Two things - how can i search for a sale by phone number of the customer? and why does the chat func

Shopify Discussion

Topic summary

A user seeks two capabilities: searching for sales by customer phone number and accessing the chat support function.

Phone Number Search Limitation:

  • Shopify’s Orders and Analytics sections don’t currently support filtering by customer phone number
  • This is a known limitation that has persisted for 5+ years despite user requests
  • Workaround requires installing third-party reporting apps (Better Reports, Advanced Reports, Data Export Report) at additional cost (~$20/month)
  • User finds it unreasonable that this basic search function isn’t built into the platform

Chat Support Access Issue:

  • User cannot access live chat support and gets stuck in a login loop
  • Standard troubleshooting steps suggested: clear cache/cookies, try incognito mode, different browser, different device, or mobile app
  • User reports trying all suggested fixes without success
  • To access support, users should log into their shop, select a topic on the Contact Page, and scroll to bottom for chat options

Status: Both issues remain unresolved. User expresses frustration with needing paid apps for basic functionality and inability to reach support.

Summarized with AI on November 25. AI used: claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929.
1

function not work on the help.shopify.com site?

2

Hi @Rap_Scallion ,

Thank you for reaching out to the Community! I’m happy to provide some assistance with orders, as well as accessing our support. To ensure I’m fully understanding however, are you looking to filter orders within both the Analytics and/or Orders section of the Shopify admin?

If so, this would be considered a current limitation. Both the Orders and Analytics section have a range of filters that allow for customization, but does not currently extend to the customers phone number. As I can completely understand how this may not be ideal, I’d be more than happy to share these notes with our Developers. We are always looking for ways to improve the platform and appreciate the feedback.

To workaround this however, you can look into the addition of a reporting app from the Shopify App Store. This will provide you with the ability to create advanced reports and pull orders based on specific customer information. For ease, I’ve gone ahead and made a few app recommendations below that you can look into:

As for connecting with our live support, you can head to our Contact Page to begin chatting with our advisor team. Be sure to log into your shop, select a topic (i.e starting a store) and scroll to the bottom of the page to access all available support options. If however, you’re not seeing these support options, please attempt the following local troubleshooting steps below:

  • Clear your Cache and Cookies.
  • Access the shop from an Incognito Tab.
  • Try accessing the shop from Another Browser (i.e Safari, Chrome, Firefox).
  • Attempt using Another Device.
  • Try uploading from the Shopify Mobile App.

Please let me know if you continue having issues after attempting all of the steps outlined above. Take care!

3

We’re not interested in installing another app just to search for a customer phone number, it’s kinda unreal that this is not a default option in Shopify. It’s the same with offering different box sizes instead of having a default box option for everything? How is it that this request has not been addressed for 5+ years? (You can search the forums and find people searching for this years ago).. I mean you have Locations, just add box-size to that and problem solved no?

Also - no matter what I try, I still get looped in the Shopify help/contact support loop. I have done all the options you’ve listed and it still just prompts me to login AGAIN instead of taking me to a chat representative. Please someone from Shopify fix both of these. Thank you.

2 Likes
4

Thank you but I’m not paying $20 a month just to be able to search my orders for a customer’s number.

3 Likes