Untouchable them: the effect of chatbot gender on angry customers
Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing
ISSN: 2040-7122
Article publication date: 2 February 2024
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores how chatbot gender and symbolic service recovery may improve the satisfaction of angry customers in the context of service failures. It provides a strategy for companies to deploy chatbots effectively in customer anger.
Design/methodology/approach
This research relies upon a systematic literature review to propose three hypotheses, and we recruit 826 participants to examine the effect of chatbot gender on angry customers through one lab study and one field study.
Findings
This research shows that female chatbots are more likely to increase the satisfaction of angry customers than male chatbots in service failure scenarios. In addition, symbolic recovery (apology vs. appreciation) moderates the effect of chatbot gender on angry customers. Specifically, male (vs. female) chatbots are more effective in increasing the satisfaction of angry customers when using the apology method, whereas female (vs. male) chatbots are more effective when using the appreciation method.
Originality/value
The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence technology have significantly enhanced the effectiveness of chatbots as virtual agents in the field of interactive marketing. Previous research has concluded that chatbots can reduce negative customer feedback following a service failure. However, these studies have primarily focused on the level of chatbot anthropomorphism and the design of conversational texts, rather than the gender of chatbots. Therefore, this study aims to bridge that gap by examining the effect of chatbot gender on customer feedback, specifically focusing on angry customers following service failures.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Prof. Yuanyuan Li for her comments and advice on China Marketing International Conference 2022, and thank Linlin Ren, Qin Jiang for their help in experimental design and data collection.
Funding: This research was funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant (72162002 and 72232003); Guangxi Higher education undergraduate teaching reform project under Grant (2021JGA120); Interdisciplinary Scientific Research Foundation of Applied Economics of Guangxi University under Grant (2023 JJJXB14); National Social Science Fund Proiects under Grant (21XMZ081); Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences in Guangxi Universities and Guangxi Development Strategy Institute under Grant (2023GDSIZD01); Henan Province Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project under Grant (2021BJJ110); and Guangdong Province Philosophy and Social Science Planning Project (GD20CGL47).
Data Availability Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.
Citation
Liang, S., Li, R., Lan, B., Chu, Y., Zhang, M. and Li, L. (2024), "Untouchable them: the effect of chatbot gender on angry customers", Journal of Research in Interactive Marketing, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIM-02-2023-0061
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited