Does anthropomorphism influence customers’ switching intentions in the self-service technology failure context?

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (7) ◽  
pp. 713-723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alei Fan ◽  
Luorong (Laurie) Wu ◽  
Anna S. Mattila
Keyword(s):  
Social Presence ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
Self Service ◽  
Self Service Technology ◽  
Sense Of Power

Purpose To enhance customer experiences, firms are increasingly adding human-like features to their self-service technology (SST) machines. To that end, the purpose of the present study is to examine customer interactions with an anthropomorphic machine in a service failure context. Specifically, the authors investigate the joint effects of machine voice, an individual’s sense of power and the presence of other customers in influencing customers’ switching intentions following an SST failure. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the authors used a quasi-experimental design in which they manipulated voice type (anthropomorphic vs robotic) and the presence of other customers (present vs absent) in video-based scenarios while measuring customers’ sense of power. The scenarios reflected a service failure experience with a self-service kiosk at an airport. The authors tested the hypotheses using PROCESS analyses with the Johnson–Neyman technique. Findings Consumer reactions to SST failures vary depending on the degree of anthropomorphism associated with an SST machine, an individual’s sense of power and the presence of other customers. Research limitations/implications Field inquiry and an investigation in other SST contexts or of other anthropomorphic features are needed to generalize the findings. Practical implications Service providers targeting powerful consumers should consider the social presence of others when incorporating anthropomorphic features into their SST facilities. Originality/value This study is the first to examine consumer responses to service failures in an anthropomorphic SST context.

Does relationship matter? – Customers’ response to service failure

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Ching Tsai ◽  
Yung-Kai Yang ◽  
Yu-Chi Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Exchange Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Responses ◽  
Perceived Justice ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Communal Relationships ◽  
Relationship Norms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how service failure affects customers’ negative response and how service recovery affects perceived justice in the context of different relationship norms. Design/methodology/approach – It includes four studies that examine how relationships influence customer reactions to service failures. In study 1, the paper examines how service failures affect customers’ negative reaction. In study 2, the paper examines how service recoveries influence perceived justice. Study 3 and study 4 test the robustness of the results of study 1 and study 2. All studies have a 2×2 between-subjects design. Findings – The results show that individuals in exchange relationships experience a stronger feeling of betrayal than those in communal relationships during service failures. Further, individuals feel more betrayed and show greater negative responses during process failures. They perceive greater justice when offered physical recoveries, which, in turn, contributes to higher service-recovery satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – This study was conducted in Taiwan. Customer reactions to service failures may vary according to cultural and environmental contexts. Practical implications – Service providers are encouraged to cultivate relationships with customers and identify different types of customers to compensate them more effectively, according to their preferences. Originality/value – This study introduces relationship norms to investigate consumer responses to service failures. The main contributions are twofold; it investigates the effect of relationship norms on customer responses to service-failure types and service-recovery types.

Others service experiences: emotions, perceived justice, and behavior

2014 ◽  
Vol 48 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 552-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Mattila ◽  
Lydia Hanks ◽  
Chenya Wang
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Theory Of Justice ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Service Failure And Recovery ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Service Experiences

Purpose – Often, service failures are witnessed by other customers, but little is known about how consumers react to service recovery aimed at other customers. Using the deontic theory of justice, this paper aims to examine consumers' reactions to justice directed toward other customers. Design/methodology/approach – Two studies were conducted to test the hypotheses. Both were 2 x 2 between subjects quasi experimental designs using written scenarios and surveys. The scenarios depicted an observing customer witnessing a service failure and recovery happening to another customer. Findings – Results show that the valence of the recovery attempt impacted the observing customer's reactions and evaluations, and that the observer's processing frame and loyalty status of the victim impacted the observing customer's judgments of fairness and behavioral intentions. Originality/value – These results provide guidance to service providers by shedding light on the impact of service failures and recovery on surrounding customers.

Is consumer forgiveness possible?

