When integrating CRMs and ERPs, duplicate data is almost guaranteed.
Migrating from Freshsales and Freshdesk to HubSpot, while also syncing with OrderWise ERP, one client faced a tangle of duplicate contacts, mismatched companies, and unreliable data.
In this episode of How I Fixed Your Data, Daryl Michel, founder of Cogent Connective, shares how his team used Koalify to bring order to the chaos — safely merging duplicate records, enriching data with ERP IDs, and creating a long-term system to prevent duplication.
🎥 Watch the full conversation with Daryl Michel from Cogent Connective:
The Industry Problem: Two Systems, Two Realities
When businesses run both a CRM and an ERP, the data often lives in silos.
ERPs hold customer and order data; CRMs manage relationships and communication. But without a clean sync, duplicates and mismatches multiply fast.
For this client, the problem started during a migration from Freshsales/Freshdesk to HubSpot.
They already had thousands of records in OrderWise ERP, plus contacts and companies from the Freshworks ecosystem, and none of the IDs or data formats matched.
Key challenges:
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Different unique identifiers across systems.
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Shared inboxes causing duplicate contacts (e.g.,
sales@company.com). -
Inconsistent company names and email formats.
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Two separate datasets that didn’t map neatly to one another.
As Daryl explains: “Each system had its own logic. Freshsales stored one set of IDs, OrderWise another, and HubSpot needed clean, unified data. Once we imported everything, duplication exploded.”
The Fix – Smarter Deduplication with Koalify
The first attempt to fix the problem used Operations Hub inside HubSpot.
While useful for data quality monitoring, it lacked the flexibility to merge based on multiple properties or business logic.
So the team turned to Koalify.
“We’d used Koalify before and knew it could handle multiple match conditions — not just email. That was key for us,” says Daryl.
Step 1: Identify Duplicates Using ERP IDs
The team started by enriching the imported data from Freshsales with OrderWise IDs — unique identifiers from the ERP system.
This allowed them to:
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Instantly detect records representing the same customer across systems.
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Merge duplicates confidently, knowing they matched on verified ERP data.
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Reduce risk of merging unrelated companies or contacts.
Step 2: Configure Koalify Duplicate Rules
Inside Koalify, Cogent built granular rules to catch duplicates based on:
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First Name + Last Name
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Company Name + OrderWise ID
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Phone Number + Account Number + Postcode
These flexible, multi-criteria rules gave them precision that HubSpot’s native tools couldn’t provide.
Step 3: Bulk and Workflow-Based Merges
Using Koalify’s workflows, Cogent automated bulk merges safely:
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Duplicates with exact ID matches merged automatically.
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Others were flagged for manual review and validation.
“We could merge thousands of duplicates in minutes — but only once we knew the rules were airtight,” Daryl explains.
Results for the Client
Once Koalify was in place, data clarity improved immediately:
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⚙️ Thousands of duplicates removed within hours.
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📊 Unified CRM + ERP view — HubSpot users could see real-time ERP data.
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🔍 Better visibility for sales and service teams.
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💡 Automation-ready CRM — clean data powering workflows, not breaking them.
“The client was shocked at how fast we could clean things up. Before Koalify, they’d been manually merging records for weeks. Now it’s a few clicks.”
Building for the Future: A HubSpot–OrderWise Integration
Cogent didn’t stop after the cleanup.
Using lessons from this project, the team began developing a native OrderWise–HubSpot integration, allowing clients to sync key data objects — customers, contacts, products, orders, and quotes — directly between systems.
The integration gives users:
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Full control over which properties sync.
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Real-time updates both ways.
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A clean starting point for all future imports.
“We wanted clients to own their sync. They choose what maps between OrderWise and HubSpot, and Koalify ensures duplicates never get in the way.”
Lessons Learned
The biggest takeaways from this project:
1. Enrich Before You Import
Adding ERP IDs before migration ensures you can merge safely later.
If you import first and enrich later, you risk losing track of relationships.
2. Use Unique Properties
HubSpot allows multiple unique value properties per object. Use them to track external IDs (like from ERP systems) and prevent duplicates early.
3. Combine Tools Strategically
Operations Hub is great for monitoring; Koalify is built for merging.
Together, they cover both detection and correction.
4. Create ID Properties for Every System
Even if it’s not unique, always store external system IDs. They’re invaluable for re-imports, matching, and historical analysis.
“Having those OrderWise IDs stored in HubSpot was a lifesaver. You can’t manage large integrations without consistent identifiers.”
Why Koalify
Koalify gave Cogent the flexibility, safety, and speed needed for large-scale deduplication:
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Custom rules based on multiple fields
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Seamless integration with HubSpot workflows
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Transparent merging process
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Peace of mind when syncing complex systems
“It’s simple enough for end users but powerful enough for advanced integrations. For duplicate management, Koalify is a no-brainer.”
FAQ
Q: How do duplicates form when syncing ERP and CRM data?
A: Different systems use different IDs and field formats. Without matching properties, imports create new records instead of updating existing ones.
Q: How can I prevent duplicates before migrating?
A: Add unique IDs from your ERP or old CRM as custom fields in HubSpot before import. Use Koalify to catch overlapping records after the import.
Q: Can Koalify merge based on external IDs like ERP numbers?
A: Yes. You can create duplicate rules that match on custom properties (e.g., OrderWise ID) or combinations like Company + Phone + Postcode.
Q: Will Cogent’s OrderWise integration be available publicly?
A: Yes. Cogent Connective plans to release it in 2025, bringing full two-way sync and custom property mapping between HubSpot and OrderWise.