In Plano, they have started using a company called PREMIERE RESPONSE to answer some consumer calls. They have not hired a single person since covid started and claim they are doing this temporarily to help with the influx of calls and no staff. I suspect they will hire this company full-time and move most of the phone reps left out of the company. No other reason why they refuse to hire any new employees for over a year despite the massive increase in call volume.
They already moved almost all of the email replies to (What I think is) a poorly trained team in Hyderabad (India), a team of people who simply cannot grasp much in terms of nuance or subtlties regarding the English language or American culture/slang/etc to the point the consumers have to be confused as hell. Gone are the personal replies to emails as well, which were a staple of the company for years.
I figure it won't be long before there are few people left in the Plano office that have much to do with dealing directly with the consumers. Why do that when you can hire some low-skilled workers and pay them $2 a day in our glorious business service hubs across the sea in a far away land?