We're happier with customer service than we used to be, and we know it, so like the kid's song says, we should be clapping our hands.

Our happy situation is based on what consumers told a survey, and how can daily experience compete with statistics?

Genesys Telecommunications Laboratories, which makes software "to manage customer interactions," commissioned the survey of 4,300 consumers. It concluded that three out of five of us think call centres are doing much better than three years ago.

Genesys even acknowledged the result was counter-intuitive. But wait. There's a problem. In fact, three big ones.

Even more consumers, 67 per cent, are frustrated by long
hold times than the 61 per cent who think centres are doing a "significantly" or "somewhat" better job.

And 57 per cent of consumers are frustrated by the "interactive voice response" (IVR) systems that lead us down the automated voice path with multiple murky options that run into a dead end.

Having to give the same info several times also irritates customers.

On second thought, hold the applause.