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The aim of this paper is to study the factors affecting the customer’s “Intention to Adopt TFS” (I-TFS), and a conceptual model has been proposed, while most previous studies have focused on the study of self-service technology (SST). Interactions between customer and service provider during delivery of a service is termed as “service-encounter”. The technology that enables service delivery without customer having a face-to-face service-encounter is known as “self-service technology” (SST). Froehle and Roth described five different ways in which technology can be used in service-encounter. One of the ways, known as technology-facilitated service (TFS), requires the simultaneous existence of three entities – customer, technology and service provider – during a service-encounter. Unlike SST, in TFS customer, technology and service provider must co-exist for the completion of the service.

The factors affecting I-TFS can be divided in two categories: human – technology interaction (H-TI) and human–human interaction (H-HI). Although, existing literature has dealt with factors related to H-T I, e.g. “ease-of-use” and “perceived-usefulness”, the author tries to draw attention to H-H I variables, e.g. “facilitating-conditions”, which are potentially significant but have remained fairly untouched. For the study, participants were drawn from a target market where a TFS was operational. A scientifically developed survey was used to collect data from 222 participants. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyze the conceptual model.

The results strongly suggest that while H-T I factors are important, H-H I factors are equally critical during service delivery. H-H I factors become especially more relevant than H-T I in developing countries.

The study strongly suggests that attitude towards the human element, i.e. service provider/front-line employee is an important factor that impacts the customer’s I-TFS. In the context of emerging economies where organisations provide innovative technology services to suit the needs of the respective populations human representatives are a must to support the service. We conducted this research within one TFS context. Additional studies with more diverse TFS with other consumer groups should be conducted to provide additional support and increase the generalisation of both the research framework and findings.

The findings of the study are useful to all those firms that are considering the implementation of other TFS such as tele-medicine or distance education programmes. By investigating the main causal variables that have an impact of adoption of TFS, we provide an actionable set of factors to help firms understand and influence TFS adoption behaviour.

Research on factors affecting adoption of services has traditionally focused either on interpersonal interactions between customers and service providers (H-HI) or non-interpersonal interactions of customer with technology (H-TI). However, very few have studied dimensions of H-HI and H-TI together to understand their impact on customer’s adoption of a service. Considering the need for more research, this study examines the relationships between H-HI, H-TI and their simultaneous impact on consumer adoption of services.

Goal 5 of the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) prioritises gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls. Key to achieving this is addressing violence against women (VAW; see SDG target 5.2) and, we believe, understanding the role of technology in both enacting and combating VAW. In this chapter, we outline how technology-facilitated VAW threatens women's use of technology and discuss policies and practices of support workers and practitioners that aid safe use of digital media. We consider features of technology-facilitated VAW advocacy which differ from traditional VAW advocacy, using examples from the Global North and South. Information communication technologies (ICTs) are used by VAW advocates in a range of ways; to provide information and education about domestic violence, safe use of technology and negotiating the legal and criminal justice systems; collect evidence about abuse; provide support; and pursue social change. As the capabilities and prevalence of ICT and devices increase and access costs decrease, these channels offer new and innovative opportunities capitalising on the spacelessness, cost-effectiveness and timelessness of media. Nonetheless, technological initiatives are not perfect or failsafe. Throughout the pages that follow, we acknowledge the limitations and challenges of technology-facilitated advocacy, which could hinder application of the SDG.

Technology is profoundly changing the nature of services and the ways in which firms interact with their customers. The result, while positive, also has its downside. This paper elaborates on the opportunities that technology presents for firms to develop new services, and provide better, more efficient services to customers as well as the paradoxes and dark side of technology and services. The paper concludes with a section on what customers expect from technology‐delivered services suggesting that “the more things change, the more some things remain the same”. Customers still demand quality service no matter how the firm chooses to structure the relationship. It is incumbent upon firms to develop technology‐based services that can provide the same high level of service that customers expect from interpersonal service providers.

The purpose of this paper is to report on and discuss findings of a research study undertaken to investigate and establish empirically reasons why people use, or choose not to use, three types of technology‐enabled service: internet banking, telephone bill‐paying, and internet shopping services.

A behavioural model is developed and tested, and the results support what is modelled and hypothesised.

In sum, the findings show that willingness to use the internet and telephone for financial and shopping services is influenced by the individual sense of personal capacity or capability to engage with these service systems, the perceived risks and relative advantages associated with their use, and the extent to which contact with service personnel is preferred or deemed necessary. The paper also contains attitudinal and behavioural insights, and concludes by discussing managerial implications and opportunities for further research.

Limitations of the study are acknowledged, and opportunities for further research are highlighted.

The value of the paper lies in the light shed on usage behaviour and attitudes, and in the practical implications of these findings for service providers.

Smart technologies and connected objects are rapidly changing the organizational frontline. Yet, our understanding of how these technologies infuse service encounters remains limited. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to update existing classifications of Frontline Service Technology (FST) infusion. Moreover, the authors discuss three promising smart and connected technologies – conversational agents, extended reality (XR) and blockchain technology – and their respective implications for customers, frontline employees and service organizations.

This paper uses a conceptual approach integrating existing work on FST infusion with artificial intelligence, robotics, XR and blockchain literature, while also building on insights gathered through expert interviews and focus group conversations with members of two service research centers.

The authors define FST and propose a set of FST infusion archetypes at the organizational frontline. Additionally, the authors develop future research directions focused on understanding how conversational agents, XR and blockchain technology will impact service.

This paper updates and extends existing classifications of FST, while paving the road for further work on FST infusion.

This study aims to investigate Generation Z’s perception of and experience with restaurant service robots.