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 1567-1587 ◽  
Author(s):  
JungYun (Christine) Hur ◽  
SooCheong (Shawn) Jang
Keyword(s):  
Service Management ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Recovery Strategies ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Hotel Managers

PurposeThis study aims to investigate how consumer forgiveness is formed by examining rumination and distraction by consumers in hotel service failures.Design/methodology/approachData were collected using a self-administered questionnaire in the USA. A total of 371 usable responses were obtained. Anderson and Gerbing’s two-step approach was used to assess the measurement and structural models.FindingsThis study suggests that rumination and distraction play significant roles in processing consumer forgiveness. Self-focused rumination and distraction increase consumer forgiveness, whereas provocation-focused rumination exacerbates the negative effects of service failure severity on consumer forgiveness. This study also shows that gender differences exist. Men were more likely than women to link self-focused rumination and distraction to their intentions to forgive a service provider.Practical implicationsThis study is helpful for hotel managers to understand the mechanisms of consumer forgiveness in service failures and develop effective recovery strategies. Managers should aim to lessen consumers’ provocation-focused rumination while encouraging self-focused rumination and distraction. In addition, because of the differences in the process of consumer forgiveness between men and women, it is critical to differentiate the two groups in designing targeted recovery strategies for service failures.Originality/valueThis study investigates consumer forgiveness as a behavioral outcome following service failures that may help consumers achieve psychological balance and allow service providers a chance to restore the broken relationship. This study adds new information for understanding consumer responses and provides a basis for effective service management strategies.

“My bad”: investigating service failure effects in self-service and full-service settings

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sören Köcher ◽  
Stefanie Paluch
Keyword(s):  
Service Delivery ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Delivery Mode ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Active Involvement ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Self Service

PurposeCompanies in diverse branches offer a variety of service alternatives that typically differ in terms of the degree to which customers are actively involved in service delivery processes. The purpose of this paper is to explore potential differences in consumers’ reactions to service failures across services provided by a service employee (i.e. full-services) and services that require customers’ active involvement (i.e. self-services).Design/methodology/approachTwo 2 (full-service vs self-service) × 2 (no service failure vs service failure) scenario-based experiments in technological and non-technological contexts (i.e. ticket purchase and furniture assembly) were conducted.FindingsStudy results reveal that although service failures have a similar negative impact on satisfaction across both full-services and self-services, in the self-service context, the negative effect on the willingness to use the same service delivery mode again is attenuated.Research limitations/implicationsBy emphasizing the role of customers’ active involvement in the service delivery process, the study extends previous knowledge regarding customer response to service failures in different service settings.Practical implicationsBy highlighting that self-service customers’ future behavioral intentions are less severely affected by service failures, the authors present an additional feature of customer involvement in service delivery processes that goes beyond the previously recognized advantages.Originality/valueDespite the abundance of research on the effects of failure attributions, previous studies have predominantly examined main effects of attributions on customer responses, such that insights into potential moderating effects of failure attributions on established relationships – as investigated in this study – are still scarce.

scholarly journals Robots or frontline employees? Exploring customers’ attributions of responsibility and stability after service failure or success

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-289
Author(s):  
Daniel Belanche ◽  
Luis V. Casaló ◽  
Carlos Flavián ◽  
Jeroen Schepers
Keyword(s):  
Attribution Theory ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Frontline Employees ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Attributions Of Responsibility ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Artificial Intelligence Technology

PurposeService robots are taking over the organizational frontline. Despite a recent surge in studies on this topic, extant works are predominantly conceptual in nature. The purpose of this paper is to provide valuable empirical insights by building on the attribution theory.Design/methodology/approachTwo vignette-based experimental studies were employed. Data were collected from US respondents who were randomly assigned to scenarios focusing on a hotel’s reception service and restaurant’s waiter service.FindingsResults indicate that respondents make stronger attributions of responsibility for the service performance toward humans than toward robots, especially when a service failure occurs. Customers thus attribute responsibility to the firm rather than the frontline robot. Interestingly, the perceived stability of the performance is greater when the service is conducted by a robot than by an employee. This implies that customers expect employees to shape up after a poor service encounter but expect little improvement in robots’ performance over time.Practical implicationsRobots are perceived to be more representative of a firm than employees. To avoid harmful customer attributions, service providers should clearly communicate to customers that frontline robots pack sophisticated analytical, rather than simple mechanical, artificial intelligence technology that explicitly learns from service failures.Originality/valueCustomer responses to frontline robots have remained largely unexplored. This paper is the first to explore the attributions that customers make when they experience robots in the frontline.

