but we have loved Jotform's user experience and wish to keep our form with duplicate errors here. Please let me know if there is any additional information we can provide to support this update.

Hi zerotothree,

Currently, Jotform's Salesforce integration uses Salesforce's standard matching rules to identify existing records, primarily matching on fields like Full Name and Email for Contacts and Leads. Unfortunately, the integration does not support conditional matching using OR logic between fields such as Email or Phone. When you select both Email and Phone as matching fields, both must match exactly for an existing record to be updated, which can lead to the duplicate errors you described if only one field matches.

We understand your request for the ability to choose between AND/OR conditions for matching and to define behaviors for no match, one match, or multiple matches. This feature is not currently available but has been escalated to our developer team for consideration. The development and implementation depend on various factors including demand and feasibility.

In the meantime, you might consider middleware solutions like Zapier that offer more flexible matching and update conditions before sending data to Salesforce.

If you have any additional information or specific use cases that could support this feature request, please feel free to share them as it helps prioritize development.

Let us know if you have any other questions.

Hello Danilo,

The specific use cases that we have are every lead form from our website or marketing communications where we ask for phone and email. This functionality could ultimately determine if we continue use of Jotform or go to another form tool.

Thank you for sharing this with your development team and escalating.