How do I make an existing member a staff member?

In Octiv, every account uses its email address as its username. When one of your members starts working for you as a trainer, admin or any other staff role, you don't change their member profile into a staff profile. Instead, you create a new staff account for them with a different email address. An email alias is the easiest way to do this.

One account can't be both a member and staff

At your facility, an account is either a member account or a staff account, never both. Trainers, admins, location admins and the owner are all staff. A person who needs both a member account and a staff account at your facility needs two separate accounts, each with its own email address.

This rule applies within one facility. Someone who is a member at another facility can use the same email for a staff account at yours.

Why deactivating the member doesn't work

A deactivated member is still a member. Deactivating only changes their status: their member profile, and the email address linked to it, stays linked to your facility. So if you deactivate the member and then try to create a staff account with the same email, you'll get the same "username already exists" warning. Leave the member account as it is and use a different email address for the staff account.

Do they still need a member account?

Only if they want to buy a package. Staff members can be booked into classes without a member account:

Go to Scheduling >> Calendar and select the class.
Click Add Bookings.
Set User Type to Staff, search for the staff member, and click Book.

This applies to every staff member, including the owner. If your staff member wants to buy and pay for a package as a member, keep their member account (or create one) with a different email address from their staff account.

What is an email alias?

An email alias is a variation of an existing email address that still delivers to the same inbox. With most providers (for example Gmail and Outlook), you add a plus sign and a word just before the @:

Member account: jane@gmail.com
Staff account: jane+staff@gmail.com

Octiv treats the alias as a separate username, but every email sent to it still arrives in Jane's usual inbox. She doesn't need to create a new mailbox.

Tip: not every email provider supports aliases. Ask your staff member to send a test email to the alias first. If it doesn't arrive, use another address they own, such as a work email.

How to create the staff account

Choose the email for the staff account. Use the alias (for example jane+staff@gmail.com). Their member account keeps its original email, so their bookings, packages and billing don't change.
Go to Staff >> Create New, enter their details with the alias as the email address, choose their user type, and click Submit. For more on user types, see How do I add admin staff and trainers?
Your new staff member receives an automated email with their login details. It's sent to the alias, so it lands in their usual inbox.
Assign their location access: Staff >> Actions >> View/Edit >> Access >> select location access >> select the relevant Octiv privileges >> Submit. Only the Owner account can assign location access. To fine-tune what they can see, see How do I control what a staff member can access (permissions)?

From then on, your staff member logs in with the alias to work as staff, and with their original email to book and pay as a member.

Two accounts, two passwords

Each account has its own login and its own password. Changing one doesn't change the other. If your staff member forgets their staff password, see How does a staff member reset their password?

When a staff member leaves

Deactivate their staff account only. Their member account isn't affected, so they can keep training with you as a member.

Quick answers

Can I just change a member's role to staff or trainer? No. Create a separate staff account with a different email address, as above.
Can I deactivate the member first and then reuse their email? No. A deactivated member is still a member at your facility, so the email stays in use.
Does a staff member need a member account to attend classes? No. Book them in with User Type Staff. They only need a member account to buy a package.
Can the same email be a member at one facility and staff at another? Yes. The rule only applies within one facility.