The automation of online order fulfillment can sometimes make customers feel like a number on an invoice rather than an individual. To combat this impersonal impression, several specialty retailers now take the time to enclose handwritten notes with orders.

Kathie Hahn, owner of Delran, N.J.-based retailer My Safe Bird Store, includes handwritten notes with every order. “It goes to show that you care about your customers and I think it’s important to establish a relationship with your customers rather than them just treating them like someone who orders on a piece of paper,” she explains.

Each note includes Hahn’s name and the name of the person who pulled their order. The message in the note varies depending on the customer and the situation, but Hahn makes a point to address each note to the customer’s name. When customers post on Facebook about getting a new bird, for instance, the note might congratulate them on their new bird. “If it’s a customer that we haven’t …

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The SWAT Team is now taking appointments.

We told you in March about BaubleBar.com’s “Service With Accessorizing Talent.” Now, you can get some face time with the fashion jewelry-seller’s service team .

BaubleBar.com is offering complimentary virtual styling appointments with SWAT team members to help customers find the perfect piece of jewelry. The video chats are conducted via Skype and scheduled through an application from Setster Inc.

BabuleBar.com’s SWAT team members conduct the chats live from the company’s showroom on Fifth Ave. in New York.

Nina Alexander-Hurst, BaubleBar.com’s director of customer experience, said video chat helps greatly with some of the challenges of selling jewelry online. Seeing the jewelry worn by SWAT team members helps give the product scale. It’s a better way to show the length of a necklace or the bulk of a bracelet. Women want to know what to expect when they have that BaubleBar.com box delivered. And, they like have a shopping …

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You’ve seen the public apology video. But, the better story is how J.C. Penney is engaging with customers commenting on the mea culpa.

J.C. Penney published this week a video advertisement developed under former chief executive Ron Johnson, an Apple veteran who was brought in to refresh the brand but was ultimately replaced after 17 months on the job by his predecessor, Mike Ullman.

The department store chain’s sales plummeted in 2012 following changes made by Johnson. Our analysis last month shows that the company has much work to do when it comes to improving customer service.

The new video is a very public plea for shoppers to give the department store another chance. Images of smiling children and couples holding hands are accompanied by piano music and a female narrator.

“It’s no secret, recently J.C. Penney changed,” the narrator says. “Some changes you liked and some you didn’t, but what matters from mistakes is what we learn. We …

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Lowe’s is embracing new digital platforms to deliver tips and tricks to its customer base.

This week the home improvement retailer garnered attention for the #lowesfixinsix Vine series that features 6-second DIY video tips on subjects including how to remove rust from knife blades to clever applications of cayenne pepper (squirrels beware!). To create the Vines, Mashable reports that Lowe’s and its ad agency BBDO NY brought in photographer Meagan Cignoli.

Customer feedback in response to the campaign has been overwhelmingly positive so far, and the campaign is receiving praise for being one of the first examples to emerge of a brand using the platform to deliver useful information, as opposed to just pushing out marketing messages.

Lowe’s Fix in Six is just one social initiative being rolled out by the brand, according to a press release issued by the company earlier this week. Lowe’s will begin answering questions from customers sent via Twitter with …

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After the ouster of J.C. Penney CEO Ron Johnson on Monday, there’s been a considerable amount of commentary around what part of the outgoing executive’s ambitious reorganization of the business was the biggest miss.

Shares of the retailer have been more than halved since Johnson laid out his transition strategy last January, which consisted of flashy ads and a transformation of nearly every aspect of the stores.

While sales have tumbled, they haven’t dried up completely. J.C. Penney is a multi-billion dollar retailer, so there were still a lot of customers to keep happy during Johnson’s tenure as CEO.

And, looking at the retailer’s performance over the past five months of STELLA Monthly Benchmarks, customer service has not been strong.

Looking at the four service areas measured – phone, email, shipping and returns – J.C. Penney has not had a consistent presence in any category. The company was closest in phone support, ranking in the top five for four of five months, …

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Customers who have purchased Lululemon’s popular black yoga pants will receive a full refund or exchange after the sportswear retailer discovered a manufacturing glitch caused a revealing sheerness in the pants’ material.

