Understanding the user satisfaction and loyalty of customer service chatbots

The artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot is emerging as a significant corporate customer-facing application, potentially increasin customer service efficiency while reducing costs. However, little work has sought to assess the quality of service they provide consumers. This study applies the e-service quality by incorporating conversational AI quality to predict users' satisfaction and loyalty to customer service chatbots. The proposed model was empirically evaluated using survey data collected from 219 users responding about their perceptions of customer service chatbots. The findings indicate that AI chatbot service recovery quality and AI chatbot conversational quality significantly influence user satisfaction. On the other hand, core AI chatbot service quality and satisfaction significantly influenced chatbot user loyalty. This study contributes to researchers and practitioners by proposing and evaluating a more comprehensive chatbot e-service quality that combines both fundamental (core service and service recovery qualities) and human-like (conversational quality) aspects of e-service. The results are of value in devising future AI chatbot services and related strategies.     

Electronic and in-person service quality of hybrid services

The service industries have experienced dramatic changes in service delivery format because of fast-paced innovation in information technology. Hybrid services involve service deliveries through conventional and technology-enabled environments, each of which is complementary and non-interchangeable. However, limited research has examined consumer behavior in response to a series of relevant service episodes in different channels at different points in time. In other words, how customers perceive service quality at each service encounter and how the cumulative effect of these perceptions influences customers’ overall service value assessment and satisfaction remain unclear. This study addresses this research gap by investigating the sequential influence of e-service quality on in-person service quality in a hybrid service format in which interpersonal and computer-mediated services coexist but at different points in time. Empirical analysis shows that e-service quality directly and positively affects in-person service quality, which fully mediates the effects of e-service quality on perceived value and customer satisfaction. The sequence of service encounters matters because in-person service quality perception has a stronger effect than e-service quality on customer metrics. Cumulative quality perceptions significantly influence perceived value and overall customer satisfaction. Theoretical and managerial implications are presented in the discussion.     

Management of perceptions of information technology service quality

The present study evaluates the perception gaps of service quality between information technology (IT) service providers and their clients. IT services require high investments, which make analyzing its effectiveness increasingly important. To do this analysis, this study uses the instrument SERVPERF of the SERVQUAL model. The research took place in a large Brazilian retail bank, which identified gaps in perceptions between IT service providers and its clients. The findings suggest opportunities for improvement in the quality of IT services from a strategic alignment perspective, particularly in the following dimensions: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The study also indicates some enhancements for the SERVQUAL model.     

Exploring different airport users’ service quality satisfaction between service providers and air travelers

This study investigates appropriate attributes— physical environment, outcome, and interactional quality—to measure users' satisfaction that influences airport users' satisfaction level. With these three attributes and users’ perspectives for air travelers and service providers, we generate a conceptual model of airport service quality and satisfaction. The findings indicate that different perceptions exist between airport service providers and air travelers. Air travelers are more concerned with interaction and outcome (convenience) quality attributes, while services providers reflect on interaction and physical environment (servicescape) quality attributes. The airport service quality is found to be significantly related to airport reuse, and destination revisits. An appropriate service-training program is needed to reduce the gap in the level of satisfaction.     

Key service drivers for high-tech service brand equity: The mediating role of overall service quality and perceived value

Abstract

This study investigates how different aspects of service quality could have effects on overall perception of service quality, perceived value, and service brand equity. Based on a survey of active users of mobile telecommunications services in Taiwan, we obtained the following findings. First, we found that empathy, network quality, reliability, and assurance, but not tangibles and responsiveness, have a significant effect on service quality and value perception. Second, the effect of overall service quality on brand equity is partially mediated by perceived value. Third, overall service quality has differential mediation effects on the relationships between specific service quality dimensions and perceived value. Finally, empathy and network quality have direct effects on brand equity. For managers, our study suggests the importance of identifying key service drivers for building strong service brand for high-tech service firms. The identification of key service drivers could then enable these firms to make strategic decisions on services investments. It also demonstrates the importance of the humanisation of technology for services firms. This study is original in that it explores the path from specific services qualities to service brand equity.     