Established on the servicescape theoretical framework and following Zaltman Metaphoric Elicitation Technique, 34 in-depth interviews were conducted with Generation Z consumers.

The results showed that Generation Z consumers had a generally positive attitude toward the usage of service robots in restaurants. Research participants also indicated aspects that can be improved: the service robot’s appearance design and functionality, and the human service facilitating the robotic service process.

This paper provides a holistic understanding of the Generation Z’s mind maps about robot service restaurants presenting practical suggestions for restaurants.

This research offers an in-depth understanding of how the young consumption power perceives and expects the innovative service robots employed in restaurants. The research findings provide industry practitioners with timely guidelines to improve the usage of robotic services in restaurants to satisfy the emerging consumer group of Generation Z.

The current research contributes to the servicescape literature by extending this long-standing theory to the emerging robotic service contexts for updating discoveries. Particularly, the study focuses on the young consumers of Generation Z, shedding lights on the generational cohort research.

本研究调查了 Z 世代对餐厅服务机器人的看法和体验。

建立在服务场景理论框架之上, 并遵循 Zaltman 隐喻启发技术, 对 Z 世代消费者进行了 34 次深入访谈。

结果表明, Z 世代消费者对在餐厅使用服务机器人持普遍积极态度。 研究参与者还指出了可以改进的方面：服务机器人的外观设计和功能, 以及促进机器人服务过程的人工服务。

这项研究深入了解了年轻的消费力量如何看待和期望在餐厅使用的创新服务机器人。 研究结果为行业从业者提供了及时的指导方针, 以改善机器人服务在餐厅的使用, 以满足 Z 世代的新兴消费群体。

当前的研究通过将这一长期存在的理论扩展到新兴的机器人服务环境以更新发现, 从而为服务景观文献做出贡献。 特别是, 该研究侧重于 Z 世代的年轻消费者, 阐明了世代队列研究。

Given the rapid development in artificial intelligence (AI), the hotel industry is deploying AI-based systems. In line with this important development, this study aims to examine the impact of trust in the hotel and AI-related performance ambiguity on consumers’ engagement with AI-based systems. This study ultimately examined the impact of engagement on consumers’ intentions to stay in hotels offering such systems, and intentions to tip.

This study developed a conceptual model based on the social cognition theory. The study used an online survey methodology and collected data from a nationwide sample of 400 hotel consumers from the USA. The data analysis was conducted with structural equation modeling.

Consumers’ engagement is strongly influenced by their trust in the hotel but not by performance ambiguity associated with AI. In turn, engagement strongly influenced consumers’ intentions to stay in hotels that have such systems and their intentions to tip.

As AI systems capable of making decisions for consumers are becoming increasingly present in hotels, little is known about the way consumers engage with such systems and whether their engagement leads to economic impact. This is the first study that validated a model that explains intentions to stay and tip for services facilitated by autonomous AI-based systems that can make decisions for consumers.

鉴于人工智能领域的快速发展, 酒店业正在部署基于人工智能的系统。为此, 本研究探讨了客人对酒店的信任和与AI相关的性能模糊性对消费者与基于AI的系统互动的影响。最终, 本研究考察了参与度对客人在提供此类系统的酒店住宿意愿和小费意愿的影响。

本研究基于社会认知理论开发了一个概念模型。研究采用在线调查方法, 从美国全国范围的400名酒店消费者中收集数据, 并采用结构方程建模进行数据分析。

消费者的参与度受酒店的信任强烈影响, 但不受与AI相关的性能模糊性的影响。反过来, 参与度强烈影响了消费者在提供此类系统的酒店住宿和给小费的意愿。

随着能够代表消费者做出决策的人工智能（AI）系统在酒店中日益普及, 人们对消费者如何与这类系统互动以及他们的互动是否会产生经济影响知之甚少。这是第一项验证了一个可以解释在自主的基于AI系统的服务下住宿和给小费意愿的模型的研究。

While the importance of human touch for maintaining a tech–touch balance has been stressed, little knowledge exists regarding how such human elements should be incorporated in service settings dominated by technologies. This study aims to examine the outcomes of human touch levels across different travel stages in a hotel stay context.

Data were collected through a survey on 900 participants. Latent class analysis was first conducted to categorize the sample into groups based on human touch levels. Hypotheses were then tested using regression-based moderation analysis with the PROCESS macro for SPSS.

Human touch level negatively predicts perceived risk, which is negatively associated with satisfaction. These effects are particularly significant at check-in and check-out stages. Informational privacy significantly moderates the effect of human touch level on perceived risk. Such interaction effects were spotted at the booking and check-out stages.

This study contributes to theory by revealing the role of human touch elements in technology-driven service scenarios and provides practical guidelines for hotels on sharpening service experience by integrating human touch and technology elements.

Through integrating the service encounter framework and concept of customer touchpoints, this study takes a different approach that integrates both “tech” and “touch” by investigating the effects of customer-owned touchpoints in each core stage of a hotel stay journey.

This study aims to apply the service robot acceptance model (sRAM) to examine how attitude toward human–robot interaction (HRI) and engagement influence consumer acceptance of service robots in a frontline setting.

Data was collected from 255 visitors who interacted with a robotic tour guide at a city museum. The data was analyzed using smart PLS 4.0.

The findings show the positive effects of subjective norms, appearance, perceived trust and positive emotion on both attitude toward HRI and engagement. In addition, social capability impacted attitude toward HRI, whereas perceived usefulness affected engagement.

To deliver engaging museum experiences that bring about positive word-of-mouth and intention to visit, managers need to incorporate the sRAM dimensions in the design and deployment of service robots.

This research uses field data to empirically validate the sRAM in the context of service robot acceptance. It introduces engagement as a novel mediating variable, enriching current understanding of human-like qualities in HRIs.