Review the actual conversation
Keep the original event ID and timestamp, then assign a separate inquiry ID when the request is understood. Review service, timing and the existing request context. A phone number alone is insufficient: one person may request two jobs, and several people may call about one vehicle. Leave ambiguous links unresolved.
A worked example
Fictional timeline: E1 at 10:02 is unanswered; E2 at 10:05 is the same person retrying the same request; E3 at 10:08 is an internal transfer. Those three events link to I1 when the record confirms the connection. E4 that evening requests a different transport and becomes I2, even if the same phone appears. Four events therefore represent two confirmed inquiries.
Choose the next action
Create an event-to-inquiry map rather than deleting the extra events. Record the reason for a link and who reviewed it. Use an unresolved queue when facts are insufficient. If a provider export has separate identifiers for call legs or transfers, understand those fields before treating them as distinct customers.
Check whether it worked
Compare raw events, linked inquiries and unresolved events side by side. Reopen a sample of grouped records to check that different requests were not merged. Track job outcomes at the inquiry or job level, not by multiplying every telephone event by an assumed value. Use the reconciliation lab to inspect explicit links with synthetic data.
Put it to work
A record you can use
- Event IDs and timestamps
- Underlying request evidence
- Assigned inquiry ID
- Ambiguous links and reviewer
- Raw events versus confirmed inquiry total
Plain text. No email required. Store completed records in your approved business systems.
Next useful step
Need help applying this to your marketing? A strategy call starts with your business and the evidence you have.
Talk through your next step →For a general editorial question, email Chris. Please leave out customer details. Questions are private, and no response time is promised.