Publicação
Human or Smart Robot? The effect of the type of employee on brand loyalty, negative wordof-mouth, and the moderator role of emotional engagement
| Resumo: | This research examines the effectiveness of service recovery strategies implemented by human and smart robot agents in the aviation industry. The study aims to evaluate the differential impacts of these agents on customer perceptions of brand loyalty and negative word-of-mouth, with apology and courtesy serving as mediators and emotional engagement as a moderator. Two methods were employed to investigate this research model: the neuromarketing method, where FaceReader recorded the emotional expressions of participants watching videos of service recovery in lost luggage incidents handled by either a smart robot or a human agent, and the experimental method, where participants responded to questions after viewing the videos. This research found that although there were significant differences in perceived apology and courtesy between human and robot agents, these factors only partially mediated the impact on brand loyalty and negative word-of-mouth. Interestingly, participants interacting with smart robot agents exhibited slightly higher brand loyalty and a reduced tendency to share negative feedback compared to those served by human agents, possibly due to the innovative and engaging nature of robot-delivered services. Emotional engagement was a crucial factor, with smart robots leveraging higher attention and engagement levels, suggesting greater cognitive stimulation. Conversely, human-led service interactions were associated with higher confusion levels, indicating potential inconsistencies. In total, this study provides valuable insights into the differing impacts of human and smart robot agents in service recovery, contributing to a deeper understanding of customer service dynamics in the aviation industry and suggesting that AI can play a crucial role in enhancing service recovery outcomes and customer loyalty. |
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| Autores principais: | Styliagkatzi, Efstathia |
| Assunto: | Service recovery service failure smart robots aviation industry brand loyalty emotional engagement negative word-of-mouth service recovery strategies SDG 8 - Decent work and economic growth SDG 9 - Industry, innovation and infrastructure |
| Ano: | 2024 |
| País: | Portugal |
| Tipo de documento: | dissertação de mestrado |
| Tipo de acesso: | acesso aberto |
| Instituição associada: | Universidade Nova de Lisboa |
| Idioma: | inglês |
| Origem: | Repositório Institucional da UNL |
| Resumo: | This research examines the effectiveness of service recovery strategies implemented by human and smart robot agents in the aviation industry. The study aims to evaluate the differential impacts of these agents on customer perceptions of brand loyalty and negative word-of-mouth, with apology and courtesy serving as mediators and emotional engagement as a moderator. Two methods were employed to investigate this research model: the neuromarketing method, where FaceReader recorded the emotional expressions of participants watching videos of service recovery in lost luggage incidents handled by either a smart robot or a human agent, and the experimental method, where participants responded to questions after viewing the videos. This research found that although there were significant differences in perceived apology and courtesy between human and robot agents, these factors only partially mediated the impact on brand loyalty and negative word-of-mouth. Interestingly, participants interacting with smart robot agents exhibited slightly higher brand loyalty and a reduced tendency to share negative feedback compared to those served by human agents, possibly due to the innovative and engaging nature of robot-delivered services. Emotional engagement was a crucial factor, with smart robots leveraging higher attention and engagement levels, suggesting greater cognitive stimulation. Conversely, human-led service interactions were associated with higher confusion levels, indicating potential inconsistencies. In total, this study provides valuable insights into the differing impacts of human and smart robot agents in service recovery, contributing to a deeper understanding of customer service dynamics in the aviation industry and suggesting that AI can play a crucial role in enhancing service recovery outcomes and customer loyalty. |
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