How Sincere is an Apology? Recovery Satisfaction in A Robot Service Failure Context

2021 ◽  
pp. 109634802110115
Author(s):  
Yaou Hu ◽  
Hyounae (Kelly) Min ◽  
Na Su
Keyword(s):  
Service Management ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Human Interaction ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Service Robot ◽  
Recovery Satisfaction ◽  
Service Environments ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism Industry

This study examined the effects of service recovery entities (i.e., robot-generated text, robot-generated voice, and human service employee) on recovery satisfaction through the mediation of perceived sincerity. This study also tested the moderating role of the need for human interaction. The results of this study suggest that people perceive service recovery provided by a human to be more sincere than that provided by a service robot, thereby leading to higher levels of satisfaction. Moreover, this effect is stronger for those with a stronger need for human interaction. However, differences in perceived sincerity and recovery satisfaction were not identified between the use of service robots generating either text or a voice to express an apology. This study contributes to the theoretical discussion on ways to enhance customer experiences in robot service environments and provides insights that can guide service management in the hospitality and tourism industry.

scholarly journals Users Versus Non-users: The Impact of Experience on Hotel Guests’ Attitudes Towards Service Robots in Hotels

2022 ◽  
pp. 55-66
Author(s):  
Patrycja Brylska ◽  
Cihan Cobanoglu ◽  
Seden Dogan
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Service Robot ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Self Service ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism Industry ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe use of robotics and artificial intelligence have created a shift in the ways the service-based hospitality and tourism industry can fulfill the needs and wants of consumers that were earlier fulfilled only by humans. Robots have added the automation and self-service experience that play a vital role in the improvements of efficiency, speed, and the overall experience for the guests using technology. While there are many benefits of using robots in the industry, there are also risks associated with the excessive usage of robots on guest experience. As a result of the pros and cons on the topic, it is very important to gather data and analyze the results to further investigate and understand what the outcomes will be for the industry, its employees, and its customers. The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of the use of robots in the hotels as perceived by hotel guests who used a service robot and who did not. A self-administered survey was developed, and 939 usable responses were collected from hotel guests. Factor analysis showed that five factors emerged in the study: Advantages, Attitudes, Disadvantages, Pandemic Related, and Fear. Guests recognize the opportunities that service robots are bringing to their experience while voicing their concerns and fears about the use of them. Findings also showed that there are significant differences between users and non-users.

Empowerment in service recovery: the role of self-regulation process of frontline employee

2019 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 828-843 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mo Zhang ◽  
Ruoqi Geng
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Exhaustion ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Job Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Regulation Process ◽  
Recovery Satisfaction ◽  
The Impact

Purpose In accordance with the commitment–trust theory, employee attitudes and behaviours mediate the impact of empowerment on service recovery performance. The purpose of this paper is to extend the self-regulating process model and develop a structural framework that combines empowerment, self-regulation mechanisms (service recovery awareness, job engagement and emotional exhaustion) and post-recovery satisfaction. This framework explores how empowerment can lead to action of frontline employees (FLEs) in service recovery. Design/methodology/approach The authors test the hypotheses by investigating 290 pairs of FLEs and customers, who have service failure experience in the express mail industry, using structure equation modelling. Findings The findings show that empowerment enhances both service recovery awareness and job engagement. On the one hand, service recovery awareness has a positive impact on emotional exhaustion, which has a negative impact on post-recovery satisfaction. On the other hand, job engagement has a positive impact on performance. These results provide the whole picture of the double-edged effects of empowerment on FLEs in service recovery. Practical implications This paper indicates that managers should re-consider approaches to empowerment based on self-regulation process to enhance performance following service failure. Originality/value This study explores the dark side of empowerment in service recovery from a self-regulation perspective.

scholarly journals Satisfaction with service recovery: Its measurement and its outcomes

2003 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Boshoff ◽  
G. Staude
Keyword(s):  
Service Failure ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Service Failures ◽  
Recovery Satisfaction ◽  
Growth Prospects ◽  
Survival And Growth ◽  
Effective Service

