Hardware and home goods e-tailer HomeTownStores.com said it is now hosting live, proactive customer service representatives, dubbed HomeTown Helpers, who monitor the site and pop in to welcome visitors through an interactive text box on the screen.

Helpers aid with searches, product information or special services offered by HomeTownStores.com, and have the ability to instantly move the customer to a specific page of the site when searching for an item.

This new service proactively initiates real-time communication with customers, and does not interfere with other system functions on the site, the company said.

The HomeTown Helpers are powered by icontact, a software solution designed to replace the last remaining online shopping fears with the reassurance that live people are there to help needed, the company said.

Established in 1997, icontact.com's patent-pending software solution allows a company to profile and then prioritize its Web customers -- proactively initiating chat communication with customers via a standard Web browser.