Nobody knows whether or not Circuit City Stores will survive as independent company, but if the company fails, it won’t be for a lack of trying lots of new stuff. Yesterday, the company announced two new initiatives: a help line to assist consumers in switching from analog to digital TV, and the equipping of sales clerks with tablet PCs to put more information at their fingertips.

Under federal mandate, most U.S. TV stations will stop broadcasting analog signals and switch to purely digital formats after Feb. 17, 2009. That switch will render old analog TV sets obsolete – creating an incentive for consumers to upgrade millions of television sets.

"We know the clock is ticking and in less than six months, most U.S. TV stations will switch from traditional analog signals to digital broadcasts," said Brian S. Bradley, senior vice president - multi-channel, in a press release. "People are eager to learn more about how the DTV switchover will affect them, and we believe our new contact center will be a valuable public information resource. Our contact center also will be an important new sales channel for people who live in rural areas and for customers who find it inconvenient to visit traditional retail locations."

Circuit City has been an active participant in the government coupon program to make converter boxes more affordable and has offered government-approved DTV converter boxes in its stores since mid-February, 2008.

Meanwhile, if consumers can’t get the help they want over the phone, all they have to do is ask their Circuit City sales associate, who can whip out his trusty tablet PC and access vast storehouses of information.

Yesterday, Circuit City joined Microsoft Corp. in announcing that select Circuit City stores are equipping sales associates with tablet PCs running a custom Windows-based application designed to speed the sales process. The tablets provide immediate access to product recommendations, demos, usage questions and competitive pricing for thousands of items.

The tablet PCs, dubbed the Enhanced Digital Guided Experience, are part of a larger transformation of the retailer’s customer-service model in new-format stores known as “the city."

"With EDGE, sales associates can engage the guest, ask questions and input feedback for product recommendations that match the guest's preferences and budget," said Brian Leach, vice president of new concepts. "Because EDGE puts a wealth of information at our associates' fingertips, we can hire from a broader talent pool and prepare them for the sales floor more quickly."

"With consumer electronics products being upgraded as often as every 90 days, retailers are pressured to stay on top of all the latest trends while at the same time ensuring competitive pricing, clean stores and well-stocked shelves," said David Gruehn, U.S. retail industry director at Microsoft. "By using a Tablet PC running a Windows-based application such as EDGE to elevate sales associates' knowledge and effectiveness, Circuit City is differentiating itself from other retailers and tackling a key issue that all retailers face: how to increase customer loyalty and sales with a frequently evolving workforce."

"What started as a selling tool turned into something that has removed boundaries from our service model and changed the way that we run our business," Leach said. "We knew we had to create a more consistent approach to how we engaged guests in our stores, and Microsoft had the insight to show us where the industry was heading and provided knowledge and resources to move us in that direction."