I just had the experience of contacting Amazon.com about an order. I really wanted to talk with someone, but didn't want to go through voicemail hell to do it.

Fortunately, they use a "click to call" system. I clicked on the "Call me" button, and a new window popped up. I entered my phone number and chose when I wanted them to call (in this case, "right now").

A few seconds after I clicked OK on this, the phone rang. It was a live person who knew who I was and what order I was calling about. No waiting, no menu options to press.

To do this, Amazon uses a commercial product called eStara. Their website gives information and a demo.

No doubt this is not cheap, but it's extremely effective and gives the user an immediate sense of being catered to.