Customer Responses to Service Robots – Comparing Human-Robot Interaction with Human-Human Interaction

This paper investigates how service failures affect customers by comparing human-robot interactions with human-human interactions. More specifically, it compares customers’ satisfaction in a service robot interaction depending on a service failure with the customers’ satisfaction in a frontline service employee interaction. On a theoretical basis, extant literature on the uncanny valley paradigm proposed that service robots would create lower satisfaction than human frontline employees would. However, I find that service robots could keep up with human frontline employees. Based on an extensive literature research on service failures, I propose that customer satisfaction after a service failure declines far less for a human frontline employee compared with a service robot. Nevertheless, I find evidence that service robots create even higher customer satisfaction than human frontline employees after the exactly similar service failure. I base my findings on an experimental laboratory study with 120 student participants and the service robot “Pepper” from Softbank Corp

Can Humanoid Service Robots Perform Better Than Service Employees? A Comparison of Innovative Behavior Cues

This research compares human-robot interaction with human-human interaction. More specifically, it compares potential customer responses to a humanoid service robot’s (HSR’s) behavioral cues during service encounters with those expressed by a human service employee. The behavioral cues tested in this study include innovative service behavior, defined as the extent to which a service representative creates new ideas and solutions for the customer. Based on role theory and the expectancy disconfirmation paradigm, we propose that customers generally respond positively toward an HSR’s artificial innovative service behavior cues. The experimental laboratory study with 132 student participants and an HSR of the Pepper type, shows positive responses to an HSR’s artificial innovative service behavior, but that those responses are weaker compared to human-human interactions within a similar setting. Furthermore, innovative service behavior cues exceed customer expectations and therefore, lead to customer satisfaction and delight with the HSR

Entwicklung und Validierung eines Erwartungs- und Interessenstests (E × I - Test) zur Erkundung studienfachspezifischer Passung in einem Online-Self-Assessment

Realistische Erwartungen und Passung zwischen Interessen und Studieninhalten sind zentrale Ansatzpunkte bei der Steuerung von Studienwahlentscheidungen. In einem neu entwickelten fachspezifischen Erwartungs- und Interessenstest (E × I - Test) für Psychologie werden erstmals Erwartungsdiskrepanzen und Interessen kombiniert betrachtet und dementsprechend auch übertroffene oder enttäuschte Erwartungen erfasst und rückgemeldet. Die zu den Studieninhalten des neuen Verfahrens entwickelten Items konnten annähernd perfekt den Studienfachbereichen zugeordnet werden und deckten diese weitgehend vollständig und gleichmäßig ab. 2,033 Studieninteressierte bearbeiteten den E × I - Test im Rahmen eines Online-Self-Assessments und fühlten sich danach informierter als vorher. Insgesamt bewerteten die Studieninteressierten das neue Verfahren positiv und 94% würden es weiterempfehlen. Auf Basis des vorgestellten Verfahrens für das Bachelor-Psychologiestudium könnten weitere E × I - Tests für die Orientierung in andere Studienfächer oder Berufe entwickelt und validiert werden, für welche sowohl spezifische Interessen als auch enttäuschte Erwartungen eine Rolle spielen. (DIPF/Orig.)Both, realistic expectations and fit between interests and study content are crucial to guide study choice decisions. A newly developed subject-specific Expectation-Interest Test (E × I - Test) for psychology considers, for the first time, expectation discrepancies and interests in combination. Thus, exceeded or disappointed expectations are assessed and reported back. It was shown that the newly developed items which represent study contents can be assigned almost perfectly to the study subject areas and cover them to a large extent completely and evenly. 2,033 prospective students completed the E × I - Test as part of an online self-assessment and felt more informed afterwards than before. Overall, prospective students rated the new procedure positively and 94% would recommend it to others. Based on the presented procedures for the bachelor psychology studies, further E × I - Tests could be developed and validated for orientation to other fields of study or professions, for which both specific interests and disappointed expectations play a role. (DIPF/Orig.

When Robots Enter Our Workplace: Understanding Employee Trust in Assistive Robots

This study is about assistive robots as internal service provider within the company Merck KGaA and examines how the physical appearance of a service representative (humanoid robot, android robot, human) affects employees’ trust. Based on the uncanny valley paradigm, we argue that employees’ trust is the lowest for the android robot and the highest for the human. Further, we will examine the effects of task complexity and requirements for self-disclosure on employees’ trust in assistive robots. According to script theory and media equation theory, we propose that high task complexity and high requirements for self-disclosure increase employees’ trust. We developed a research design to test our model by deploying a humanoid robot and an android robot within a company as robotic assistants in comparison to a human employee. In a next step, we will run a corresponding study with 300 employees

Customer Responses to Robotic Innovative Behavior Cues During the Service Encounter

Innovative Service Behavior (ISB) and its influence on customer responses was examined in a laboratory study with 132 participants at the service encounter comparing human-robot interactions with human-human interactions. Using a 2 x 2 experimental desig

A Cross-Country Comparison of Attitudes toward Humanoid Robots in Germany, the US, and India

So far, researchers know very little about what people actually expect from humanoid robots during a human-robot interaction. Therefore, this study surveyed 610 non-experts from Germany (133), the US (174), and India (303) and asked them to rate the following attributes regarding humanoid robots: empathy, expertise, reliability, and trust. This paper develops hypotheses, connecting robot attributes to the four cultural dimensions suggested by Hofstede - individualism, masculinity versus femininity, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance. The results show, that India rates all the attributes the highest, and that Germany and the US rate all aspects rather similarly with the largest difference regarding reliability