Persistent poor service delivery will have a harmful impact on the survival and growth prospects of service firms. The literature contends that, if service failures occur, there are strategies that service firms can employ to return customers to a state of satisfaction. Very little scholarly research has been done, however, to assess the satisfaction of customers after service firms have tried to recover from service failure. Although anecdotal evidence suggest it, no empirical research has been done to confirm that effective service recovery will ensure ‘overall’ satisfaction, or the long-term loyalty of complaining customers.The purpose of this study is to assess the validity and reliability of an instrument purported to measure satisfaction with service recovery (RECOVSAT), and to determine which dimensions of service recovery satisfaction are the most important predictors of overall satisfaction and loyalty.

Service recovery satisfaction and customer commitment in the airline business

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-108
Author(s):  
Rosemary Matikiti ◽  
Mercy Mpinganjira ◽  
Mornay Roberts-Lombard
Keyword(s):  
Airline Industry ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Positive Word ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Commitment ◽  
Recovery Satisfaction ◽  
Positive Word Of Mouth

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the precursors and outcomes of service recovery satisfaction and customer commitment among airline business customers. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from airline travellers in South Africa using a structured questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the proposed hypotheses. Findings The results revealed that recovery expectations and perceived equity exert significant influence on levels of recovery satisfaction, which in turn influence overall satisfaction, trust and commitment. The study also revealed that trust and overall satisfaction are antecedents of customer commitment and that customer commitment has a significant positive relationship with positive word of mouth. It was also established that the quality of past service performance moderates the relationship between recovery satisfaction and commitment. Practical implications Airlines are advised to stimulate customer trust in the service delivery process through transparency in the procedures by which they resolve service failures and to remain committed to their service recovery promises to customers. It is also proposed that airlines should secure increased positive word of mouth through offering satisfactory service recovery. Originality/value Very little research in the South African context exists which focusses on the influence of customers satisfaction and commitment in the airline industry. This paper helps in establishing the antecedents of customer commitment after service failure in the airline industry.

Rise of the machines: towards a conceptual service-robot research framework for the hospitality and tourism industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 3835-3851
Author(s):  
Glenn McCartney ◽  
Andrew McCartney
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Hospitality Industry ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Service Robot ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism ◽  
Tourism And Hospitality Industry ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism Industry ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to introduce a conceptual framework for service robot (SR) acceptance by customers, employees and policymakers – a framework to help determine corporate decision-making on SR workplace integration. Design/methodology/approach This study reviews SR adoption literature within the tourism and hospitality industry. These SRs may have some level of artificial intelligence capability and possibly anthropomorphic (e.g. humanoid) or zoomorphic (e.g. animal-like) features, contingent on task and design choices. The study then identifies factors that potentially influence employee and consumer acceptance and experiences of SR, as well as policy and compliance factors and all elements of the corporate decision-making process concerning SR adoption in the hospitality setting. Findings This paper reviews the obstacles and benefits of SR adoption in the hospitality industry based on employee, consumer and public policy considerations. Research limitations/implications SRs are increasingly deployed within hospitality and tourism settings. Future studies should further explore the value-adding functions of SRs implemented in existing hospitality operations. Practical implications Hospitality and tourism industry practitioners should integrate the dimensions in the conceptual framework to make fully informed decisions on SR adoption. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is one of the first studies to provide a holistic SR adoption framework offering theoretical and practical implications for ongoing SR research and implementation.

scholarly journals Mediating Service Recovery Satisfaction in the Relationship between Internet Service Recovery and Customer Loyalty

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 24
Author(s):  
Mauro Sciarelli ◽  
Abdelhakim A. Nagm ◽  
Mona I. Dakrory ◽  
Mario Tani ◽  
Mohamed A. Khashan
Keyword(s):  
Customer Loyalty ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Service Recovery ◽  
Internet Service ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Recovery Strategies ◽  
Recovery Satisfaction ◽  
Customer's Loyalty ◽  
The Relationship

