Is this the worst marketing tactic ever? Schaefer Marketing Solutions: We Help Businesses {grow}

Technologies can track how long a customer will wait for a human to answer the phone and how many ads they will tolerate. Companies know what steps they must take to keep shoppers loyal--and which they can skip. This knowledge has contributed to a decline in how customers are treated, say analysts, consultants and former executives. Artificial intelligence allows companies to analyze customer behavior, personalities and even the tone of their voices to determine what they will, and will not, tolerate when they call for support, The Wall Street Journal reports. The trend comes in the wake of last decade's recession, when many firms took an ax to their customer service operations.