It's also helpful to try to fix problems immediately. Whenever possible, I check the itineraries and receipts on line as soon as possible, sometimes during the phone call. This is especially useful when you try to "optimize" or at least improve award tickets. You can check what the phone agent is doing in almost real time. However, it's not always possible to do this and, in fact, sometimes you call precisely because you're not near a computer with internet access.