The contact match setup menu controls how the CRM identifies, scores, and merges duplicate guest profiles. These rules determine whether profiles are automatically merged, flagged as merge candidates, or kept separate. Maintaining accurate match rules reduces duplicate profiles, improves segmentation accuracy, and ensures loyalty and stay history remain consolidated under each unique guest.
This configuration is established during onboarding but may be reviewed periodically to optimize automatic merging as reservation volume, data quality, or operational practices evolve.
Understanding match rules
Each match rule defines which profile fields are compared and how closely they must match to be considered the same guest. Each rule is assigned a weight, representing how strongly it contributes to a potential match.
When the CRM receives new or updated data such as reservations, profile changes, or imports, the system calculates a match score based on active rules. That score determines whether the profile is:
Auto-merged where the score is less then or equal to the auto match threshold.
Added to guest merge candidates for manual review.
Unique profile.
Add or update a match rule
Follow the steps below to create a new match rule or edit an existing one.
From the left navigation menu, click CRM Setup.
Click Contact Match Setup.
To create a rule, click Add Match Rule or to edit a rule, click on an existing rule in the list.
On the edit match rule screen, configure the fields that make up the rule. Each row includes:
Field matching method: Similarity degree or first X character.
Value for example 100 for exact match, or number of characters to compare.
Profile field: Email, last name, membership ID, first name or phone number.
To add another comparison field, click + Add GuestFields.
In the weight field, enter the total score the rule contributes if all field comparisons match.
Toggle Active ON if the rule should be used in scoring.
Click Save and Close to save and return, or Apply to save and remain on the screen.
Standard match rule configuration
This is completed at implementation stage. However if there are updates required the support team [email protected] can make updates. Listed below are the match rules and the outcome.
These values are defaults used during implementation, based on industry best practices.
You provided this full standards grid and it is included exactly as requested.
Threshold | Match Rules | Outcome |
Weight 85 | First X Character – 2 – First Name | First 2 Characters – First Name |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – Last Name | Exact Match – Last Name |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – Email | Exact Match – Email |
Weight 95 | First X Character – 2 – First Name | First 2 Characters – First Name |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – Last Name | Exact Match – Last Name |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – MembershipID | Exact Match – MembershipID |
Weight 80 | Similarity Degree – 100 – Last Name | Exact Match – Last Name |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – Email | Exact Match – Email |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – Phone Number | Exact Match – Phone Number |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – Zip | Exact Match – Zip |
Weight 80 | Similarity Degree – 100 – First Name | Exact Match – First Name |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – Last Name | Exact Match – Last Name |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – CCToken | Exact Match – CCToken |
Weight 100 | Similarity Degree – 100 – Last Name | Exact Match – Last Name |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – MembershipID | Exact Match – MembershipID |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – CCToken | Exact Match – CCToken |
Weight 85 | Similarity Degree – 100 – Last Name | Exact Match – Last Name |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – First Name | Exact Match – First Name |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – Phone Number | Exact Match – Phone Number |
Weight 70 | Similarity Degree – 100 – Last Name | Exact Match – Last Name |
| Similarity Degree – 100 – MembershipID | Exact Match – MembershipID |
Update threshold setup
Thresholds determine what the CRM does once a profile match score has been calculated.
From the left navigation menu, click CRM Setup.
Click Contact Match Setup and click Threshold Setup.
Configure the following values:
Auto match threshold: profiles scoring at or above this value will automatically merge.
Manual match threshold: profiles scoring within this range appear in guest merge candidates for manual review.
Use SHR-recommended values unless otherwise instructed:
Auto match is less then or equal to 85.
Manual match is between 70–84.
Click Save and Close to save your settings.
Run all guest profile rematch
After updating match rules or thresholds, run a full rematch to apply the new logic across your entire database.
From the left navigation menu, click CRM Setup.
Click Contact Match Setup.
Click All Guest Profile Rematch and a confirmation message will appear asking: Are you sure you want to re-match/re-merge guest profiles?
Click OK to proceed, or Cancel to exit.
What the rematch does
Outlined below are points to explain what rematch does.
Recalculates match scores for every profile in the CRM.
