I've found the live chat to be pretty useful when unable to reach the hotline. I don't know how you access it from the main site, but the one I've been using is on the redemption availability page. ie. You search for a award/redemption flight booking, then on the screen where it shows you the availability and calendar, press 'chat' on the bottom right.

This seems to connect me to someone fairly quickly so maybe give this a try.