Robotic involvement in the service encounter: a value-centric experience framework and empirical validation

Wu, Laurie; Fan, Alei; Yang, Yang; He, Zeya

doi:10.1108/josm-12-2020-0448

Cited by 47 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…In marketing, Hirschman and Holbrook (1982) introduced a more experiential view of consumption, including hedonic reasons to the more traditional utilitarian reasons for a purchase. Likewise, contemporary studies investigate the effect of utilitarian and hedonic value on repeat patronage (Hepola et al , 2020) or as dimensions of experiential value of robots in the service encounter (Wu et al , 2021).…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

The service triad: an empirical study of service robots, customers and frontline employees

Odekerken‐Schröder

Mennens

Steins

et al. 2021

JOSM

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PurposeRecent service studies suggest focusing on the service triad consisting of technology-customer-frontline employee (FLE). This study empirically investigates the role of service robots in this service triad, with the aim to understand the augmentation or substitution role of service robots in driving utilitarian and hedonic value and ultimately customer repatronage.Design/methodology/approachIn study 1, field data are collected from customers (n = 108) who interacted with a service robot and FLE in a fast casual dining restaurant. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to test hypotheses about the impact of service robots' anthropomorphism, social presence, value perceptions and augmentation opportunities in the service triad. In study 2, empirical data from a scenario-based experimental design (n = 361) complement the field study by further scrutinizing the interplay between the service robot and FLEs within the service triad.FindingsThe study provides three important contributions. First, the authors provide empirical evidence for the interplay between different actors in the “customer-FLE-technology” service triad resulting in customer repatronage. Second, the empirical findings advance the service management literature by unraveling the relationship between anthropomorphism and social presence and their effect on perceived value in the service triad. And third, the study identifies utilitarian value of service robots as a driver of customer repatronage in fast casual dining restaurants.Practical implicationsThe results help service managers, service robot engineers and designers, and policy makers to better understand the implications of anthropomorphism, and how the utilitarian value of service robots can offer the potential for augmentation or substitution roles in the service triad.Originality/valueBuilding on existing conceptual and laboratory studies on service robots, this is one of the first field studies on the service triad consisting of service robots – customers – frontline employees. The empirical study on service triads provides evidence for the potential of FLEs to augment service robots that exhibit lower levels of functional performance to achieve customer repatronage. FLEs can do this by demonstrating a high willingness to help and having excellent interactions with customers. This finding advocates the joint service delivery by FLE – service robot teams in situations where service robot technology is not fully optimized.

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Section: Theoretical Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

The service triad: an empirical study of service robots, customers and frontline employees

Odekerken‐Schröder

Mennens

Steins

et al. 2021

JOSM

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show abstract

“…Perceived role significance is the extent to which customers consider the role of service robots in a service encounter as significant, relevant and meaningful (Wu et al , 2021). To co-create value, both the customer and the service provider must engage in an active and high-quality interaction (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004).…”

Section: Hypotheses Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, they are more likely to trust the service robot and participate in the value co-creation process (Roy et al , 2020). Furthermore, guests may feel more relaxed and appreciate the service experience because competent service robots can save time and effort (Wu et al , 2021). For example, Belanche et al (2021) showed that customer perception of frontline robots’ competence positively influences functional, monetary and emotional value.…”

Section: Hypotheses Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Robots at your service: value facilitation and value co-creation in restaurants

Zhang

Balaji

Jiang

2022

IJCHM

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Purpose This paper aims to understand the process of guest-robot value co-creation in the restaurant context. It empirically examines the guest perception of value facilitation by service robots and its impact on guest value co-creation and advocacy intentions. It also investigates the moderating role of interaction comfort in the relationship between service robot value facilitation and guest value co-creation. Design/methodology/approach A mixed-methods approach was adopted. Ten customers who had dined at a service robot restaurant in China were interviewed in the qualitative study, followed by a quantitative study with 252 restaurant patrons to test the relationships between service robot value facilitation, guest value co-creation, interaction comfort and advocacy intentions. Findings Guest perceptions of six robot attributes, including role significance, competence, social presence, warmth, autonomy and adaptability, determine service robot value facilitation. Interaction comfort moderates the influence of service robot value facilitation on guest value co-creation. Additionally, guest value co-creation mediates the effect of service robot value facilitation on advocacy intentions. Research limitations/implications This study offers an understanding of six robot attributes that can improve service robot value facilitation. Nevertheless, the authors collected data from guests who had experience at service robot restaurants. The authors encourage future research to use random sampling methods to ensure study representativeness. Practical implications This study offers strategic guidance for managers to deploy service robots in frontline roles in restaurants and provides important implications for service robot design to improve their facilitating role in the guest value co-creation process. Originality/value This study responds to a recent call for research on the role of service robots in the guest value co-creation experience. Unlike prior studies that focused on the adoption or acceptance of service robots, it examines the role of service robots in the value co-creation process (post-adoption stage). Furthermore, it is one of the early studies to identify and empirically examine the service robot attributes that enable value facilitation and foster value co-creation in guest-robot service encounters.

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“…Several studies have compared consumer perceptions of robot and human services (Belanche et al , 2020; Byrd et al , 2021; Leung and Wen, 2020). In addition, some studies have investigated the antecedents of customer behavioral intention toward robot restaurants, including consumer innovativeness (Kim et al , 2021; Kwak et al , 2021), firm motivations (Belanche et al , 2021), the value, coolness and innovativeness perceptions of robot restaurants (Chuah et al , 2021; Cha, 2020; Hwang et al , 2020), the human-likeness attributes and service attributes of robots (Jang and Lee, 2020; Lu et al , 2021) and robot involvement characteristics (Wu et al , 2021).…”

Section: Research Background and Hypotheses Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of robot restaurants’ food quality, service quality and high-tech atmosphere perception on customers’ behavioral intentions

Zhu

2022

JHTT

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Purpose Robot chefs and robot waiters have emerged in the restaurant industry. Based on the curiosity theory and the stimulus–organism–response paradigm, this study aims to understand the influence of robot restaurant attributes on customer behavioral intention before purchase. Design/methodology/approach Based on research data from 289 respondents comprising undergraduates, postgraduates and non-students in China, the theoretical model is tested via the partial least squares technique. Findings Food quality perception directly affects regular patronage intention, but it has no significant influence on experience intention. Service quality perception and high-tech atmosphere perception positively affect experience intention and regular patronage intention through the mediator of interest in robot restaurants. Originality/value Different from previous studies focusing on human employee restaurants, this study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, is the first to systematically investigate the influence of robot restaurant attributes on customer behavioral intention, and it finds that these attributes have their own uniqueness vis-à-vis influencing customer behavioral intention.

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Robotic involvement in the service encounter: a value-centric experience framework and empirical validation

Cited by 47 publications

References 74 publications

The service triad: an empirical study of service robots, customers and frontline employees

The service triad: an empirical study of service robots, customers and frontline employees

Robots at your service: value facilitation and value co-creation in restaurants

Effects of robot restaurants’ food quality, service quality and high-tech atmosphere perception on customers’ behavioral intentions

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