First, it will create employee resistance that will be transferred to customers. Even now, Pacific Bell's employee unions are rebelling against strict performance goals that punish representative that are not successful in selling unwanted services. Pacific's own guidelines encourage agents to overcome prospect objections and to cushion the rejection. In response, the unions openly rebelled and ran full-page ads in California newspapers decrying the tactics. Second, the phone companies will lose the one asset that differentiated them from their competitors.
Competition is about choice and choice is about differentiation.
The ability of competitors to differentiate will determine success. Currently, the LECs enjoy a fading reputation of reliability and restraint. They've not yet been tarred by the brush of unrestrained rate hikes and unreliable customer service that has soiled the cable industry. Nor have they been besmudged by the incessant hawking and confusing pricing that has stained the long-distance companies. That differentiation currently enjoyed by the LECs is disappearing as the marketers dictate company policies.