Customer reactions to the use of AI-based chatbots in complaint handling

AI-based chatbots are increasingly being used by businesses. One potential use of this tool is in the complaint reporting and handling process. For the successful implementation of AI chatbots in complaint handling processes, it’s essential to understand customer opinions about this solution. This article aims to determine whether and how customer reactions and perceptions differ depending on whether an AI chatbot or a human-operated chatbot is used in the complaint handling process. An online experiment with a cross-group design was adopted as the research method. It was found that the type of interaction during the complaint submission process did not differentiate customer reactions or the level of satisfaction with their complaint needs. However, whether the customer interacted with an AI chatbot or a human significantly impacted the length of the interaction and perceived service satisfaction. Interactions with an AI chatbot were significantly shorter and associated with lower service satisfaction.

Bibliografia/References

Adam, M., Wessel, M., & Benlian, A. (2020). AI-based chatbots in customer service and their effects on user compliance. Electronic Markets, 31(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-020-00414-7

Adamopoulou, E., & Moussiades, L. (2020). Chatbots: History, technology, and applications. Machine Learning with Applications, 2, 100006. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mlwa.2020.100006

Ahmad, N. A., Che, M. H., Zainal, A., Abd Rauf, M. F., & Adnan, Z. (2018). Review of chatbots design techniques. International Journal of Computer Applications, 181(8), 7–10. https://doi.org/10.5120/ijca2018917606

Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1977). Attitude-behavior relations: A theoretical analysis and review of empirical research. Psychological Bulletin, 84(5), 888–918. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.84.5.888

Ayanouz, S., Abdelhakim, B., & Benhmed, M. (2020). A smart chatbot architecture-based NLP and machine learning for health care. W: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Networking, Information Systems & Security, (1–6).

de Bellis, E., & Venkataramani Johar, G. (2020). Autonomous shopping systems: Identifying and overcoming barriers to consumer adoption. Journal of Retailing, 96(1), 74–87.

Castillo, D., Canhoto, A. I., & Said, E. (2021). The dark side of AI-powered service interactions: Exploring the process of co-destruction from the customer perspective. The Service Industries Journal, 41 (13-14), 900–925. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2020.1787993

Charlton, G. (2013, 25 listopad). Consumers prefer live chat for customer service: stats. https://econsultancy.com/consumers-prefer-live-chatfor-customer-service-stats/

Chen, J.-S., Le, T.-T.-Y., & Florence, D. (2021). Usability and responsiveness of artificial intelligence chatbot on online customer experience in e-retailing. International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 49(11), 1512–1531. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-08-2020-0312

Cheng, T. C., Lam, D. Y., & Yeung, A. C. (2006). Adoption of Internet banking: An empirical study in Hong Kong. Decision Support Systems, 42(3), 1558–1572. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2006.01.002

Ciechanowski, L., Przegalinska, A., Magnuski, M., & Gloor, P. (2018). In the shades of the Uncanny Valley: An experimental study of human-chatbot interaction. Future Generation Computer Systems, 92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2018.01.055

Coniam, D. (2014). The linguistic accuracy of chatbots: Usability from an ESL perspective. Text & Talk, 34(5), 545–567. https://doi.org/10.1515/text-2014-0018

Corritore, C. L., Kracher, B., & Wiedenbeck, S. (2003). On-line trust: Concepts, evolving themes, a model. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 58(6), 737–758. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1071-5819(03)00041-7

Corti, K., & Gillespie, A. (2016). Co-constructing intersubjectivity with artificial conversational agents: People are more likely to initiate repairs of misunderstandings with agents represented as human. Computers in Human Behavior, 58, 431–442. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.12.039

Crolic, C., Thomaz, F., Hadi, R., & Stephen, A. T. (2022). Blame the bot: Anthropomorphism and anger in customer–chatbot interactions. Journal of Marketing, 86(1), 134–148. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222429211045687