This current study purposes to identify the relationships between service recovery strategies, service recovery satisfaction, and both dimensions of customer loyalty in regard to Internet providers using the partial least squares (PLS-SEM) approach on a sample of 430 internet customers in Egypt.This study contributes insights into how seven service recovery strategies affected customer loyalty with its both attitudinal and behavioral dimensions directly and indirectly via service recovery satisfaction. These insights are helpful for service managers faced with service failure and academicians interested in how service providers respond to service failures and customer dissatisfaction in the B2C context.The results of this study show that some SR strategies positively influence both service recovery satisfaction and customer loyalty toward internet providers. Furthermore, service recovery satisfaction positively influencing the customer loyalty. In addition, SRS plays a mediating role in the relationship between SR strategies and customer loyalty. The results highlight that internet service providers should implement SR strategies quickly and with an empathetic manner to satisfy customers and to encourage customer's loyalty. Finally, some implications and further research directions were presented.

scholarly journals The Effect of Perceptions on Service Robot Usage Intention: A Survey Study in the Service Sector

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (17) ◽  
pp. 9655
Author(s):  
Ieva Meidute-Kavaliauskiene ◽  
Şemsettin Çiğdem ◽  
Bülent Yıldız ◽  
Sigitas Davidavicius
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Physical Contact ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Service Robots ◽  
Service Robot ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Intention To Use ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages

The current age of artificial intelligence, along with the advent of robots, portends increased use of innovative technologies in the tourism industry, with higher levels of service innovation than in many other industries. In addition, factors such as an approaching worldwide pandemic have limited the amount of physical contact that people can have. So as a result, the use of service robots in service areas, such as tourism, has recently become controversial. In this study, accommodation customers’ perceptions of advantages and disadvantages about robots and the effect of the perceived value of their intention to use them were investigated. Within the scope of the research, data were collected from 1408 people living in various cities in Turkey through an online survey. The data were analyzed by structural equation modeling. As a result of the analyses, it was found that the perception of advantage and the perceived value affect the intention to use service robots positively and significantly. It has been determined that the perception of disadvantage affects the intention to use service robots negatively and significantly. The research results show that the accommodation companies should be innovative and rapidly transition to robotization, as in the manufacturing industry. Advanced technological innovation applications, such as service robots, will play an essential role in the revival of the tourism industry, especially during the global epidemic.

The voice of tourists with mobility disabilities: insights from online customer complaint websites

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 451-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Song Ee Kim ◽  
Xinran Y. Lehto
Keyword(s):  
Critical Incident ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Exploratory Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Complaints ◽  
Customer Complaint ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism Industry

PurposeWhile the topical areas of service failure and complaints have been systematically investigated for the general traveling public, service failure issues for disabled tourists have been widely ignored. This exploratory study attempts to provide some insights into this phenomenon by analyzing disabled travelers' complaints reported through online customer complaint websites.Design/methodology/approachA total of 316 customer complaints were collected and analyzed utilizing a modified procedure of the Critical Incident Technique (CIT). Differences in service failure dimensions in industry sector and recovery type were investigated through the correspondence analysis.FindingsCritical incidents of disabled travelers were classified into three dimensions of service failures including service delivery failure, unfulfilled special requests, and unsolicited employee conduct. Significant relationships in service failure dimensions were identified in the industry sectors and types of recovery.Research limitations/implicationsThe limitations of this study are unidentifiable demographic information and lack of necessary details, since this study is based on textual data collected from online complaint/review websites. For further research, more inclusive quantitative data could provide a more complete picture.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study could represent a valuable step toward assessing the current status of service failure provided by hospitality and tourism industry, and thus provide useful insights for practitioners to more effectively serve this market segment.Originality/valueThis study serves as exploratory research and contributes to a better understanding of the tourism experience of individuals with disabilities.

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