This study explores when customers prefer service staff to service robots, or vice versa, based on uncertainty reduction theory. This study also investigates the moderating role of product type and brand level in the relationship between service agent type and experience satisfaction through perceived credibility and customer attitude. Two 2×2 between-subject experiments were conducted to test the moderated serial mediation models with product type in Study 1 and brand level in Study 2. Results show that customers tend to show higher experience satisfaction via perceived credibility and attitude toward the service agent type when they interact with service staff for inquiries of experiential products and upscale brands, compared to material products and casual brands. The study offers ways to maximize customer experience satisfaction by interactively and optimally deploying service agents and service robots for guest recommendation services, depending on the type of product and the level of brand.

中文翻译：

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人类员工与服务机器人的服务任务兼容性：产品类型和品牌级别的角色


本研究基于不确定性减少理论探讨了客户何时更喜欢服务人员而不是服务机器人，反之亦然。本研究还通过感知可信度和客户态度，调查了产品类型和品牌水平在服务代理类型与体验满意度之间关系中的调节作用。进行了两个 2×2 的受试者间实验，以检验研究 1 中产品类型和研究 2 中品牌水平的调节序列中介模型。结果表明，与材料产品和休闲品牌相比，当客户与服务人员互动以查询体验式产品和高档品牌时，他们往往会通过感知的可信度和对服务代理类型的态度表现出更高的体验满意度。该研究提供了根据产品类型和品牌级别，以交互和优化方式部署服务代理和服务机器人来为宾客推荐服务提供最高客户满意度的方法。