Daqar, M. A., & Smoudy, A. K. (2019, 12 kwietnia). The role of artificial intelligence on enhancing customer. International Review of Management and Marketing, 9(4), 22–31. https://doi.org/10.32479/irmm.8166

Davis, F. D., Bagozzi, R. P., & Warshaw, P. R. (1989). User acceptance of computer technology: A comparison of two theoretical models. Management Science, 35(8), 982–1003. http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.35.8.982

Diener, E., Smith, H., & Fujita, F. (1995). The personality structure of affect. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(1), 130–141. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.1.130

Fan, J., Sun, T., Liu, J., Zha, T., B. Z., Chen, Z., …, Hack, E. (2023). How well can an AI chatbot infer personality? Examining psychometric properties of machine-inferred personality scores. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(8), 1277–1299. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001082

Fokina, M. (2024, 21 lutego). The future of chatbots: 80+ chatbot statistics for 2024. https://www.tidio.com/blog/chatbot-statistics/

Følstad, A., Nordheim, C. B., & Bjørkli, C. (2018). What makes users trust a chatbot for customer service? An exploratory interview study. The Fifth International Conference on Internet Science – INSCI 2018. Petersburg.

Fota, A., Wagner, K., Röding, T., & Schramm-Klein, H. (2022). “Help! I have a problem” – Differences between a humanlike and robot-like chatbot avatar in complaint management. W: Proceedings of the 55th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

Grand View Research. (2023). Chatbot market growth & Trends. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/press-release/global-chatbot-market

Harbola, A. (2021). Design and Implementation of an AI chatbot for customer service. Mathematical Statistician and Engineering Applications, 70(2), 1295–1303. https://doi.org/10.17762/msea.v70i2.2321

Haugeland, I. K., Følstad, A., Taylor, C., & Bjørkli, C. A. (2022). Understanding the user experience of customer service chatbots: An experimental study of chatbot interaction design. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 161, 102788. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2022.102788

Herbig, P. A., & Day, R. L. (1992). Customer acceptance: The key to successful introductions ofinnovations. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 10(1), 4–15. https://doi.org/10.1108/02634509210007812

Hill, J., Ford, W. R., & Farreras, I. G. (2015). Real conversations with artificial intelligence: A comparison between human–human online conversations and human–chatbot conversations. Computers in Human Behavior, 49, 245–250. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.chb.2015.02.026

Huang, S. H., Lin, Y. F., He, Z., Huang, C. Y., & Huang, T. H. (2024). How does conversation length impact user’s satisfaction? A case study of length-controlled conversations with LLM-Powered chatbots. CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.

Io, H. N., & Lee, C. B. (2017, grudzień). Chatbots and conversational agents: A bibliometric analysis. W: 2017 IEEE International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management (215–219). Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.

Ismailbekovich, B. D. (2024, luty). Implementing chatbots for consumer complaint response. W: Proceedings of International Conference on Modern Science and Scientific Studies, 3(2), 440–445.

Izard, C. E. (1977). Human emotions. Emotions, personality, and psychotherapy. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2209-0_3

Jess, A. (2023, 15 sierpnia). AI in customer service: Revolutionizing experiences and boosting customer satisfaction. https://www.itmagination.com/blog/ai-in-customer-service-revolutionizing-experiences-and-boosting-customer-satisfaction (dostęp: 20 lutego 2024).

Johannsen, F., Schaller, D., & Klus, M. F. (2021). Value propositions of chatbots to support innovation management processes. Information Systems and e-Business Management, 19(1), 205–246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-020-00487-z

Karri, S. P., & Kumar, D. (2020). Deep learning techniques for implementation of chatbots. 2020 International Conference on Computer Communication and Informatics (ICCCI –2020). Coimbatore.

Kelly, S., Kaye, S.-A., & Oviedo-Trespalacios, O. (2022). A multi-industry analysis of the future use of AI chatbots. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/2552099

Kuligowska, K., & Lasek, M. (2002). Intelligent agents in the human-computer interaction. The 7th International Conference on Information Management–Human Computer Interaction. Gdańsk.

