<![CDATA[HOLD COURT]]>HOLD COURT is where the customer service industry answers for its crimes. Each episode puts a system, company, or practice on trial—exposing the incentives, cost models, and deliberate decisions that turned service into an economy built on your time, your frustration, and your surrender. Hosted by former service operator and HOLD author Amas Tenumah, this is not commentary. This is prosecution.

]]>https://www.waitingforservice.com/Riverside.fm (https://riverside.com)Thu, 28 May 2026 03:45:48 GMTSat, 14 Feb 2026 21:50:23 GMT60Amas Tenumah<p>HOLD COURT is where the customer service industry answers for its crimes. Each episode puts a system, company, or practice on trial—exposing the incentives, cost models, and deliberate decisions that turned service into an economy built on your time, your frustration, and your surrender. Hosted by former service operator and HOLD author Amas Tenumah, this is not commentary. This is prosecution.</p>episodicAmas Tenumahamas@amastenumah.comno<![CDATA[The Incentive Trap]]>Customer service exists to minimize cost, not maximize trust.

Metrics like deflection and containment are KPIs, not success measures.

Incentives are misaligned, focusing on speed and cost, not customer satisfaction.

Executives prioritize efficiency and cost reduction over customer trust.

Customer service is succeeding at cost containment, not satisfaction.

"Trust isn't measured by KPIs."

"Friction is a filter, not a bug."

"Layer by layer, humans disappear."

00:00 The real reason customer service fails

resources

]]>2d008217-bc09-44c9-bb18-0367467b7f44Tue, 10 Mar 2026 04:22:41 GMT<p>Customer service exists to minimize cost, not maximize trust.</p><p>Metrics like deflection and containment are KPIs, not success measures.</p><p>Incentives are misaligned, focusing on speed and cost, not customer satisfaction.</p><p>Executives prioritize efficiency and cost reduction over customer trust.</p><p>Customer service is succeeding at cost containment, not satisfaction.</p><p> "Trust isn't measured by KPIs."</p><p>"Friction is a filter, not a bug."</p><p>"Layer by layer, humans disappear."</p><p>00:00 The real reason customer service fails</p><p> resources</p><p></p>no00:10:32The Incentive Trapfull<![CDATA[Customer Service Is Not Broken. It’s Working Exactly As Designed.]]>Customer service is not broken.

It is working exactly as designed.

You are not stuck in a phone tree because someone made a mistake.
You are not looping in a chatbot because the company is confused.
You are in the maze because the maze works.

I say this as a former operator. I helped build these systems. I approved the budgets. I saw the math.

Customers experience frustration.
Companies experience efficiency.

In this first episode of Hold Court, I explain why service feels worse — and why that isn’t an accident.

This is about incentives.
This is about margins.
This is about design.

If you want to understand why the system feels hostile, start here.

Book: HOLD: THE SUFFERING ECONOMY OF CUSTOMER SERVICE — And the Revolt That’s Long Overdue
Website: waitingforservice.com

]]>48a79f72-cace-4a79-a718-8d12e966466fSat, 14 Feb 2026 21:53:53 GMT<p>Customer service is not broken.</p><p>It is working exactly as designed.</p><p>You are not stuck in a phone tree because someone made a mistake.<br />You are not looping in a chatbot because the company is confused.<br />You are in the maze because the maze works.</p><p>I say this as a former operator. I helped build these systems. I approved the budgets. I saw the math.</p><p>Customers experience frustration.<br />Companies experience efficiency.</p><p>In this first episode of Hold Court, I explain why service feels worse — and why that isn’t an accident.</p><p>This is about incentives.<br />This is about margins.<br />This is about design.</p><p>If you want to understand why the system feels hostile, start here.</p><p>Book: HOLD: THE SUFFERING ECONOMY OF CUSTOMER SERVICE — And the Revolt That’s Long Overdue<br />Website: <a rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://waitingforservice.com" target="_blank">waitingforservice.com</a></p><p></p>no00:06:49Customer Service Is Not Broken. It’s Working Exactly As Designed.full