The Value of Humanization in Customer Service

As algorithm-based agents become increasingly capable of handling customer service queries, customers are often uncertain whether they are served by humans or algorithms, and managers are left to question the value of human agents once the technology matures. The current paper studies this question by quantifying the impact of customers\u27 enhanced perception of being served by human agents on customer service interactions. Our identification strategy hinges on the abrupt implementation by Southwest Airlines of a signature policy, which requires the inclusion of an agent\u27s first name in responses on Twitter, thereby making the agent more humanized in the eyes of customers. Multiple empirical analyses consistently show that customers are more willing to engage, and upon engagement, more likely to reach a resolution, with more humanized agents. Furthermore, we find that customers do not behave more aggressively to more humanized agents, hence humanization incurs no additional cost to agents

She? The Role of Perceived Agent Gender in Social Media Customer Service

This paper investigated the role of perceived agent gender in customer behavior using a unique dataset from Southwest Airlines\u27 Twitter account. We inferred agent gender based on the first names provided by agents when responding to customers. We measured customer behavior using three outcomes: whether a customer decided to continue the service conversation upon receiving an agent’s initial response as well as the valence and arousal levels in their second tweet if the customer chose to continue the interaction. Our identification strategy relied on the Backdoor Criterion and hinged on the assumption that customer service requests are assigned to the next available agent, independent of agent gender. The findings revealed that customers were more likely to continue interactions with female agents than male agents and they were more negative in valence but less intense in arousal with the former group than with the latter

Threshold Dynamics of a Huanglongbing Model with Logistic Growth in Periodic Environments

We analyze the impact of seasonal activity of psyllid on the dynamics of Huanglongbing (HLB) infection. A new model about HLB transmission with Logistic growth in psyllid insect vectors and periodic coefficients has been investigated. It is shown that the global dynamics are determined by the basic reproduction number R0 which is defined through the spectral radius of a linear integral operator. If R0 1, then the disease persists. Numerical values of parameters of the model are evaluated taken from the literatures. Furthermore, numerical simulations support our analytical conclusions and the sensitive analysis on the basic reproduction number to the changes of average and amplitude values of the recruitment function of citrus are shown. Finally, some useful comments on controlling the transmission of HLB are given

Analysis of an SIR Epidemic Model with Pulse Vaccination and Distributed Time Delay

Pulse vaccination, the repeated application of vaccine over a defined age range, is gaining prominence as an effective strategy for the elimination of infectious diseases. An SIR epidemic model with pulse vaccination and distributed time delay is proposed in this paper. Using the discrete dynamical system determined by the stroboscopic map, we obtain the exact infection-free periodic solution of the impulsive epidemic system and prove that the infection-free periodic solution is globally attractive if the vaccination rate is larger enough. Moreover, we show that the disease is uniformly persistent if the vaccination rate is less than some critical value. The permanence of the model is investigated analytically. Our results indicate that a large pulse vaccination rate is sufficient for the eradication of the disease

On the Dynamics of a Nonautonomous Predator-Prey Model with Hassell-Varley Type Functional Response

The dynamic behaviors of a nonautonomous system for migratory birds with Hassell-Varley type functional response and the saturation incidence rate are studied. Under quite weak assumptions, some sufficient conditions are obtained for the permanence and extinction of the disease. Moreover, the global attractivity of the model is discussed by constructing a Lyapunov function. Numerical simulations which support our theoretical analysis are also given

On the Dynamics of a Nonautonomous Predator-Prey Model with Hassell-Varley Type Functional Response

The dynamic behaviors of a nonautonomous system for migratory birds with Hassell-Varley type functional response and the saturation incidence rate are studied. Under quite weak assumptions, some sufficient conditions are obtained for the permanence and extinction of the disease. Moreover, the global attractivity of the model is discussed by constructing a Lyapunov function. Numerical simulations which support our theoretical analysis are also given

A receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase, BIK1, associates with a flagellin receptor complex to initiate plant innate immunity

Plants and animals rely on innate immunity to prevent infections by detection of microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs) through pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs). The plant PRR FLS2, a leucine-rich repeat-receptor kinase, recognizes bacterial flagellin and initiates immune signaling by association with another leucine-rich repeat-receptor-like kinase, BAK1. It remains unknown how the FLS2/BAK1 receptor complex activates intracellular signaling cascades. Here we identified the receptor-like cytoplasmic kinase BIK1 that is rapidly phosphorylated upon flagellin perception, depending on both FLS2 and BAK1. BIK1 associates with FLS2 and BAK1 in vivo and in vitro. BIK1 is phosphorylated by BAK1, and BIK1 also directly phosphorylates BAK1 and FLS2 in vitro. The flagellin phosphorylation site Thr(237) of BIK1 is required for its phosphorylation on BAK1 and FLS2, suggesting that BIK1 is likely first phosphorylated upon flagellin perception and subsequently transphosphorylates FLS2/BAK1 to propagate flagellin signaling. Importantly, bik1 mutants are compromised in diverse flagellin-mediated responses and immunity to the nonpathogenic bacterial infection. Thus, BIK1 is an essential component in MAMP signal transduction, which links the MAMP receptor complex to downstream intracellular signaling

Research Progress on Diapause in Flies (Diptera)

Diapause is a physiological process in which insects can survive in a natural environment that is not conducive to their survival, which is the result of long-term adaptation to environmental conditions. It provides a great adaptive advantage for insects, allowing insects to survive in unsuitable seasonal environments to synchronize their life cycles with those suitable for growth, development, and reproduction. The process of regulating insect diapause is a complex process interacting with multiple mechanisms. In this chapter, a review is given of the current knowledge of diapause types, environmental inducing factors, sensitive states, and the endogenous molecular mechanism associated with diapause in flies (Diptera). Research regarding both the diapause process and intrinsic mechanism is reviewed

Quantitative determination of vitamin D metabolites in plasma using UHPLC-MS/MS

Vitamin D is an important determinant of bone health at all ages. The plasma concentrations of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25-OH D) and other metabolites are used as biomarkers for vitamin sufficiency and function. To allow for the simultaneous determination of five vitamin D metabolites, 25-OH D3, 25-OH D2, 24,25-(OH)2 D3, 1,25-(OH)2 D3, and 1,25-(OH)2 D2, in low volumes of human plasma, an assay using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) was established. Plasma samples were spiked with isotope-labeled internal standards and pretreated using protein precipitation, solid-phase extraction (SPE) and a Diels–Alder derivatization step with 4-phenyl-1,2,4-triazoline-3,5-dione. The SPE recovery rates ranged from 55% to 85%, depending on the vitamin D metabolite; the total sample run time was <5 min. Mass spectrometry was conducted using positive ion electrospray ionization in the multiple reaction monitoring mode on a quadrupole–quadrupole-linear ion trap instrument after pre-column addition of methylamine to increase the ionization efficiency. The intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations were 1.6–4.1% and 3.7–6.8%, respectively. The limit of quantitation for these compounds was determined to be between 10 and 20 pg/mL. The 25-OH D results were compared with values obtained for reference materials (DEQAS). In addition, plasma samples were analyzed with two additional Diasorin antibody assays. All comparisons with conventional methods showed excellent correlations (r2 = 0.9738) for DEQAS samples, demonstrating the high degree of comparability of the new UHPLC-MS/MS technique to existing methods