Minimising Client Duplication
There are a couple of ways to help minimise the duplication of client details however it is mostly down to the people entering in the client information to be diligent about the information they are entering. If the following process is used when adding a new client then duplications will be kept to a minimum. This is the type of process used by hospitals and labs who must ensure that they know exactly who their patient/client is.
Always search for the client before Creating a New Client-
Always search for the client in the "Select a Client" drop down when creating a New Appointment before Clicking New Client
OR
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Use the Find Client Search
Ask if the client has been before. Remember that Clients can be made Inactive and be set-up to not show in the Client Search. Also, check that the Client has not changed with name since they were here last, e.g. married, divorced.
Double check the spelling of the clients name
In the New Client dialog box next to where a client's name is entered there is another box called Possible Matches. It is triggered when the Client's Last Name is entered. Check that there is no one with similar spelling in this box.
Another useful tip is to have a standard way of entering names that are not typical e.g. Joe Bloggs. Examples of these non-typical names might be:-
a double barrel surname name e.g. van Beek or van der Putten
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more than one first name
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or, if as in some Asian cultures, the family name maybe written or spoken before the given name.