Most phone systems have shortcuts. 9 times out of 10, if you just pound on 0 enough times the automated system will give up and send you to a person. You still have to deal with long hold times and people who don't know what they're doing, but I do this all the time with Comcast, UPS, and many others.
When all else fails and you can't get any satisfaction, it's time to
turbo. Use this sparingly, or you'll ruin it for everybody.