Research on the Influence of Cuteness Design of Service Robot on Hotel Customer Tolerance

Abstract

Service robots are increasingly used in the hotel industry, However, service failure is inevitable during service delivery. Based on social information processing theory, this paper explores the influence of cuteness design on customer tolerance of service robots, and examines the mediating effect of empathy. Based on two cuteness design methods, the study adopts two situational experiments for hypothesis verification. The research conclusions are as follows: In the case of service failure, cuteness design of service robot can improve customer tolerance; Compared with the low-cuteness service robots, the high-cuteness service robots were more likely to stimulate customer empathy; Empathy mediates the effect of cuteness on customer tolerance.

Robot service failure and recovery: Literature review and future directions

“…48 On the other hand, in existing human-robot interaction literature, users may also experience resource depletion (e.g. emotional, relational, and informational resources) as a result of substandard service from the robot, resulting in avoidance or resistance coping strategies, including refusing to use the robot for further service 23 or churn, 53 lowering rentention, 42,52 usage intention, 54 or tolerance, 36 switching to the service or product of the firm's competitor. 23 Sun et al 19 categorized robot failure as a stressor and pointed out that functional, systematic, and informational failures of robots can cause a "technological invasion" of intelligent services, which can lead to technological exhaustion of robotics and ultimately weaken individuals' reuse intentions.…”

“…Twelve studies take the appearance of robots as antecedent variable; that is, the degree of anthropomorphism of robots. 30 –42 Within the academic discourse, several scholars have proposed alternative terminology to describe anthropomorphism; for example, robot cuteness 36 and robot design (warm vs. competence). 42…”

“…Another study examined the potential for users to experience empathetic responses toward robots in the aftermath of a mishap. 36…”

“…Twelve studies take the appearance of robots as antecedent variable; that is, the degree of anthropomorphism of robots. [30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42] Within the academic discourse, several scholars have proposed alternative terminology to describe anthropomorphism; for example, robot cuteness 36 and robot design (warm vs. competence). 42 Three studies have examined the variance between human and robot service failures by utilizing a classification system distinguishing human versus robot failures as an antecedent.…”

“…Another study examined the potential for users to experience empathetic responses toward robots in the aftermath of a mishap. 36 Cognition. Extensive research endeavors have been undertaken to explore the cognitive aspects of individuals who encounter a failure in the provision of robotic services.…”