But there is a lot of copy-catting going on. Have you called a bank or any other large institution in the last 3 years? "We're experiencing larger call volumes

But there is a lot of copy-catting going on. Have you called a bank or any other large institution in the last 3 years? "We're experiencing larger call volumes than normal". The fact that this is pervasive and constant makes it a lie. It means that many organizations have seen that everyone else is doing it (cutting support staff, or not increasing head count). I would say that is both copy cat and cost cutting behaviour. Very few non-FAANG organizations have a lot of fat to trim post-2009. In fact, reduced head counting and overloading already over-stretched employees has been going on since the mid-90's in most industries.