Skip to main content
Disciplines
Automotive Business IT + Informatics Construction + Real Estate Electrical Engineering + Electronics Energy + Sustainability Insurance + Risk Finance + Banking Management + Leadership Marketing + Sales Mechanical Engineering + Materials
Events
DE
EN
Books
Journals
Topic Page
Marketing
Start single access now
Access for companies
EXTENDED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Service Business
Published in: Service Business 3/2020

07-08-2020 | Empirical article

Impacts of service robots on service quality

Authors: Ai-Hsuan Chiang, Silvana Trimi

Published in: Service Business | Issue 3/2020

Log in

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config
loading …

Abstract

With rapid advances in technologies, especially in artificial intelligence, smart sensors, big data analytics, and robotics, the service industry began introducing robots to perform a variety of functions. While the main purpose of deploying robots has been productivity improvement, the current COVID-19 pandemic has brought more urgent purpose, providing contactless service for social distancing. This study explores the service quality provided by robots based on real data in a hotel setting. A sample of 201 guests provided their expected service quality by robots and the actual performance experience after the service. We analyzed this relationship using importance performance analysis (IPA) and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The results revealed that customers’ top priorities for robots’ service quality are assurance and reliability, while tangible and empathy were not as important. Customers were not satisfied with robots’ responsiveness, but this construct was found to be a low priority.
previous article Mindful co-creation of transformative service for better well-being

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 102.000 Bücher
  • über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Automobil + Motoren
  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
  • Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
  • Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 67.000 Bücher
  • über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Versicherung + Risiko




Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now
Literature
Al-Hawari M, Ward T (2006) The effect of automated service quality on Australian banks’ financial performance and the mediating role of customer satisfaction. Mark Intell Plan 24(2):127–147
Asubonteng P, McCleary K, Swan J (1996) SERVQUAL revisited: a critical review of service quality. J Serv Mark 10(6):62–81
Athanassopoulos A, Gounaris S, Stathakopoulos V (2001) Behavioural responses to customer satisfaction: an empirical study. Eur J Mark 35(5/6):687–707
Baisch S, Kolling T, Schall A, Rühl S, Selic S, Kim Z, Rossberg H, Klein B, Pantel J, Oswald F, Knopf M (2017) Acceptance of social robots by elder people: does psychosocial functioning matter? Int J Soc Robot 9(2):293–307
Bartneck C, Kulić D, Croft E, Zoghbi S (2009) Measurement instruments for the anthropomorphism, animacy, likeability, perceived intelligence, and perceived safety of robots. Int J Soc Robot 1(1):71–81
Baldwin R (2019) The globotics upheaval: globalization, robotics, and future of work. Oxford University Press, New York
Berry L, Zeithaml V, Parasuraman A (1990) Five imperatives for improving service quality. MIT Sloan Manag Rev 31(4):29–38
Bloemer J, De Ruyter K, Wetzels M (1999) Linking perceived service quality and service loyalty: a multi-dimensional perspective. Eur J Mark 33(11/12):1082–1106
Bolton R, McColl-Kennedy J, Cheung L, Gallan A, Orsingher C, Witell L, Zaki M (2018) Customer experience challenges: bringing together digital, physical and social realms. J Serv Manag 29(5):776–808
Čaić M, Odekerken-Schröder G, Mahr D (2018) Service robots: value co-creation and co-destruction in elderly care networks. J Serv Manag 29(2):178–205
Chase R (1978) Where does the customer fit in a service operation? Harv Bus Rev 56(6):137–142
Choi S, Kim J (2018) A comparative analysis of electronic service quality in the online open market and social commerce: the case of Korean young adults. Serv Bus 12(2):403–433
Churchill G Jr, Surprenant C (1982) An investigation into the determinants of customer satisfaction. J Mark Res 19(4):491–504
Cronin J Jr, Taylor S (1992) Measuring service quality: a reexamination and extension. J Mark 56(3):55–68
Edvardsson B, Frow P, Jaakkola E, Keiningham T, Koskela-Huotari K, Mele C, Tombs A (2018) Examining how context change foster service innovation. J Serv Manag 29(5):932–955
Enz C, Siguaw J (2000) Best practices in service quality. Cornell Hotel Restaur Adm Q 41(5):20–29
Frick W (2015) When your boss wears metal pants. Harv Bus Rev 93(6):84–89
Garcia E, Jimenez M, De Santos P, Armada M (2007) The evolution of robotics research. IEEE Robot Autom Mag 14(1):90–103
Garvin D (1984) What does “product quality” really mean. MIT Sloan Manag Rev 26(1):25–43
Gidhagen M, Persson Ridell O, Sörhammar D (2011) The orchestrating firm: value creation in the video game industry. Manag Serv Qual 21(4):392–409
Grewal D, Motyka S, Levy M (2018) The evolution and future of retailing and retailing education. J Mark Educ 40(1):85–93
Grönroos C (1984) A service quality model and its marketing implications. Eur J Mark 18(4):36–44
Grönroos C (1990) Service management and marketing: managing the moments of truth in service competition. Lexington Books, Lexington
Haidegger T, Barreto M, Gonçalves P, Habib M, Ragavan S, Li H, Vaccarella A, Perrone R, Prestes E (2013) Applied ontologies and standards for service robots. Rob Auton Syst 61(11):1215–1223
Harkness J (2011) Guidelines for best practice in cross-cultural surveys. Survey Research Center, University of Michigan Inst for Social Research, Ann Arbor
Hemmington N, Kim P, Wang C (2018) Benchmarking hotel service quality using two-dimensional importance-performance benchmark vectors (IPBV). J Serv Theory Pract 28(1):2–25
Huang M, Rust R (2018) Artificial intelligence in service. J Serv Res 21(2):155–172
Hung S, Cheng M, Chiu P (2019) Do antecedents of trust and satisfaction promote consumer loyalty in physical and virtual stores? a multi-channel view. Serv Bus 13(1):1–23
Hwang C, Yoon K (1981) Methods for multiple attribute decision making. Multiple attribute decision making. Springer, Heidelberg, pp 58–191
Keating B, McColl-Kennedy J, Solnet D (2018) Theorizing beyond the horizon: service research in 2050. J Serv Manag 29(5):766–775
Koceski S, Koceska N (2016) Evaluation of an assistive telepresence robot for elderly healthcare. J Med Syst 40(5):121
Kogut B, Zander U (1992) Knowledge of the firm, combinative capabilities, and the replication of technology. Organ Sci 3(3):383–397
Kooijmans T, Kanda T, Bartneck C, Ishiguro H, Hagita N (2007) Accelerating robot development through integral analysis of human-robot interaction. IEEE Trans Robot 23(5):1001–1012
Lechevalier S, Nishimura J, Storz C (2014) Diversity in patterns of industry evolution: how an intrapreneurial regime contributed to the emergence of the service robot industry. Res Policy 43(10):1716–1729
Lee M, Forlizzi J, Rybski P, Crabbe F, Chung W, Finkle J, Glaser E, Kiesler S (2009) The snackbot: documenting the design of a robot for long-term human-robot interaction. In: HRI '09 Proceedings of the 4th ACM/IEEE international conference on Human Robot Interaction in La Jolla, California, 2009, Association for Computing Machinery, New York, pp 7–14
Lee S, Lee D (2019) “Untact”: a new customer service strategy in the digital age. Serv Bus 13(1):1–22
Leite I, Pereira A, Mascarenhas S, Martinho C, Prada R, Paiva A (2013) The influence of empathy in human-robot relations. Int J Hum Comput Stud 71(3):250–260
Lewis B, Mitchell V (1990) Defining and measuring the quality of customer service. Mark Intell Plan 8(6):11–17
