When interacting with a service robot is (not) satisfying: The role of customers’ need for social sharing of emotion

• Published in: Computers in human behavior Vol. 146; p. 107792
• Main Authors: Lajante, Mathieu, Tojib, Dewi, Ho, TingHin (Ivan)
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.09.2023
• Subjects: Negative emotions; Organizational frontlines; Service automation; Service robots; Service satisfaction; Social sharing of emotions; Organizational frontlines; Service robots; Negative emotions; Service satisfaction; Service automation; Social sharing of emotions
• ISSN: 0747-5632; 1873-7692
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2023.107792

Service robots (SRs) are fast becoming the source of automated service delivery processes and personalized frontline customer experiences in service firms. This study investigates the impact of customers' emotional state on how they evaluate service experiences after interacting with an SR, which remains underexplored. Drawing on the theory of constructed emotion and social sharing of emotions, it conducts three online scenario-based experiments. Study 1 shows that customers in a neutral emotional state are more satisfied with the service provided by SRs than are those in a negative emotional state. The mechanisms underlying this dissatisfaction are perceived relatedness and perceived appropriateness, as shown by Study 2. Study 3 demonstrates how SRs' sympathetic capabilities moderate this mediating relationship. The findings were consistent across different emotion manipulation methods, negative emotional states, and sources of emotional states. Given the increasing prominence of SRs on organizational frontlines, this study has numerous theoretical implications for SRs’ interaction with emotional customers and practical implications for employing SRs. •Customers in a negative emotional state require social-emotional and instrumental support.•Customers in a neutral emotional state require only instrumental support.•Customers in a neutral emotional state enjoy services by service robots more than those in a negative emotional state.•Perceived relatedness and appropriateness mediate the impact of customers' emotional state on service satisfaction.•Sympathetic skills of service robots moderate the mediation of perceived relatedness and perceived appropriateness.