Robotics for Customer Service: A Useful Complement or an Ultimate Substitute?
提出了一个概念框架，解释企业采用机器人进行客户服务的前因（员工和客户接受度）和后果（服务质量、客户长期表现和参与度），并讨论企业类型、服务性质和品牌定位的调节作用。
We propose a conceptual framework that includes the antecedents and consequences of firms’ adopting and integrating robotics into their customer service operations. Drawing insights from literature on customer service, technology marketing, and computer science, our proposed framework elaborates on the concept of the degree of robotics adoption (DRA) as well as the antecedents (employee acceptance of robots and customer acceptance of robots) and multiple sequential consequences (service quality, customer long-term performance, and customer engagement) of DRA. We also discuss how the nature of the firm (Business to Consumer versus Business-to-Business, i.e., B2C vs. B2B), service characteristics (utilitarian vs. hedonic), and brand positioning (low equity vs. high equity) might moderate the relationship between DRA and service quality. Further, we provide actionable guidance for managers to adopt and integrate robotics into their customer service operations.