> A believable scenario, something people might sympathize with, a sense of urgency, further but brief engagement with questions/answers, and gratitude for their participation.

Yep, pretty much nailed it right there. I think the fact that she acted surprised/confused at some of the security policies, rather than getting aggressive, helped sell her as a real customer that just needed some help.

I mean, not that real customers aren't assholes sometimes. It's just less likely that customer support will want to help them.