They turned their attention to writing programs that could explore intimidating mountains of data in such a way that profitable new financial insights might be dredged up and finally made clear. These innovative programs were often based upon research into artificial intelligence, where computers utilized processes modeled after human thought patters, or artificial life, where programs imitate evolutionary struggles for existence and reproduction. And now, indeed, these firms had good reason to start investing in such advanced technologies. They also concentrated on the ways that sales reveal interesting characteristics of the shopper. Deregulation Sends Phone Companies to Mine Shafts Phone companies spun off by government deregulation of the telecommunications industry were some of the first enterprises to risk big chunks of capital entering the mysterious, intimidating new realm of data mining.
Businesses are justifiably conservative by nature.
They were not disappointed. Practical solutions soon started to appear in the printouts and on the monitor screens, answers that showed the telcos various ways out of their predicament. Economic salvation lay in a dynamic approach to the customer base. Based squarely upon these insights, a number of selectively targeted retention programs were immediately initiated. The projects successfully reined the bulk of restive consumers right back into the corporate fold by addressing their concerns directly and unequivocally.