A method of operating an elevator installation comprising an elevator car and call input devices (5, 7) configured to allow a person to enter an elevator call, comprising: receiving an image signal at a computer from a video camera (4, 6) capturing at least one parameter of the person entering an elevator call, wherein the computer comprises a processor coupled to a memory, which comprises a computer-readable storage media storing software instructions and a database; determining facial characteristics from the person's face data comprised in the image signal using the computer instructions and the database stored in the memory of the computer; evaluating the determined facial characteristics to determine if they fit in one of predefined emotion categories, and, if they do, categorizing the facial characteristics into at least one of the predefined emotion categories, wherein for the evaluating and the categorizing the computer instructions and the database stored in the memory of the computer are used; if the determined facial characteristics fit in one of the predefined emotion categories, generating a control signal by the computer corresponding to the at least one of predefined emotion categories; selecting by an elevator controller one of several operational modes, wherein the control signal determines which operational mode is to be selected, wherein the operational modes include: a first operational mode with predefined first operational settings, wherein the first operational settings correspond to predefined normal operation settings, wherein the elevator controller is configured to assign the person showing emotions of a first emotion category an elevator car without considering performance settings including service time and occupancy of the elevator car, or environment settings including illumination, multimedia and temperature within the elevator car, and a third operational mode with predefined third operational settings, wherein the elevator controller is configured, for the person showing emotions of a third emotion category, to handle the person's elevator call first in order to reduce waiting time, to assign an empty elevator car to the person, or to provide an elevator trip without intermediate stops; and operating the elevator installation by the elevator controller in accordance with the selected operational mode. receiving an image signal at a computer from a video camera (4, 6) capturing at least one parameter of the person entering an elevator call, wherein the computer comprises a processor coupled to a memory, which comprises a computer-readable storage media storing software instructions and a database; determining facial characteristics from the person's face data comprised in the image signal using the computer instructions and the database stored in the memory of the computer; evaluating the determined facial characteristics to determine if they fit in one of predefined emotion categories, and, if they do, categorizing the facial characteristics into at least one of the predefined emotion categories, wherein for the evaluating and the categorizing the computer instructions and the database stored in the memory of the computer are used; if the determined facial characteristics fit in one of the predefined emotion categories, generating a control signal by the computer corresponding to the at least one of predefined emotion categories; selecting by an elevator controller one of several operational modes, wherein the control signal determines which operational mode is to be selected, wherein the operational modes include: a first operational mode with predefined first operational settings, wherein the first operational settings correspond to predefined normal operation settings, wherein the elevator controller is configured to assign the person showing emotions of a first emotion category an elevator car without considering performance settings including service time and occupancy of the elevator car, or environment settings including illumination, multimedia and temperature within the elevator car, and a third operational mode with predefined third operational settings, wherein the elevator controller is configured, for the person showing emotions of a third emotion category, to handle the person's elevator call first in order to reduce waiting time, to assign an empty elevator car to the person, or to provide an elevator trip without intermediate stops; and a first operational mode with predefined first operational settings, wherein the first operational settings correspond to predefined normal operation settings, wherein the elevator controller is configured to assign the person showing emotions of a first emotion category an elevator car without considering performance settings including service time and occupancy of the elevator car, or environment settings including illumination, multimedia and temperature within the elevator car, and a third operational mode with predefined third operational settings, wherein the elevator controller is configured, for the person showing emotions of a third emotion category, to handle the person's elevator call first in order to reduce waiting time, to assign an empty elevator car to the person, or to provide an elevator trip without intermediate stops; and operating the elevator installation by the elevator controller in accordance with the selected operational mode.