Importance of offline service quality in building loyalty of OC service brand

Customer management becomes increasingly important as consumers have more flexible shopping process and options and competition become intensified in omni-channel (OC) retail environment. OC retailer can facilitate customer communication of OC service with OC service brand. This study evaluates an OC service brand (i.e. SSG OC service brand) to explore the effectiveness of integrated OC service platform which has a standing brand identity, and to determine the importance of selected offline characteristics of OC service on loyalty of OC service brand. Survey of 127 respondents was collected to test Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Findings show that tangibility and empathy of offline OC service directly affect customer satisfaction and attitude toward overall OC service brand, confirming the importance of offline service quality of OC in the OC service brand management.     

Customer satisfaction and qualities in public service: an intermediary customer perspective

From an intermediary customer perspective, this study empirically investigates the causal relationships between service quality, relationship quality, design quality, and customer satisfaction in the public service value chain. Cross-sectional survey data were collected from social work, childcare, and healthcare services and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. It is found that all the quality dimensions are antecedents to customer satisfaction and relations between quality dimensions show distinctive patterns. The results show that relationship quality does not directly affect customer satisfaction, but can indirectly influence satisfaction through the mediation of both service and design qualities. The effect of the relationship and design qualities on customer satisfaction is stronger than that of service quality.     

Conceptualising consumers’ word-of-mouth behaviour intention: evidence from a university education services in Malaysia

The aim of this study is to propose a theoretical model to examine consumer word-of-mouth (WOM) behavioural intention in Malaysian education services. The results from a survey of 247 respondents indicate that servicescape, service recovery, service quality and satisfaction significantly affect consumers’ intention to engage in WOM behaviour. The results support majority of the hypothesized relationships, suggesting that servicescape and service recovery function as antecedents, directly affecting consumer perceptions of education service quality. The analytical results also demonstrate that perceived service quality positively affects satisfaction, which subsequently induces consumers’ behavioural intentions. Consistent with previous empirical studies, our findings suggest that satisfaction is a super-ordinate construct with a positive relation to behavioural intention, and significantly mediates the effect of service quality on the intention to engage in WOM behaviour. The insignificant direct effect from service quality to WOM further suggests the role of satisfaction as a complete mediator in the university education service setting. Implications for future research are discussed and limitations noted.     

Impact of actual service provider failure on the satisfaction with aggregator

The purpose of the paper is to investigate the impact of the failure caused by the actual service provider on consumer satisfaction with the aggregator firm, where the aggregator firm works as a bridge between the consumers and the actual service providers using technology, resources, information etc., thus reducing the information search cost, process-related costs, and quality risks for the consumers. We have applied retrospective experience sampling to collect data and used structural equation modeling to validate the conceptual model of the study. We found that people consider the actual service provider’s failure as the aggregator firm’s responsibility when the attributional factors (control and stability) are strong. Moreover, when consumers perceive that the aggregator firm is responsible, they will ask for less punishment of the actual service provider and more monetary compensation. Additionally, severity of the failure increases the consumer’s recovery expectations. However, the sense of power of the consumers leads to increasing expectations of punishment of actual service provider and decreasing expectations of monetary compensation. Lastly, the actual monetary compensation or actual punishment of the service provider leads to higher level of satisfaction for the consumers. We discussed the implications of the results in the light of relationship management and service recovery design of aggregator firms.     

The harmonious role of channel integration and logistics service in Omnichannel retailing: The case of IKEA

Grounded on the stimulus–organism–response framework, this study investigated the mechanism by which channel integration and logistics service influence satisfaction and repurchase intention from customers’ perspectives. An online survey was conducted to collect data and partial least squares structural equation modeling was employed for model assessment. The results disclosed that perceived logistics service quality is an antecedent of perceived channel integration quality and that the two variables harmoniously influence customer satisfaction (transaction-specific and cumulative) which subsequently generates repurchase intention. Particularly, the results demonstrated that the respective contributions of perceived channel integration quality and perceived logistics service quality in enhancing transaction-specific satisfaction differ through the distinct hybrid experiences. This study had theoretical implications for the literature on omnichannel retailing and practical implications for managers of omnichannel retailers.     

ASP effects in the small-sized enterprise: the case of the Bizmeka service from Korea Telecom

An application service provider (ASP) is a business model providing information technology (IT)-enabled solutions to customers over the Internet. Utilizing an ASP model, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can acquire affordable IT solutions. Korea Telecom (KT), a leading IT company in Korea, provides an ASP service called Bizmeka to SMEs. In this study, we identify factors influencing the perceived benefits of Bizmeka usage. We also examine the relationship between the perceived benefits of Bizmeka usage and customer satisfaction. Based on the results of our survey, we found the following factors to be important in determining customer satisfaction with ASPs: cost and time impact, maintenance impact, and security risks.     

Logistic service quality and technology: a comparison between supplier–retailer and retailer–consumer relationships

Physical distribution quality can be considered as a differentiation factor and, in this way, as a source of competitive advantage. Nevertheless, there is neither consensus about its dimensions, or on how it might be influenced by technological solutions. The present paper aims at identifying the main antecedents of logistic service quality, examining the influence of technology on logistic service quality and analysing its effects on firm results in terms of customer satisfaction and loyalty in different levels of the marketing channel. The proposed structural equations model is tested empirically in two different samples: 400 consumers and 304 distributors. For both samples, technology assessment shows a positive effect on logistic service quality and this, in turn, generates customer satisfaction and loyalty.     

Gender differences in the intentions to voice complaints across different service failure modes

The present study investigates the joint impact of the service failure mode (interpersonal service versus self-service technology) and gender on consumers’ intention to voice their complaints. Results from a quasi-experiment suggest that female consumers are more likely to voice their dissatisfaction following a self-service technology failure rather than an interpersonal failure. However, the service failure mode fails to influence male consumers’ complaint intentions. Moreover, our findings indicate that motivation to help is the mechanism behind female consumers’ complaint behaviors, thus mediating the effect of service failure mode on complaint intention. Therefore, hospitality practitioners might want to pay attention to the differences in each gender’s complaint behaviors across different service failure modes and provide effective service recovery solutions across the two genders.     

Mediating effects on the relationship between perceived service quality and public library app loyalty during the COVID-19 era

The demand for using library apps to search for information has been increasing after the COVID-19 outbreak. To look into how the pandemic affects the users’ perception of the loyalty of using library apps, we designed this research by amalgamating the updated IS success model and S–O-R model to evaluate the service quality of a public library app under the Hong Kong Government mobile applications initiative. A third-order model is established to demonstrate the multi-faceted aspects of service quality and mediating effects of perceived brand image, satisfaction, and e-word of mouth. Using structural equation modeling, data collected from Hong Kong, a metropolis where mobile services empower its citizens, showed the interrelationships among service quality and possible outcomes (i.e., perceived brand image, user satisfaction, e-word of mouth, and user loyalty). Findings also indicate that the influence of perceived service quality on user loyalty could only be achieved through perceived brand image and user satisfaction. This is a timely study during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the lockdown and social distancing arrangements created challenges for citizens to search for information in public libraries in person. Our findings and suggestions reiterate the importance of considering the usability concepts when analyzing the service quality of each unique app. They also provide insights for practitioners in developing the next generation of apps for smart public information services and call for further investigation into the proposed hierarchical model and other potential factors related to service quality.     