The company posted Monday on its website a detailed outline of the issue, what items were affected and steps for customers to take for a full refund.

“We want you to Down Dog and Crow with confidence and we felt these pants didn’t measure up,” the company’s blog said.

The company said the issue was found in about 17 percent of all women’s bottoms in stores since March 1.

“Over the past weekend we pulled all of the affected black Luon women’s bottoms from our stores, showrooms and e-commerce site and are working with our supplier to replace the fabric and our other manufacturers to replace these key items as quickly as possible,” the company posted on its website. “The quality of our products are paramount so we gathered our internal experts …

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Jewelry is one of those items that can difficult for online retailers. Shoppers want to see a ring shine, feel the weight of a bracelet or know if the piece is comfortable to wear.

So, to help with this online shopping challenge, BaubleBar.com called in the S.W.A.T. team. Or, rather “Service With Accessorizing Talent.”

These members of the customer service team have a detailed knowledge of every piece of jewelry sold by the company and can connect with shoppers to better understand their tastes to recommend the perfect piece.

“We want the team to have an identity beyond customer service,” said Nina Robins, BaubleBar’s director of customer experience. “I’m hiring top notch grads with communications degrees that can be passionate about what we’re doing here.”

BaubleBar works hand-in-hand with leading jewelry designers to curate a collection of pieces across different styles. The company aims to provide quality fashion jewelry at an unparalleled value, while …

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Overstock.com has launched free shipping on all orders over $50, while orders less than $50 will ship for a flat rate of $2.95.

“Sticker shock at checkout has always annoyed online shoppers, which is why we have offered one low flat rate of $2.95 for over a decade,” Overstock.com Chief Executive Patrick Byrne said. “Now we are taking it a step further by making shipping free on all orders over $50.”

Overstock.com has offered flat-rate shipping of $2.95 for most of its 13 year history, with free shipping promotions at various times during the year.

For free shipping on all orders all the time, Overstock.com offers its rewards program, Club O. A Club O membership is available for a $19.95 annual fee.

Free standard shipping on orders $50 and up applies to U.S. orders only. For expedited shipping, additional charges will apply. The offer only applies to deliveries in the lower 48 states.

Retailers are facing increasing pressure to offer free shipping. Consumers …

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Best Buy Inc. has eliminated the email contact form on its customer service page, saying it’s instead pouring more resources into live chat.

The option to email the company from the customer service page was pulled last week.

The company told Happy Customer that email is “unable to offer the same level of in-the-moment assistance.” The decision was also influenced by customer feedback, as 20% of respondents to a survey of Best Buy’s online shoppers said they prefer live chat.

It’s worth noting that another major retailer – Apple Inc. – does not offer email support.

Best Buy has also experienced a bump in efficiency with live chat, citing a 36% improvement in contacts handled per hour versus phone support. The company said that has led to a 20% increase in conversions.

Still, STELLAService found that Best Buy’s live chat performance struggled during Black Friday through Cyber Monday, as live chat was listed as unavailable on the site for 95% of …

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Your company may still be trying to decide if live chat is right for your service team. Meanwhile, JackThreads is pushing live chat as its preferred form of communication with customers.

JackThreads is a members-only, online shopping club that curates streetwear and contemporary men’s fashion brands, offering daily sales of up to 80% off.

In an interview at STELLA Summit, JackThreads General Manager Mike Novotny said live chat has proven to be a quick, casual and uniquely engaging way to help customers.

Novotny said the JackThreads customer service team began to notice that guys were reaching out on chat, hoping to reach the same person they visited with for the last order.

“We found that he would say, ‘Can I talk to Tracy? She hooked me up with this great pair of jeans,’” Novotny said. “They liked fast fashion advice on the fly from a female because it was fun.”

JackThreads’ customer service operation is based in Columbus, Ohio, conveniently near Ohio State …

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