Negative emotions in Mexican, Puerto Rican and Spanish hospitals

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-37
Author(s):  
Carmen Otero-Neira ◽  
Carmen Padin ◽  
Juan Carlos Sosa Varela ◽  
Maria Santos Corrada ◽  
Irma Magana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rican ◽  
Critical Incident ◽  
Critical Incidents ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Negative Emotions ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Failures

Purpose – This paper aims to assess negative emotions in Mexican, Puerto Rican and Spanish service settings in the hospital industry. The paper also attempts to validate previous findings in existing theory and previous studies across three national samples and describes the similarities and differences in negative emotions between Mexican, Puerto Rican and Spanish service settings. Design/methodology/approach – The current study comprised Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Spaniards who experienced a service failure (i.e. critical incident) in hospital settings within the past year. A descriptive research design was followed, and a self-administered questionnaire was applied to gather the data from respondents. Findings – The three-dimensional construct of negative emotions commonly identified in existing theory and previous studies of negative emotions turned out to be four in the current multinational study. Research limitations/implications – The four-dimensional construct of negative emotions thus revealed is relevant and valuable to research. A number of research limitations are provided, all of which provide opportunities for further research in assessing negative emotions in service settings. Practical implications – Service providers need to manage and deal with the negative emotions in service failures in an appropriate manner. It is necessary that the front-line staff identify and understand the reasons behind service receiver’s negative emotions in service failures, and that they act accordingly to reduce the intensity of critical incidents and the overall negative consequences. Originality/value – The negative emotions assessed provide a fruitful contribution and do not only complement additional facets to existing theory and previous studies of negative emotions in service settings but also fortify the notion that further research is required to gain an enhanced understanding and additional insights into them across countries and cultures, just as it is crucial to manage the occurrence of negative emotions in critical incidents accurately.

Service recovery satisfaction in offline and online experiences

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Raphael Odoom ◽  
George Cudjoe Agbemabiese ◽  
Robert E. Hinson
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Service Failure And Recovery ◽  
Recovery Strategies ◽  
Recovery Satisfaction ◽  
Empirical Tests ◽  
Service Managers

Purpose Given that the peculiar nature of the internet has introduced new dimensions of service delivery as well as new dimensions of service failures and recovery, the purpose of this paper is to investigate and compare the relationships between recovery strategies and recovery satisfaction within offline and online settings. Design/methodology/approach Data for the empirical tests of our hypotheses were collected via offline and online (specifically Facebook and Twitter) samples of customers who have experienced some form of service failure and recovery measures from service providers within the past year. Findings The results indicate that recovery strategies largely influence recovery satisfaction among aggrieved customers. However, these are conditional and not invariant across the two settings. In the authors’ offline setting, in particular, apology did not show a statistically significant impact on recovery satisfaction, even though, along with compensation and explanation, this relationship was significant among the online sample. Originality/value The study offers practical implications for service managers within emerging economies on the various conditions where they can maximise their service recovery efforts (both offline and online) to generate optimum recovery satisfaction.

