Accidentally deleted staff but unable to add her back

[laurapk21]

I'm brand new Shopify.  I've been in development for several months and just one live today.  I accidentally deleted my one staff member.  When I realized my stupidity I tried to add her back and got the notification that "this email has already been taken".  Of course, I'm melting down as she has to have access to site since she's part owner... So, I added her with a different email address.  I was able to send it but it keeps defaulting her to the old email address (the address we prefer) but will not let her login.  She gets a 500 error.

I'm at a loss and very frustrated. I'd love to talk to a real person but I guess they don't exist for shopify? I don't even know if I'm asking in the right place. Thanks for any help.

[Elias]

Hey, @laurapk21.

Thank you for reaching out and bringing this to our attention.

We did experience a minor service interruption earlier today, which caused a 500 error for some merchants. However, we can also confirm that the issue has been resolved. Can you confirm whether you're still experiencing any issues when managing staff accounts? 

If you're still experiencing issues adding your staff member, then it looks like we'll need to access your account in order to get a closer look at the problem. While we're unable to provide account-specific support via the Shopify Community, we'd be happy to assist you through live chats. Simply visit the Shopify Help Center and login to your account to create a support request.

That being said, I noticed that you're a new member of our Shopify Community! Once you've resolved the issue with adding the staff account, I'd love to hear more about your business and share some resources to help you get started. What types of products are you selling? Do you have a marketing plan prepared for your store?

[laurapk21]

Just checked with my business partner and it's worse than yesterday.  Apparently, yesterday, it at least attempted to load.  Today nothing.  She's still unable to access anything or even login.

[Elias]

Hey, @laurapk21.

Thank you for checking and following up.

If you're still unable to add your business partner to a staff account, then I'd recommend removing the staff account and then clearing the browser's caches and cookies. Once that's done, you can log back in as the store owner and try readding the staff account. Should the issue(s) continue to persist, then please get in touch with us via the Shopify Help Center and we will be able to take a closer look at your account. 

If you have any other questions on this topic, then don't hesitate to let me know.

[laurapk21]

I was able to contact support and it's been resolved, thankfully.  I learned a valuable lesson.  HAHAHAHA!

In your previous message you mentioned sharing some resources since we're new.  We're here for all the help.  We design and sell PDF sewing patterns (clothing and bags).  So, we are exclusively digital downloads.  We've worked for other indie companies doing this very thing. We have all the social media presence and plan to market there but I'm just creating and crossing my fingers. I know, terrible plan.

I'll take any and all advice!

[Elias]

Hey, @laurapk21.

Glad to hear that the issue has been resolved!

Since you're selling digital products that's related to arts as well as clothing and bags, then you may be able to explore similar strategies as stores that sell art or fashion. Here are some resources that may be helpful: 

• How This Direct To Consumer Fashion Brand Found Its Product Market Fit
• The Key To Creating High Demand Around Your Product Drops
• How To Sell Art Online

Have you considered using something like Shopify Inbox to interact with customers live on your store or provide an inbox for customers to leave messages?