What You Need to Know in FranFlow
Understanding the difference between Contacts and Opportunities is critical to keeping your data clean and your workflows working properly.
The Rule: One Contact = One Person
In FranFlow, a Contact represents a single individual.
Each person should only have one Contact record in the system.
Why Duplicate Contacts Are a Problem
Creating duplicate contacts for the same person can cause issues across your entire system.
What Can Go Wrong
If duplicates exist:
Conversations get split across records
Emails and texts may go to the wrong record
Workflows may trigger multiple times
Pipeline tracking becomes inaccurate
Notes and history become incomplete
This creates confusion and reduces visibility into the candidate journey.
Example of a Duplicate Contact (What NOT to Do)
Creating multiple contacts for the same person:
John Smith (initial inquiry)
John Smith (after intro call)
John Smith (new opportunity)
❌ This is incorrect
The Correct Approach
✔ One Contact record per person
✔ Update the same record as they progress
✔ Keep all activity in one place
What to Do Instead: Use Opportunities
If a candidate progresses, do NOT create a new contact.
Instead, use Opportunities.
What Is an Opportunity?
An Opportunity represents where a candidate is in the process.
This includes:
Their stage in the pipeline
Their progress through discovery
Their engagement level
One Contact Can Have Multiple Opportunities
This is completely normal and expected.
🔎 Examples
A single candidate may:
Explore multiple franchise brands
Re-enter the process after going cold
Start over after changing direction
Each of these scenarios can have its own Opportunity tied to the same Contact.
Example of the Correct Setup
✔ Contact: John Smith
Opportunities:
Opportunity 1 → Intro Call Scheduled
Opportunity 2 → Franchise Presentations
Opportunity 3 → Long-Term Nurture
All tied to the same Contact.
When Multiple Opportunities Make Sense
Use multiple opportunities when:
A candidate is evaluating different brands
A previous opportunity has stalled and restarted
You want to track separate deal paths
When NOT to Create a New Contact
Do NOT create a new contact when:
A candidate books another call
A candidate moves to a new stage
A candidate re-engages
A candidate explores a new opportunity
All of these should stay under the same Contact.
How to Avoid Duplicate Contacts
Before Adding a Contact
Always:
Search by name
Search by email
Search by phone number
If a Contact Already Exists
✔ Update the existing record
✔ Add a new opportunity if needed
✔ Continue communication in the same record
What If You Already Have Duplicates?
If duplicates exist:
Choose the most complete record
Merge or consolidate information
Continue using a single Contact moving forward
🪄 Best Practices
✔ One Contact per person
✔ Use Opportunities to track progress
✔ Never create a new contact for the same individual
✔ Always search before adding
✔ Keep all communication in one record
Why This Matters
Clean contact data ensures:
✔ Accurate automation
✔ Clear communication history
✔ Reliable pipeline tracking
✔ Better candidate experience
Final Takeaway
👉 Contacts = People
👉 Opportunities = Franchises Exploring, Different Journeys
Keep them separate, and your system will work exactly as intended.