TY - JOUR

T1 - Replaced by a Robot

T2 - Service Implications in the Age of the Machine

AU - McLeay, Fraser

AU - Yoganathan, Vignesh

AU - Osburg, Victoria Sophie

AU - Patterson, Anthony

N1 - The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Journal of Service Research, ? (?), 2020, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2020 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Journal of Service Research page: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/JSR on SAGE Journals Online: http://journals.sagepub.com/

PY - 2021/2/1

Y1 - 2021/2/1

N2 - Service organizations, emboldened by the imperative to innovate, are increasingly introducing robots to frontline service encounters. However, as they augment or substitute human employees with robots, they may struggle to convince a distrusting public of their brand’s ethical credentials. Consequently, this paper develops and tests a holistic framework to ascertain a deeper understanding of customer perceptions of frontline service robots (FLSRs) than has previously been attempted. Our experimental studies investigate the effects of the 1) Role (augmentation or substitution of human employees or no involvement) and 2) type (humanoid FLSR vs. self-service machine) of FLSRs under the following service contexts: a) Value creation model (asset-builder, service-provider), and b) Service type (experience, credence). By empirically establishing our framework, we highlight how customers’ personal characteristics (openness-to-change and preference for ethical/responsible service provider) and cognitive evaluations (perceived innovativeness, perceived ethical/societal reputation, and perceived innovativeness-responsibility fit) influence the impact that FLSRs have on service experience and brand usage intent. Our findings operationalize and empirically support seminal frameworks from extant literature, as well as elaborate on the positive and negative implications of using robots to complement or replace service employees. Further, we consider managerial and policy implications for service in the age of machines.

AB - Service organizations, emboldened by the imperative to innovate, are increasingly introducing robots to frontline service encounters. However, as they augment or substitute human employees with robots, they may struggle to convince a distrusting public of their brand’s ethical credentials. Consequently, this paper develops and tests a holistic framework to ascertain a deeper understanding of customer perceptions of frontline service robots (FLSRs) than has previously been attempted. Our experimental studies investigate the effects of the 1) Role (augmentation or substitution of human employees or no involvement) and 2) type (humanoid FLSR vs. self-service machine) of FLSRs under the following service contexts: a) Value creation model (asset-builder, service-provider), and b) Service type (experience, credence). By empirically establishing our framework, we highlight how customers’ personal characteristics (openness-to-change and preference for ethical/responsible service provider) and cognitive evaluations (perceived innovativeness, perceived ethical/societal reputation, and perceived innovativeness-responsibility fit) influence the impact that FLSRs have on service experience and brand usage intent. Our findings operationalize and empirically support seminal frameworks from extant literature, as well as elaborate on the positive and negative implications of using robots to complement or replace service employees. Further, we consider managerial and policy implications for service in the age of machines.

U2 - 10.1177/1094670520933354

DO - 10.1177/1094670520933354

M3 - Journal article

VL - 24

SP - 104

EP - 121

JO - Journal of Service Research

JF - Journal of Service Research

SN - 1094-6705

IS - 1

ER -