They're harder calls. They actually get to negotiate with the rep before their case is decided. Its Web-aided computer system, called ''Einstein,'' takes just 15 seconds to pull up the ranking on a customer. First Union won't describe the formula in any detail, other than to say that the ranking software takes stock of minimum balances, account activity, branch visits, and other variables. But the color-coding that appears in a little square on the screen offers a hint.
Greens get more flexibility on credit card rates.
Today, bank computers assign ranks based on your assets and your past behavior as a customer. But soon they'll have far more information to work with. Companies have long scrutinized their customers, both to spot those who are high-value and to weed out the money losers. They can sort people into more categories and, in some cases, predict how they will behave. All this slicing and dicing will go into hyperdrive as banks, insurers, credit-card companies, retailers, media concerns, and medical businesses move the bulk of their activities onto the Net.