Tips to help consumers tap into better customer service

— -- With the economy in turmoil, retailers are working harder to get your business. They're making it easier to shop, or at least do your research, online. And they're stepping up customer service in stores.

While stores are designed to get you to spend more, retailers are also making it easier to get in and out quickly. They know many purchases are made impulsively, but also worry that belt-tightening makes people stay home.

"Price will be a crucial component in retail marketing efforts across the board this holiday season, but retailers will also need to think about other factors — like customer service — that will help their companies stand out," said Mike Gatti, executive director of the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association.

Five ways to get customer-service help that will pay off online or in stores:

1. Use in-store pickup for online purchases.

This service, greatly improved in recent months and years, allows consumers to order and buy products online and pick them up in stores. It saves money in shipping and the time it would take to browse in stores, where the potential for impulse buys is higher. Sears will even send an e-mail and/or text message when the item is ready at stores that have in-store pickup. A recent survey by Harris Interactive for the e-commerce company Shopatron found 80% of people who have used in-store pickup are considering doing it again this holiday season. An anonymous survey of in-store pickup at major retailers in the Chicago area by consulting firm The E-tailing Group found the overall wait time was down to an average of 2.58 minutes vs. 3.21 minutes last year and 3.64 in 2006. Products were ready when the company's representatives arrived at the store 94% of the time, up from 83% in 2007.

"They have a lot of the kinks worked out of that, so it doesn't require standing at the customer-service desk like it used to," says e-commerce consultant David Fry of Fry Inc. That's a far cry from Fry's visit to Circuit City about two years ago when he waited so long for his pickup that he went to get it off the shelf for himself — and bumped into the clerk trying to pull it for him.

2. Get to know the sales clerks at your favorite stores.

You don't have to be a big spender at Saks Fifth Avenue or Neiman Marcus to get a phone call or special treatment from a salesperson these days. Sure, it helps if you're flashing your credit card all over a luxury retailer, but even salespeople at less-pricey specialty stores are often happy to alert you about sales, set aside items or keep you in the loop about what's going on in the stores.

Katherine Toll, a retail strategist with Kurt Salmon Associates, recommends that consumers chat up sales associates — even though that's more their job — and ask them the best way to learn about upcoming sales. Trade business cards and recommend them to friends "if they are good," she says.

Retailers are also increasingly making their websites accessible to sales clerks so if they don't have an item in stock, they can order it and have it shipped to your home. Borders is currently rolling out that capability to some of its newer stores.

"It's all about being able to connect with a customer and stay relevant with a customer," Toll says. "The personal connection and good old-fashioned selling is all about a relationship within the store."

3. Do your research online.

Shoppers who know what they want — even if it's not waiting for them at the customer-service desk — spend less time browsing, which means fewer impulse buys. With better-than-ever zoom views and even videos of the clothes in motion at sites including Ann Taylor, you can really home in on that perfect dress or pair of pants, so shopping trips become more targeted missions.

Teen retailer Wet Seal's website features consumer-recommended outfits so you can even get wardrobe help from "clerks" who aren't on the payroll.

4. Try mall search services.

Nearby Now is a service that allows consumers to literally "search" the inventories at 30,000 stores in 300 malls and shopping centers. Sign up for the free service at nearbynow.com and finding, say, brown leggings for a child is as easy as a few keystrokes on your computer or handheld device.

The service will tell you which stores carry the items. Once you find a product you want, click "is it in stock?" The site calls the store to verify the item is still available, and asks to have it put it on hold for the customer if requested. Then they send an e-mail and/or text message back to the shopper to say how and where to pick it up.

5. Ask about returning online purchases to stores.

The cost and hassle of returns is one reason many people avoid online apparel shopping (and wind up with bags full of stuff from the mall). But even though they don't trumpet this fact, most retailers with brick-and-mortar locations will take back an apparel purchase you make on their website, Fry says. Online shoe retailers including Zappos.com and Endless.com offer free shipping and returns to help remove resistance to buying shoes online just as in-store returns do for clothing.

Though the gloomy forecast for holiday sales could prompt retailers to cut back on staffing in stores and on their websites, Toll says that would be a big mistake because customer service is such a high priority these days.

"No one knows what will happen as far as (retail) traffic," Toll says. "This is the time you can win clients for life."

TELL US: What tips do you have for getting better customer service?