Lovelock C (1992) Managing services: marketing, operations, and human resources (2, nd edn. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Matarić M (2017) Socially assistive robotics: human augmentation versus automation. Sci Robot 2(4):1–2
Novak T, Hoffman D (2019) Relationship journeys in the internet of things: a new framework for understanding interactions between consumers and smart objects. J Acad Mark Sci 47(2):216–237
Norman G, Streiner D (2008) Biostatistics: the bare essentials. PMPH-USA, Raleigh
Oliver R (1980) A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction Decision. J Mark Res 17(4):460–469
Oliver R, DeSarbo W (1988) Response determinants in satisfaction judgement. J Consum Res 14(4):495–507
Orel F, Kara A (2014) Supermarket self-checkout service quality, customer satisfaction, and loyalty: empirical evidence from an emerging market. J Retail Consum Serv 21(2):118–129
Palvia S, Vemuri V (2016) Forecasts of jobless growth: facts and myths. J Inf Technol Case Appl Res 18(1):4–10
Parasuraman A, Berry L, Zeithaml V (1991) Refinement and reassessment of the SERVQUAL scale. J Retail 67(4):420–450
Parasuraman A, Zeithaml V, Berry L (1985) A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for future research. J Mark 49(4):41–50
Parasuraman A, Zeithaml V, Berry L (1988) Communication and control processes in the delivery of service quality. J Mark 52(2):35–48
Rafaeli A, Altman D, Gremler D, Huang M, Grewal D, Iyer B, Parasuraman A, de Ruyter K (2017) The future of frontline research: invited commentaries. J Serv Res 20(1):91–99
Ray G, Muhanna W, Barney J (2005) Information technology and the performance of the customer service process: a resource-based analysis. MIS Q 29(4):625–652
Regan W (1963) The service revolution. J Mark 27(3):57–62
Reiser U, Connette C, Fischer J, Kubacki J, Bubeck A, Weisshardt F, Jacobs T, Parlitz C, Hagele M, Verl A (2009) Care-O-bot® 3-creating a product vision for service robot applications by integrating design and technology, In: IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in St. Louis, MO, 2009, IEEE, New Jersey, pp 1992–1998
Podsakoff P, Organ D (1986) Self-reports of organizational research: problems and prospects. J Manag 12(4):531–544
Sampson S (2001) Understanding service businesses: applying principles of the unified services theory, 2nd edn. Wiley, New York
Sanchez J, Brock P (1996) Outcomes of perceived discrimination among Hispanic employees: is diversity management a luxury or a necessity? Acad Manag J 39(3):704–719
Santos J (2003) E-service quality: a model of virtual service quality dimensions. Manag Serv Qual 3(3):233–246
Setia P, Venkatesh V, Joglekar S (2013) Leveraging digital technologies: how information quality leads to localized capabilities and customer service performance. MIS Q 37(2):565–590
Shahin A (2006) SERVQUAL and model of service quality gaps: a framework for determining and prioritizing critical factors in delivering quality services. In: Partha Sarathy V (ed) Service quality: an introduction. ICFAI University Press, Hyderabad, pp 117–131
Sheppard B, Edson J, Kouyoumjian G (2017) More than a feeling: ten design practices to deliver business value. McKinsey & Company, December
Sheppard B, Sarrazin H, Kouyoumjian G, Dore F (2018) The business value of design. McKinsey & Company, October
Svensson G (2006) New aspects of research into service encounters and service quality. Int J Serv Ind Manag 17(3):245–257
Teas K (1993) Consumer expectations and the measurement of perceived service quality. J Serv Prof Mark 8(2):33–54
Vanniarajan T, Anbazhagan B (2007) SERVPERF analysis in retail banking. In: International Marketing Conference on Marketing & Society, IIMK, India, pp 725–736
Vargo S, Lusch R (2004) Evolving to a new dominant logic for marketing. J Mark 68(1):1–17
Waytz A, Cacioppo J, Epley N (2010) Who sees human? the stability and importance of individual differences in anthropomorphism. Perspect Psychol Sci 5(3):219–232
Wirtz J, Patterson P, Kunz W, Gruber T, Nhat LuV, Paluch S, Martins A (2018) Service robots in the front line: will it be a brave new world? J Serv Manag 29(5):907–931
Wisniewski M (1996) Measuring service quality in the public sector: the potential for SERVQUAL. Total Qual Manag 7(4):357–366
Zalama E, García-Bermejo J, Marcos S, Domínguez S, Feliz R, Pinillos R, López J (2014) Sacarino, a service robot in a hotel environment. In: First Iberian Robotics Conference in ROBOT2013. Springer, Cham, Switzerland, pp 3–14
Zeithaml V, Berry L, Parasuraman A (1988) Communication and control processes in the delivery of service quality. J Mark 52(2):35–48
Zeithaml V, Berry L, Parasuraman A (1993) The nature and determinants of customer expectations of service. J Acad Mark Sci 21(1):1–12
Zeng Z, Pantic M, Roisman G, Huang T (2009) A survey of affect recognition methods: audio, visual and spontaneous expressions. IEEE Trans Pattern Anal Mach Intell 31(1):39–58
Metadata
Title
Impacts of service robots on service quality
Authors
Ai-Hsuan Chiang
Silvana Trimi
Publication date
07-08-2020
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Service Business / Issue 3/2020
Print ISSN: 1862-8516
Electronic ISSN: 1862-8508
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11628-020-00423-8

Other articles of this Issue 3/2020

Service Business 3/2020 Go to the issue

Case Study

Text mining for the evaluation of public services: the case of a public bike-sharing system

Empirical article

Customers’ psychological ownership toward the third place

Empirical article

The COVID-19 response system and collective social service provision. Strategic network dimensions and proximity considerations

Empirical article

The effects of culture shock on foreign employees in the service industry

Empirical article

Mindful co-creation of transformative service for better well-being