30 research outputs found
The Role of Technical and Process Quality of Chatbots: A Case Study from the Insurance Industry
Artificial intelligence (AI) influences customer service through benefits, such as reliability, availability, and economic efficiency. However, AI applications also involve challenges of user acceptance and quality concerns. To address these challenges, we investigate the factors that impact AI preference and adoption among users of a chatbot in a real customer service scenario. We focus on Emma, a customer service chatbot at a large Finnish insurance company. Our analysis, based on an online survey administered to 225 consumers using the chatbot for their customer service needs, shows that customers are reasonably satisfied with Emma, though they are generally do not prefer AI over a human. Usersâ perceived process quality relating to âsoftâ aspects of interaction is quintessential in strengthening technical quality relating to effectiveness and efficiency of service, both contributing to AI preference. Thus, the chatbotâs problem-solving ability acts as a hygiene factor, which alone cannot ensure adoption. As a pleasing and useful interaction is prerequisite for user experience, organizations should consider both technical and process quality when implementing chatbots in customer service
Replaced by a Robot:Service Implications in the Age of the Machine
Service organizations, emboldened by the imperative to innovate, are increasingly introducing robots to frontline service encounters. However, as they augment or substitute human employees with robots, they may struggle to convince a distrusting public of their brandâs ethical credentials. Consequently, this article develops and tests a holistic framework to ascertain a deeper understanding of customer perceptions of frontline service robots (FLSRs) than has previously been attempted. Our experimental studies investigate the effects of the (1) role (augmentation or substitution of human employees or no involvement) and (2) type (humanoid FLSR vs. self-service machine) of FLSRs under the following service contexts: (a) value creation model (asset-builder, service provider) and (b) service type (experience, credence). By empirically establishing our framework, we highlight how customersâ personal characteristics (openness-to-change and preference for ethical/responsible service provider) and cognitive evaluations (perceived innovativeness, perceived ethical/societal reputation, and perceived innovativeness-responsibility fit) influence the impact that FLSRs have on service experience and brand usage intent. Our findings operationalize and empirically support seminal frameworks from extant literature, as well as elaborate on the positive and negative implications of using robots to complement or replace service employees. Further, we consider managerial and policy implications for service in the age of machines
Effects of ethical certification and ethical eWoM on talent attraction
Whilst previous studies indicate perceived company ethicality as a driver of job seekersâ job-pursuit intentions, it is poorly understood how and why ethical market signals actually affect their application decisions. Perceptions of company ethicality result from market signals that are either within the control of the company (e.g. ethical certifications) and from market signals that are beyond the companyâs control (e.g. ethical eWoM). Building on communication and information processing theories, this study therefore considers both types of ethical market signals, and examines the psychological mechanisms through which they affect job seekersâ intention to apply for a job. The results from a controlled online experiment show that both types of ethical market signals increase job seekersâ job-pursuit intentions. These relationships are mediated by applicantsâ attitude towards the job advertisement, their perceptions of corporate employment image and self-referencing. Consequently, the present study alerts practitioners to consider the effects of company-controlled and non-company-controlled ethical market signals, particularly when aiming to recruit highly-qualified millennial candidates
Machine learning approach to auto-tagging online content for content marketing efficiency: A comparative analysis between methods and content type
YesAs complex data becomes the norm, greater understanding of machine learning (ML) applications is needed for content marketers. Unstructured data, scattered across platforms in multiple forms, impedes performance and user experience. Automated classification offers a solution to this. We compare three state-of-the-art ML techniques for multilabel classification - Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbor, and Neural Network - to automatically tag and classify online news articles. Neural Network performs the best, yielding an F1 Score of 70% and provides satisfactory cross-platform applicability on the same organisation's YouTube content. The developed model can automatically label 99.6% of the unlabelled website and 96.1% of the unlabelled YouTube content. Thus, we contribute to marketing literature via comparative evaluation of ML models for multilabel content classification, and cross-channel validation for a different type of content. Results suggest that organisations may optimise ML to auto-tag content across various platforms, opening avenues for aggregated analyses of content performance
Electronic word of mouth 2.0 (eWOM 2.0) â The evolution of eWOM research in the new age
Electronic word of mouth (eWOM) has evolved dramatically in the past 20 years, and is substantially shaping modern consumer behaviors and altering marketing management dynamics across both consumer and industry markets. We call this evolution âeWOM 2.0â, as captured in this Special Issue. Ten research articles advance our understanding in how eWOM drives the continued development of digital communication across B2B and B2C sectors. This Special Issue further contributes to understanding the constantly evolving landscape of eWOM research and practice, and points to the future directions for eWOM investigation and usage. In this editorial, we first outline the reasoning behind this special issue, followed by the summary of the articles, and the reflections on eWOM 2.0. We conclude by outlining future research opportunities that will propel the field further forward
Replaced by a robot: Service implications in the age of the machine
