[MSS]

I have been involved in the design of agent systems as well as spent many hours listening into their calls and meeting senior managers. The problem is that people only want to pay £22.99 for the broadband including line rental (as an example). This means that every agent conversation is timed and those that last longer than a set threshold reviewed. Average agent call handling time is scrutinised as this is a key part of the cost of service provision.

We simply get what we are willing to pay for.

This is the reason I am always extremely polite to service agents, no matter what the service or company, as their behaviour and response is almost always governed by financial policies and imperatives of the company or the regulatory regime.

The agents are just ordinary humans trying to earn a living so there is nothing to be gained from adding a little more misery to their working life.