During the good old days, I had had from 'average' to super good ambassadors that could make magic, but even the average were able to respond within a reasonable timeframe, and get things done that were not standard (like get me a room even if no availability, or get an approval for a your24 or an upgrade almost guaranteed on special occasions).

My last experiences with the ambassador service are totally underwhelming. Basically I get exactly the same I would get if I did things on the app, but with a 3-4 day response time delay.
I have never gotten more availability than what the app shows. Never gotten any Your24 approved, they simply say they'll pass the request to the hotel (which invariably denies it), never gotten any special request fulfilled...

Basically, the ambassador service has become a standard customer rep, that is not even able to answer promptly to requests, at least by email.

Am I doing something wrong, like maybe phone is better than email, or are these the new rules of the game?
Are there any other channels to 'get things done'? Happy to do extra work myself for a Your24, or to get availability when the system does not show. The ambassador route does not work anymore for me.