Service organizations, emboldened by the imperative to innovate, are increasingly introducing robots to frontline service encounters. However, as they augment or substitute human employees with robots, they may struggle to convince a distrusting public of their brandâs ethical credentials. Consequently, this article develops and tests a holistic framework to ascertain a deeper understanding of customer perceptions of frontline service robots (FLSRs) than has previously been attempted. Our experimental studies investigate the effects of the (1) role (augmentation or substitution of human employees or no involvement) and (2) type (humanoid FLSR vs. self-service machine) of FLSRs under the following service contexts: (a) value creation model (asset-builder, service-provider) and (b) service type (experience, credence). By empirically establishing our framework, we highlight how customersâ personal characteristics (openness-to-change and preference for ethical/responsible service provider)â and cognitive evaluations (perceived innovativeness, perceived ethical/societal reputation, and perceived innovativeness-responsibility fit) influence the impact that FLSRs have on service experience and brand usage intent. Our findings operationalize and empirically support seminal frameworks from extant literature, as well as elaborate on the positive and negative implications of using robots to complement or replace service employees. Further, we consider managerial and policy implications for service in the age of machines
Risks and drivers of hybrid car adoption: A cross-cultural segmentation analysis
Throughout the developed world, consumers are increasingly being encouraged to adopt cleaner,
more eco-friendly behaviours. However, hybrid car adoption remains low, which impedes the move
towards a lower carbon economy. In this paper, we examine the risks and drivers of hybrid car
purchases, drawing on consumer behaviour and cultural dimensions theory to account for the
heterogeneous, segmented nature of the market. As risk perceptions differ across cultures, and in
order to address the lack of cross cultural research on eco-friendly cars, we focus on Australian,
South Korean, and Japanese consumers. Based on a survey of 817 respondents we examine how five
types of risk (social, psychological, time, financial, and network externalities) and three factors that
drive purchasing behaviour (product advantages, product attractiveness, and product superiority)
influence consumers perceptions of hybrid cars. Four segments of consumers are identified
(pessimists, realists, optimists, and casualists) that also vary according to their environmental selfimage,
and underlying cultural values. Our results extend theory by incorporating self-image and
cultural dimension theories into a multi-country analysis of the risks and drivers of hybrid car
adoption. Our findings have practical implications in terms of marketing strategies and potential
policy interventions aimed at mitigating risk perceptions and promoting the factors that drive hybrid
car adoption
The Core Value Compass: visually evaluating the goodness of brands that do good
yesBrands that do good for the society as well as for
themselves are motivated by the core values they espouse,
which necessitates a better understanding of what qualities a
true core value must possess. The inherent tension within
brands that do good, between commercial interests to
increase competitiveness, and societal interests that are
closely linked to the brandâs authenticity, has largely been
overlooked. Hence, we develop and demonstrate a relatively
easy-to-apply visual tool for evaluating core values based on
a set of âgoodnessâ criteria derived from extant theory. The
Core Value Compass adopts a paradox-based, evolutionary
perspective by incorporating the inherent tensions within
true core values, and classifying them according to their
temporal orientation. Thus, we contribute towards a better
understanding of underlying tensions of core values and
provide a practical tool that paves the way for improved, and
indeed ethical, corporate branding strategies. Furthermore,
we demonstrate the Compassâ application using the case of a
public sector brand, which is a quintessential brand that does
good. Therefore, we also contribute to the nascent theoretical
discourse on public sector branding. This paper therefore
adds to the notable attempts to bridge the gap between theory
and practice in core values-based corporate branding
Sunderland City Council: A Case Study of Brand Identity Development
In this paper we describe and map the process of brand identity development in a large UK public sector organisation. A growing body of research is focusing on organisational branding, however little published research has attempted to operationalise the development of a brand identity in a real business context. The inside-out approach to developing a brand identity which begins by developing a brand from within, before inculating core values to all employees, provides theoretical underpinnings for this paper. We present the results of a case study based on two years of action based research using an abductive approach which systematically combines theory and practice. The research was conducted within a single organization and as such the results are not generalisable to other businesses. However, the framework presented in this paper is already being successfully used by the paper's authors as they work on research and consultancy projects with other businesses.The framework for brand identity development that is described in this paper can be adopted and adapted by other academics, practitioners and consultants. Our detailed account of a UK local authority's inside-out brand identity development process offers valuable insights for practitioners as well as theorists and extends current academic knowledge
Living the Brand in the Public Sector: Internal Branding's Effect on Aligning a Local Authority's Employees with its Brand Identity
The pivotal role of employees in creating and sustaining an organisation's brand identity has led to a growing interest in Internal Branding (IB), which aims to achieve brand-oriented employee attitudes & behaviour that reinforce the brand identity. Holistic models of internal brand management comprising IB and its consequences have been empirically validated in prior studies. However, no studies have yet considered line management input as part of IB, or IB's influence on an organisation's brand identity. The current study seeks to address these two areas of deficit in the extant literature.
Accordingly, a questionnaire-survey of randomly chosen employees in a large UK local authority is used to investigate if IB has a positive effect on brand-oriented employee attitudes and behaviour. The mediating role of the organisation's brand identity in IB's ability to achieve brand-oriented employee attitudes and behaviour is also investigated. The main survey is currently underway