Why wait? Impact of waiting lines on self-service technology use

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1181-1197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alinda Kokkinou ◽  
David A. Cranage
Keyword(s):  
Technology Use ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
The Self ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Employee ◽  
Binary Dependent Variable ◽  
Self Service ◽  
Self Service Technology ◽  
Number Of Customers ◽  
Waiting Lines

Purpose – The purpose of the present study is to examine the effect of waiting lines on customers’ decisions between using a self-service alternative and using a service employee. As self-service technologies are expensive and time-consuming to design and implement, service providers need to understand what drives customers to use them. Service operators have the most control over waiting lines and flexibility in expanding capacity, either by adding service employees or by adding self-service kiosks. Design/methodology/approach – The study used online scenario-based surveys following a 4 (number of customers waiting for the self-service technology) × 4 (number of customers waiting for the service employee) design. A binary dependent variable was used to record participants’ choice of service delivery alternative. Findings – Using logistic regression, the authors found that customers are increasingly motivated to use self-service technology as the waiting line for the service employee grows longer. This effect is influenced by perceived usefulness, anticipated quality of the self-service technology, need for interaction and technology anxiety. Research limitations/implications – This study should be replicated in a real-world setting where actual behavior, and not only intention, can be measured. Practical implications – The study provides guidance on how service providers can design their service to take advantage of the motivating effect of waiting lines on usage of self-service technology. Originality/value – The present study is the first to combine a scenario-based experiment with a binary dependent variable to isolate the impact of waiting lines on the choice between using a self-service technology and using a service employee. The use of the binary dependent variable overcomes the ambiguity of extrapolating from a continuous measure of intention to draw conclusions about behavior, a binary variable.

The role of collective angst during and after a service failure

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amro A. Maher ◽  
Rana Sobh
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Cultural Distance ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Service Failure And Recovery ◽  
The Future ◽  
Future Viability ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the role of collective angst, the concern about the future viability of one’s group, during service failure and recovery. Design/methodology/approach – To test this objective the authors utilize an experiment to examine how Kuwaitis react to service failures when the front-line employee is a foreigner. Findings – The results indicate that collective angst is associated with greater anger following a service failure. The authors also find that collective angst moderates the impact of cultural distance on anger and recommendation intentions following a service-failure recovery attempt. More specifically, cultural distance leads to greater anger and lower intentions to recommend a service establishment for consumers that experience greater collective angst. Originality/value – The research provides the first attempt at examining how local consumers react to foreigner service providers, by examining how concern about the future vitality of one’s national group, in other words collective angst, affects such reactions.

scholarly journals Customer intentions to invoke service guarantees

2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves Van Vaerenbergh ◽  
Arne De Keyser ◽  
Bart Larivière
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Service Guarantees ◽  
Recovery Strategies ◽  
Service Guarantee ◽  
Quasi Experimental ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Customer Outcomes

Purpose – Many service providers feel confident about their service quality and thus offer service guarantees to their customers. Yet service failures are inevitable. As guarantees can only be invoked when customers report service failures, firms are given the opportunity to redress the original failure potentially influencing customer outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to provide the first empirical investigation of whether excellence in service recovery affects customers’ intentions to invoke a service guarantee, thereby discriminating between conditional and unconditional guarantees and testing for the impact of customers’ individualistic vs collectivistic cultural orientation. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 171 respondents from four continents (spanning 23 countries) were recruited to participate in a quasi-experimental study in a hotel setting. A three-way analysis of variance was used to test the hypotheses. Findings – All customers are very likely to invoke the service guarantee after an unsatisfactory service recovery. When customers are satisfied with the service recovery, they report lower invoke intentions, except for collectivistic individuals who are still inclined to invoke an unconditional service guarantee after a satisfactory service recovery. The finding supports an in-group/out-group rationale, whereby collectivists tend to behave more opportunistically toward out-groups than individualistic customers. Originality/value – The study highlights the importance of excellence in service recovery, cultural differences and different types of service guarantees with respect to customers’ intentions to invoke the guarantee. The paper demonstrates how service guarantees should be designed in conjunction with service recovery strategies. Also, the paper shows that an unconditional service guarantee creates the condition in which collectivists might engage in opportunistic behavior; global service providers concerned about opportunistic customer claiming behavior thus might benefit from using conditional service guarantees.

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