Answers.Body: <ol>
  <li>It appears there isn't a merge option for SMS.</li>
  <li>At present, I am exporting my search results and/or group, finding/removing the duplicate mobile phone numbers in Excel (via Conditional Formatting), and re-importing the remaining contacts and numbers as a new group that I can then target for the New SMS.</li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>I don't know of a purely Civi way of doing this, but if someone has other ideas, I'd love to hear them.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-06T03:46:11.253Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-01-06T04:06:34.643Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2016-01-06T04:06:34.643Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Allen Hutchison
Body: <p>When exporting search results or preparing a New Mailing in Civi Mail, there is an option to merge contacts from the same household/address (export) or remove duplicate emails (CiviMail).</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>Does a similar merging option exist for a New SMS in CiviSMS?</li>
  <li>If not, what is best practice for preventing multiple SMS going to duplicate phone numbers?</li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>Backstory: Our organization has a large number of families, so parents will often register their children with the parent's mobile number.  Thus the high probability of duplicate mobile numbers for mass SMS.</p>
  
Tags: <civisms><duplicate-contacts>
Title: CiviSMS merge option prior to sending?
ThreadText: # CiviSMS merge option prior to sending?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2015-07-04)
  
  When exporting search results or preparing a New Mailing in Civi Mail, there is an option to merge contacts from the same household/address (export) or remove duplicate emails (CiviMail).
  
  1. Does a similar merging option exist for a New SMS in CiviSMS?
  2. If not, what is best practice for preventing multiple SMS going to duplicate phone numbers?
  
  Backstory: Our organization has a large number of families, so parents will often register their children with the parent's mobile number. Thus the high probability of duplicate mobile numbers for mass SMS.
  
  **Tags:** civisms, duplicate-contacts
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_0 on 2016-01-06. Score: 0 | Accepted answer
  
  1. It appears there isn't a merge option for SMS.
  2. At present, I am exporting my search results and/or group, finding/removing the duplicate mobile phone numbers in Excel (via Conditional Formatting), and re-importing the remaining contacts and numbers as a new group that I can then target for the New SMS.
  
  I don't know of a purely Civi way of doing this, but if someone has other ideas, I'd love to hear them.
  
  
  ---
  
  