Applies new or updated match rules.
Applies updated match thresholds.
May auto-merge profiles that now qualify under new rules.
Updates the Guest Merge Candidate list to reflect new scoring.
This process runs in the background and may take time depending on the size of the client’s database.
Frequently asked questions
Outlined below are some frequently asked questions.
Why is it important to clear the profile merge candidates list?
Duplicate or incomplete profiles damage segmentation accuracy.
Loyalty members may not be recognized correctly, leading to lost benefits and guest dissatisfaction.
How often should we review match rules and thresholds?
Periodically—depending on reservation volume and data quality.
Can we change match rules after onboarding?
Yes, but any updates must be coordinated with SHR to prevent false merges or permanent data issues.
What are the risks of incorrect match rule configuration?
False merges cannot be reversed.
Missed merges leading to duplicate profiles.
Long-term data fragmentation.
How do we know if rules are working?
Monitor:
Number of auto-merges.
Volume of merge candidates.
Patterns in false positives or false negatives.
How often should guest merge candidates be reviewed?
Daily for high-volume properties; regularly for all others.
What happens if two profiles are mistakenly merged?
The merged profile can be reactivates and reservations reassigned, but merge actions cannot be undone.
How are loyalty memberships handled in merges?
The profile with the oldest member join date is retained to ensure loyalty tenure is preserved.
What data is retained in a merge?
When two profiles are merged, the CRM determines a winning profile and transfers all relevant history and data into that profile. SHR CRM follows a strict, deterministic rule set to ensure the best-quality profile is retained.
The winning profile retains:
All reservation history including past and future.
All loyalty history including earnings, redemptions and expirations.
All associated program memberships.
All campaign activity and email history.
All tags, segments, and behavioral data.
All completed surveys or preference center submissions.
All non-empty demographic fields.
How the CRM decides which demographic value to keep?
If the winning profile has a value, it is retained.
If the winning profile’s value is empty and the losing profile has a value, the CRM will keep the populated value.
Membership numbers take precedence the profile with the oldest member join date becomes the winning profile.
Email addresses are preserved only if valid and not in the blocked or invalid category.
What is not retained from the losing profile?
Conflicting or outdated values where the winning profile already contains a better-quality value.
Redundant metadata or system flags no longer relevant after consolidation.
What is always retained or migrated?
All reservations.
All loyalty points and rewards.
All contact history.
All CRM activities.
All associated hotel, reservation, and interaction-level events.
When is data matched?
The CRM matches data during several key system events. Matching occurs both in real time and during scheduled processes.
Real-time matching:
The CRM attempts to match and merge profiles whenever any of the following occur:
New reservations arrive from the PMS or CRS.
Trigger: A reservation is delivered into the CRM.
The system compares guest data from the reservation including the name, email, phone and membership ID against existing profiles.
Match rules are applied immediately.
A profile is manually created or updated:
Trigger: A user edits a profile or updates contact data.
A match check is performed instantly using current rules.
A guest updates their information through the loyalty portal or preference center.
Trigger: A guest submits new details.
CRM rematches their data to prevent duplicates.
Bulk imports including guest, reservation and loyalty points.
Trigger: CSV file upload.
Match rules determine whether records:
Merge with an existing profile,
Create a new profile,
Or enter the Merge Candidate list.
What is scheduled matching?
SHR CRM also runs automatic matching as part of its nightly system processes. Overnight auto-merge job:
Runs once per day on each cluster.
Reassesses profiles updated within the last 24 hours.
Applies match rules and merges qualifying profiles.
This ensures data corrected or added during the day including email corrections, phone numbers, or updated loyalty IDs can trigger merges even if they did not match at the time the data originally entered.
Manual mass rematching including all guest profile rematch?
Trigger: User selects all guest profile rematch from contact match setup.
This action:
Recalculates match scores for every profile in the CRM.
Applies updated thresholds and match rules.
Re-merges profiles that now qualify.
Moves profiles out of the merge candidate list if rules no longer consider them duplicates.
This is typically run after:
Updating match rules.
Updating thresholds.
Correcting import errors.
Changing PMS or OTA feed mappings.