There seem to be two distinct type of "live person" you get on the phone.
The type I believe Electricmanscott was referring to is the one you get after twnety minuts of 'voice mail jail,' some third-worlder who has a sheet of defined answers, and has no idea what's really happening.
The other type is what used to be the norm ... some gal who was actually AT the place of business, and usually knew better than anyone else just what was going on.
For those who think I'm exaggerating ... I once worked for a shop that ran just fine, for over a year, after management quit in a dispute with the owner. No, the owner didn't resume running things .... the leads and clerical staff did just fine without being 'managed.' To this day, I cannot figure out why the owner felt the need to replace his managers ....
Discrediting an idea? I think not .... the idea has had the past few decades to discredit itself. Sure, it's tempting to think of all the money you'll save by replacing your staff with a $9.95 computer CD ... but the results are a disaster for everyone except the management types who award themselved fat bonuses for their 'cost cutting.'
Likewise, using technology to forward calls to non-employees, who don't share the wages and benefits of the firms' employees isn't likely to make any points on the shop floor. Or, for that matter, with the customers.
IF I had a 'gal Friday,' to answer the phone, my own phone number would become a 'state secret.' Yet, that lady would know, minute by minute, what I was doing, what was going on in the company, and have the judgement to know when to call me. I simply can't give a customer my full attention when I'm driving, speaking with another customer, or loading the truck.
