The advancement of natural language recognition and processing technology has revolutionized how consumers interact with service robots. Initially reliant on manual communication (typing or clicking), the shift has occurred towards verbal communication (speaking or talking). However, how consumers respond to these two modalities is less understood, especially in hospitality service settings. This study examined the mechanisms of robot communication modality (voice vs. touchscreen) on consumers’ behavioral intentions (robotic service acceptance and disclosure intention). The moderating roles of individual public self-consciousness and service embarrassability were further examined. The results of three scenario-based experiments show that consumers exhibit lower robotic service acceptance and disclosure intentions when robots use voice (vs. touchscreen) interaction. These effects are mediated by consumers’ concerns about social judgment and are stronger for individuals with high (vs. low) public self-consciousness and when a service involves higher levels of embarrassability. We present theoretical and practical insights for human-robot interface management to enhance consumers’ experience with service robots.

中文翻译：

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说话与触摸：消费者对酒店服务中的机器人通信方式有何反应


自然语言识别和处理技术的进步彻底改变了消费者与服务机器人的交互方式。最初依赖于手动交流（打字或点击），现在已经转向口头交流（说或说）。然而，消费者对这两种方式的反应尚不清楚，尤其是在酒店服务环境中。本研究考察了机器人通信方式 （语音与触摸屏） 对消费者行为意图 （机器人服务接受和披露意图） 的机制。进一步研究了个体公众自我意识和服务尴尬的调节作用。三项基于场景的实验结果表明，当机器人使用语音（与触摸屏相比）交互时，消费者对机器人服务的接受和披露意愿较低。这些影响是由消费者对社会判断的担忧介导的，对于公众自我意识高（相对于低）的个体以及当服务涉及更高水平的尴尬时，这些影响更强。我们提出了人机界面管理的理论和实践见解，以增强消费者对服务机器人的体验。