More-importantly, scripting also prevents the rep from stepping outside
the box. This is critically important, because these reps rarely have any
authority to do anything that might actually help the customer beyond
the trivial. Companies with good images tend to be companies that let
their reps make decisions "on the fly".

I agree, especially when I seem to get someone who is using a script
that doesn't seem to relate to the problem that I am having.

Isn't that the case 90% of the time?