Managers will soon be able to detect automatically when an email contains lies, uncertainty, or anger, according to business intelligence tools vendor SAS Institute. SAS is currently testing new ‘text mining' software that it plans to launch in mid-2002. The software, say SAS executives, is capable of detecting ‘tones' in text formats such as emails and web content, and there are many potential applications for it.

Organisations could, for example, use SAS Text Miner to identify angry customer emails and prioritise them.

Other possible applications for Text Miner include using the software to sift through curriculum vitaes and job applications to match applicants' qualifications with an organisation's requirements. Companies could also use it to find trends in responses to customer surveys. But the question is, will Text Miner be able to analyse software vendors' product descriptions to identify which ones are full of hype, and which ones might actually deliver demonstrable value?