Nobukhosi Dlodlo
Abstract
This study leverages on the computer are social actors (CASA) theory to explore consumer response mechanisms to different types of service failures and recovery strategies of automated customer service agents. The paper asserts that selected anthropomorphic traits of conversational agents could make shoppers perceive them as having more human-like attributes such as humour and response empathy, thereby enhancing the trustworthiness of the non-human CSA. This study followed a scenario-based quantitative survey that was distributed as a survey hyperlink, comprising 287 participants. The findings showed a significant effect between empathy and anthropomorphism and perceived trustworthiness. In addition, anthropomorphic CSAs provide a trust shield effect, reducing the loss of trust following a service failure. Consequently, shoppers are more willing to forgive the online retailer. This study provides initial evidence that humans tend to be more forgiving of the failures of an anthropomorphic technological interaction partner. The findings of this study can enrich the response mechanisms and boundary conditions of online service failure by automated CSAs and provide important insights for online retailers to effectively respond to service failure and make reasonable use of human-robot collaborative work.