Counting duplicate enquiries: matching rules and time windows that fit your business
There is no universal duplicate window. How to choose a matching rule and time window for your sector, hold repeats for review and keep reports honest.
People contact businesses more than once. They fill in a form, then call because nobody replied yet. They ask through a website and again through a listing. A colleague asks the same question from a different inbox. If every one of those is counted as a new enquiry, reports look better than reality and your team wastes time.
The answer is not a fixed rule borrowed from someone else. It is two decisions you write down: how a repeat is recognised, and for how long.
Decision one: the matching rule
A matching rule says which details make two requests “the same”. Common options:
| Match on | Catches | Misses |
|---|---|---|
| Email address | The same person using one inbox | A phone call, or a second email address |
| Phone number | Form plus call from the same person | Office switchboards shared by many people |
| Company or domain | Several people from one organisation | Two genuinely separate projects at one company |
| Address or site | Repeat requests for the same property | Different people at the same address |
Most businesses combine two. Consumer services often match on phone and address; B2B sellers often match on company. CRMs help: HubSpot, for example, automatically deduplicates contacts by email and companies by domain. But a CRM merge rule is about tidy records, not about what you paid for, so your enquiry rule may need to be stricter or looser.
Decision two: the time window
How long after a first request does a second one still count as the same? It depends on how your customers buy.
- Urgent local services: people often ask twice within hours. A short window catches those without hiding a genuinely new job next month.
- Considered purchases: people may come back weeks later after comparing options. A longer window avoids counting the same decision twice.
- Repeat or booking businesses: returning customers are normal. The rule may need to separate “existing customer” from “duplicate” altogether.
There is no correct number for everyone. Pick one that matches your sales cycle, write it down and review it after a month of real enquiries.
Hold repeats for review, don’t delete them
A suspected duplicate should be held with a reason, not removed. Sometimes the “duplicate” is a different person, or a new request from the same person. If it’s held and visible, someone can look and decide. If it’s deleted, nobody ever knows.
Equally, the original request stays valid. A repeat arriving later doesn’t make the first one less genuine.
Keep platform counts and your counts separate
Ad platforms have their own counting settings. Google Ads lets advertisers count every conversion or one per ad interaction, and suggests one per interaction for leads. That improves the platform’s bidding signal. It doesn’t replace your rule, because the platform can’t see a phone call that followed a form, or a colleague’s email.
Your monthly report should therefore show both: what the platform recorded, and what passed your standard, with each held repeat listed and explained.
A quick worksheet
- Which two details best identify the same enquirer in your business?
- How long is your typical gap between first contact and decision?
- How will held repeats be shown to you, and who decides on them?
- When will you review the rule?
Ring Side Leads sets the duplicate rule and window per client in its lead standard, for exactly these reasons.
Sources
- Google Ads Help: About conversion counting options, checked 2026-10-19
- HubSpot Knowledge Base: Deduplicate records, checked 2026-10-19
General information, not legal advice. Rules and programmes change; check the sources before acting.
Next: Consent notices on enquiry forms: name the recipient, keep the record