Brave new world: service robots in the frontline

Abstract

Purpose-The service sector is at an inflection point with regard to productivity gains and service industrialization similar to the industrial revolution in manufacturing that started in the eighteenth century. Robotics in combination with rapidly improving technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), mobile, cloud, big data and biometrics will bring opportunities for a wide range of innovations that have the potential to dramatically change service industries. The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential role service robots will play in the future and to advance a research agenda for service researchers. Design/methodology/approach-This paper uses a conceptual approach that is rooted in the service, robotics and AI literature. Findings-The contribution of this paper is threefold. First, it provides a definition of service robots, describes their key attributes, contrasts their features and capabilities with those of frontline employees, and provides an understanding for which types of service tasks robots will dominate and where humans will dominate. Second, this paper examines consumer perceptions, beliefs and behaviors as related to service robots, and advances the service robot acceptance model. Third, it provides an overview of the ethical questions surrounding robot-delivered services at the individual, market and societal level. Practical implications-This paper helps service organizations and their management, service robot innovators, programmers and developers, and policymakers better understand the implications of a ubiquitous deployment of service robots. Originality/value-This is the first conceptual paper that systematically examines key dimensions of robot-delivered frontline service and explores how these will differ in the future.

Emotional intelligence or artificial intelligence– an employee perspective

“…In general, AI is used to automate mundane and low-level tasks. Based on the four taxonomies of analytical intelligence (mechanical, analytical, intuitive, and empathetic intelligence) proposed by Huang and Rust (2018), Wirtz et al (2018) propose an intuitive understanding of service delivery based on the complexity of emotional and cognitive tasks (see Figure 2). The authors indicate that complex emotional-social task will tend to be performed by humans, and complex cognitive-analytical task will tend to be executed by robots.…”

“…Table 1 and Figure 1 show its applications and functions in various industries. In the service industry, Wirtz et al (2018) analysed how service robots in conjunction with AI would impact the service organisations and employees across micro, meso and macro levels. AI not only improves operational efficiency by automating mundane tasks but also enhances customer experience (Bolton et al, 2018).…”

Neuroscience in service research: an overview and discussion of its possibilities

“…Few researchers applied neuro-tools to the understanding of service research problems (e.g., Boshoff, 2012Boshoff, , 2017Huneke et al, 2015). In this section of the paper, we discuss a nonexhaustive list of service research topics where neuro-insights may be particularly useful, building on recent (service) research agendas (e.g., Bolton et al, 2018;De Keyser et al, 2019;Lemon and Verhoef, 2016;Ostrom et al, 2015;Van Vaerenbergh et al, 2019;Voorhees et al, 2017;Wirtz et al, 2018).…”

“…Emotional contagion is not limited to human interaction only but is also relevant to interactions with service robots (Barsade et al, 2018). Research on service robots is still in a nascent stage (De Keyser et al, 2019;Wirtz et al, 2018), hence the service domain is in a privileged position to contribute to the general emotional contagion-technology literature.…”

“…interacting with robots might help the robotics field to design better hard-and software capable of creating deep interactions with customers and/or employees (Wirtz et al, 2018).…”