TY - JOUR
T1 - AI Chatbot, Human, and In-Between
T2 - Examining the Broader Spectrum of Technology-Human Interactions in Driving Customer-Brand Relationships Across Experience and Credence Services
AU - Sheng, Margaret L.
AU - Natalia, Natalia
AU - Rusfian, Effy Zalfiana
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have driven companies to incorporate AI chatbots into service encounters. However, research exploring how to balance human and AI interactions in service encounters for brand-building strategies remains limited. Grounded in social response theory and the attachment-aversion model of consumer-brand relationships, this study examines the effect of different service chat agent types (substitution chatbot, augmentation chatbot, and human chat agent) on brand usage intention, with brand-self distance and consumer brand engagement as mediating mechanisms. Service types (experience vs. credence service) act as boundary conditions moderating the relationship between service chat agents and brand-self distance. Through two experiments involving actual interactions with three types of service chat agents, the results show that substitution chatbots negatively influence consumers' perceived brand-self distance, engagement, and usage intention across both service types. For experience services, augmentation chatbots lead to a closer brand-self distance than human chat agents, enhancing consumer brand engagement and brand usage intention. While for credence services, augmentation chatbots perform comparably to human chat agents. The results offer guidance for service managers and policymakers on optimizing the balance between human and technological inputs to enhance customer-brand relationships.
AB - Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have driven companies to incorporate AI chatbots into service encounters. However, research exploring how to balance human and AI interactions in service encounters for brand-building strategies remains limited. Grounded in social response theory and the attachment-aversion model of consumer-brand relationships, this study examines the effect of different service chat agent types (substitution chatbot, augmentation chatbot, and human chat agent) on brand usage intention, with brand-self distance and consumer brand engagement as mediating mechanisms. Service types (experience vs. credence service) act as boundary conditions moderating the relationship between service chat agents and brand-self distance. Through two experiments involving actual interactions with three types of service chat agents, the results show that substitution chatbots negatively influence consumers' perceived brand-self distance, engagement, and usage intention across both service types. For experience services, augmentation chatbots lead to a closer brand-self distance than human chat agents, enhancing consumer brand engagement and brand usage intention. While for credence services, augmentation chatbots perform comparably to human chat agents. The results offer guidance for service managers and policymakers on optimizing the balance between human and technological inputs to enhance customer-brand relationships.
KW - artificial intelligence (AI)
KW - augmentation chatbot
KW - brand usage intention
KW - brand-self distance
KW - consumer brand engagement
KW - experience-credence service
KW - human chat agent
KW - substitution chatbot
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85210932847&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/mar.22165
DO - 10.1002/mar.22165
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85210932847
SN - 0742-6046
JO - Psychology and Marketing
JF - Psychology and Marketing
ER -