Case Basics: Merging Cases

Overview

Occasionally you may start entering information on a new case, only to realize later that there was already an existing case for the same caller and issue. Emplifi Agent has a feature called Case Merge that allows you to merge the data from one case into another.

Before learning to perform a merge operation, you should be familiar with the following two terms:

  • Source Case: This is the case that the data is copied from.
  • Destination Case: This is the case that receives data from the source case.

You can use this feature at almost any time during the life cycle of a case, but it is most effective when one of the cases is relatively new and has little information associated with it (for example, during or immediately following the initial phone call). The merge feature is limited in the types of data that can be transferred from one case to the other. Cases that have sent letters or picked enclosures can never be the source case for a merge.

There are two conditions in which you may want to perform a merge. The first condition is when you already know the exact case ID of both the source and destination cases. ExampleClosed A consumer may email your company with a complaint, automatically creating a case. The same consumer may call in to discuss the same complaint, but forget to mention to the agent that they had previously sent an email. If the agent already started entering case information, the agent will need to merge the case created from the email with the case created from the call. In this case, the agent could ask the consumer for the case number of the email they sent. The agent would know the exact case ID of both the source and destination cases.

The second condition is when you know the source case, but you are not sure about the destination case ID (or if one exists at all). ExampleClosed A consumer calls in with a complaint, and the agent begins entering information on the case. The consumer tells the agent that they called in yesterday with the same complaint. The consumer cannot remember which agent took the call. In this case, the agent will not know the destination case ID.

If you already know the case ID of both the source and destination cases, complete the following steps:

  1. Open the source case.
  2. In the Application menu, click Merge Case.
  3. To select a case, you have two options:
    • Enter the value in the Merge to Case ID box.
    • Click the Merge to Case ID arrow to see recently viewed cases. Then, select a case from the list.
  4. Click Merge.
  5. If you entered a valid case ID, the Case Merge window displays, where you can select the merge options.

Once you have selected both a source and destination case (for information on how to do this, refer to Case Merge Overview), the Case Merge window displays.

Merge Data

The Merge Case Options window shows you the case IDs of both the source and destination cases that you have selected. It allows you to select the information from the source case that you want to copy to the destination case. The information that you can select from is split into the following three sections:

The Address section shows each of the addresses that exist on the source case. The address is not listed if it matches any of the following exceptions:

  • If the caller's address is also the caller on the destination case
  • If the Other address also exists on the destination case
  • Any new address (one that has not been saved and has not been resolved to an existing address via an Address Search)

For each address record, you have the option of copying it to the destination either as the Caller address or as an Other address.

If you choose to make a source address the Caller address, and the destination case already has a Caller address, the original Caller address on the destination case is moved to an Other address.

For Other addresses, you have the option of associating them with an issue on the destination case. Select an issue number from the drop-down menu.

You can copy any text entries from the source case to the destination case. You can either copy individual entries or all entries by choosing one of the following:

  • Select the check box next to the text entries that you want to copy.
  • Select the Merge check box in the heading to copy all text entries.

You also have the option of associating them with an existing issue on the destination case by selecting an issue number from the drop-down menu.

You can copy any attachments on the source case to the destination case. You can either copy individual attachments or all attachments by choosing one of the following:

  • Select the check box next to the attachments that you want to copy.
  • Select the Merge check box in the heading to copy all attachments.

If you want to merge Emplifi Agent Interaction recordings that are attached to the cases, select the Merge Interactions check box.

Performing the Merge

Once you have selected all the data from the source case that you want to copy to the destination, you can perform the merge.

Click Merge at the bottom of the window. The system copies over the requested data. The Case window with the source case displayed is closed, and any unsaved changes are discarded. Another Case window with the destination case opens and you can continue working from that case.

Note: If your administrator has configured your system to post an action to the source or destination cases, or both, the action is posted automatically.

If you do not know the Case ID of the case with which you want to merge, you can search for potential duplicate cases directly from the Case page.

Note: Searching for duplicate cases is very similar to performing an address search.

To run a duplicate case search:

  1. Open the source case.
  2. On the Application Menu, select Duplicate Case Search. A window will open and show all cases that are similar to the information entered.
  3. If one of the cases shown is related to the source case, click Merge on the results window. The Case Merge window will display, where you can select the merge options.
  4. If none of the cases in the search results matches the one you are looking for, click Next Rule. Repeat these steps until you find a match or until you receive a message stating that there are no more rules.

Merging Cases

The following video will guide you through merging cases.