Retail service quality,corporate image and behavioural intentions: the mediating effects of customer satisfaction

This study investigates the relationships between service quality, corporate image, satisfaction and behavioural intentions. A structural equation modelling (SEM) approach is applied to test the proposed conceptual framework, using data collected from 404 supermarket customers in China. The structural model suggests that customer satisfaction fully mediates the impact of retail service quality on behavioural intentions (e.g. intention to recommend and repurchase). The results also indicate that retail service quality significantly influences customer perceptions of corporate image. The relationship between corporate image and behavioural intentions is fully mediated by satisfaction.     

Loyalty toward online food delivery service: the role of e-service quality and food quality

This study assesses the direct influence of food quality and e-service quality on customer loyalty toward online food delivery (OFD) service and its indirect influence through the mediation of customer satisfaction and perceived value. This study uses a survey of 405 OFD service customers from Bandung, Indonesia. By applying variance-based partial least squares to evaluate the proposed model, this study confirms the direct effect of food quality on online loyalty, but not e-service quality. Further, this study discloses the partial mediation role of customer satisfaction and perceived value on the relationship between both food quality and e-service quality on online loyalty toward OFD services.     

Will they pitch or will they switch? Comparing Chinese and American consumers

This study compares the conditions for consumer satisfaction and word of mouth (WOM) between Chinese and American consumers. The authors utilize a between‐subjects factorial design experiment to investigate the effect of service experience (positive or negative) and consumption context (hedonic vs. utilitarian) across these two cultures. Results indicate that consumers perceive higher levels of satisfaction and switching costs, and provide higher WOM intention for positive than for negative service experiences. The relationship between service experience and perceived switching costs is further moderated by consumption context and culture. Of importance is the critical mediating role of consumer satisfaction in driving perceived switching costs and WOM intention. The comparison of Chinese and American consumers also reveals the distinct switching behaviors between the two groups of consumers, which can be explained from a cultural perspective. The study findings provide insights into provider‐switching and WOM‐spreading behaviors by Chinese and American consumers, under hedonic versus utilitarian consumption contexts.     

Online service quality: Content and process of analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to build a comprehensive model of online service quality that confirms both the content of, and process of measuring, this higher-order construct. While the past decade has seen the Internet become a key channel for service delivery, there remains uncertainty around many aspects of both the content of, and process of how to measure, online service quality. We use a large sample of European consumers (n = 3399) of four companies (two pure play and two multichannel) to develop a new nine-dimension model of online service quality. We validate importance as a disconfirmation standard. We find trust in the company to be the most important dimension of online service quality, with customer service also highly rated. Issues of personalisation/customisation were very low rated. We find the online pure-play companies in the sample delivering better performance than multichannel retailers, despite having customers who are actually more demanding. We discuss the practical and research implications of these findings.     

Modelling consumers’ acceptance for the click and collect service

This study investigates possibilities for developing a click and collect service in the context of e-commerce and attempts to identify the consumer characteristics that determine the acceptance of this service. Data of 285 e-commerce consumers were collected through an online questionnaire using banners uploaded in seven online retailers' sites. Binary logit models are developed to analyze the data and relate consumer characteristics to their intention to use and pay for the click and collect service. Perceived environmental contribution of the click and collect service, perceived time pressure, car use in the city center and frequency of online shopping significantly affect consumers’ intention to use the service. The model results provide information that can be used to choose location points and design marketing and pricing policies that will make the click and collect service attractive to customers.     

The impact of emotions on service quality,satisfaction, and positive word-of-mouth intentions over time

Abstract

This article examines the impact of emotions on customer satisfaction, service quality, and positive word-of-mouth intention formation process over time. In the study, a confirmatory factor analysis supported a three-dimensional model of emotions that then served as predictors in a series of multiple regressions. The findings indicate that two emotion dimensions had a consistent direct impact on all dependent variables in both time periods. However, the interaction effect between time periods and emotions revealed that different emotion dimensions influence satisfaction and word-of-mouth intentions at different stages of the service encounter. The theoretical and managerial implications of the findings are discussed in detail.