Customer comfort during service interactions is essential for creating enjoyable customer experiences. However, although service robots are already being used in a number of service industries, it is currently not clear how customer comfort can be ensured during these novel types of service interactions. Based on a 2 × 2 online between-subjects design including 161 respondents using pictorial and text-based scenario descriptions, we empirically demonstrate that human-like (vs machine-like) service robots make customers feel more comfortable because they facilitate rapport building. Social presence does not underlie this relationship. Importantly, we find that these positive effects diminish in the presence of service failures.

PurposeMany service industries are facing severe labor shortages. As a result, service providers are turning to new sources of labor, such as service robots. Critics however often point out that service robots lack emotional communication capabilities without which they cannot be expected to truly replace human employees and fill the emerging labor market gaps. Here, a research agenda for the investigation of the role of emotional communication by service robots and its effects on customers and their service experience are laid out. This paper aims to propose that research in this area will further understanding of how service robots can add value to service frontlines, engage customers, increasingly replace service employees and ultimately help overcome pressing labor shortages.Design/methodology/approachA research agenda structured around the three-step emotional communication process (i.e. read, decide and express) and the four emotional communication strategies crucial for service interactions (i.e. mimicking, alleviating, infusing and preventing) are conceptualized.FindingsThree contributions are made. First, the importance of emotional communication by service robots during service interactions is highlighted. Second, interdisciplinary research priorities and opportunities in this emerging field are mapped out. Third, a theoretical structure to connect the findings of future studies is provided.Originality/valueService research investigating the role and implications of emotional communication by service robots is scarce. A research agenda to guide the exploration of this crucial, yet underresearched component of customer-robot service interactions is structured and mapped out.