As I posted earlier, if they don’t go with the usual mantra of their name, where they are, asking your name, and thanking you for your status just hang up and call back.
Seattle agents seem to be 50/50. Boise agents range from extremely competent and good at finishing tickets to absolutely terrible with agents making you wait 30 min and really not even know the first thing about international awards.
I had an agent out of Boise who didn’t do the usual introduction, and I knew I was in for a bad ride. I was booking CX intra-Asia route where Qantas site was showing tons of options in every class of service and maybe 3 flights with J seats. When I kept asking her to check a specific flight she kept telling me and repeating “there’s nothing, not even Coach” which I knew was totally wrong. Hung up, called back, and got the flight I wanted in Business in under 5 minutes.
I can usually tell within the first 15 seconds if this agent is going to be helpful or not.