Kumar, R., & Ali, M. (2020). A review on chatbot design and implementation techniques. International Research Journal of Engineering Science Technology and Innovation, 7(11).

Lai, H. (2000, marzec). An object-oriented architecture for intelligent virtual receptionists. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 4(3), 69–86. https://doi.org/10.1080/10864415.2000.11518372

Lee, S. B. (2020). Chatbots and communication: The growing role of artificial intelligence in addressing and shaping customer needs. Business Communication Research and Practice, 3(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.22682/bcrp.2020.3.2.103

Li, X., Hess, T. J., & Valacich, J. S. (2008). Why do we trust new technology? A study of initial trust formation with organizational information systems. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 17(1), 39–71. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2008.01.001

Lind, M., & Salomonson, N. (2006). The role of virtual servants in e-interaction. The First International Pragmatic Web Conference. Stuttgart.

Lu, L., Cai, R., & Gursoy, D. (2019). Developing and validating a service robot integration willingness scale. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 80(1), 36–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2019.01.005

Luger, E., & Sellen, A. (2016). “Like having a really bad PA”: The gulf between user expectation and experience of conversational agents. W: The 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (5286–5297).

Luo, X., Tong, S., Fang, Z., & Qu, Z. (2019). Frontiers: machines vs. humans: The impact of Artificial Intelligence chatbot disclosure on customer purchases. Marketing Science, 38(6), 937–947. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2019.1192

Mathur, M. B., & Reichling, D. B. (2016). Navigating a social world with robot partners: A quantitative cartography of the Uncanny Valley. Cognition, 146, 22–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2015.09.008

McGuire, J., De Cremer, D., Hesselbarth, Y., De Schutter, L., Mai, K. M., & Van Hiel, A. (2023). The reputational and ethical consequences of deceptive chatbot use. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 16246. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41692-3

McLean, G., & Osei-Frimpong, K. (2019). Hey Alexa… examine the variables influencing the use of artificial intelligent in-home voice assistants. Computers in Human Behavior, 99, 28–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.05.009

Meyer-Waarden, L., Pavone, G., Poocharoentou, T., Prayatsup, P., Ratinaud, M., Tison, A., & Torné, S. (2020). How service quality influences customer acceptance and usage of chatbots? SMR – Journal of Service Management Research, 4(1), 35–51. https://doi.org/10.15358/2511-8676-2020-1-35

Miklosik, A., Evans, N., & Qureshi, A. M. (2021). The use of chatbots in digital business transformation: A systematic literature review. IEEE Access, 9, 106530-106539. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3100885

Misischia, C. V., Poecze, F., & Strauss, C. (2022). Chatbots in customer service: Their relevance and impact on service quality. Procedia Computer Science, 201, 421–428. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2022.03.055

Naik, P. K., Prashanth, T., Chandru, S., Jaganath, S., & Balan, S. (2023). Consumer complaints classification using machine learning & deep learning. International Research Journal on Advanced Science Hub, 5(5S), 2582–4376. https://doi.org/10.47392/irjash.2023.S015

Navlani, A. (2024, 10 stycznia). Building a chatbot using chatterbot in Python. https://www.datacamp.com/tutorial/building-a-chatbot-using-chatterbot (dostęp: 1 kwietnia 2024).

Nicolescu, L., & Tudorache. (2022). Human–computer interaction in customer service: The experience with AI chatbots – a systematic literature review. Electronics, 11, 1579. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11101579

Nirala, K., Singh, N., & Purani, V. (2022). A survey on providing customer and public administration-based services using AI: Chatbot.

Multimedia Tools and Applications, 81, 22215–22246. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11042-021-11458-y

Nomura, T., & Kanda, T. (2016). Rapport – expectation with a robot scale. International Journal of Social Robotics, 8(1), 21–30. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1007/s12369-015-0293-z

Nowak, K., & Rauh, C. (2008). Choose your “buddy icon” carefully: The influence of avatar androgyny, anthropomorphism and credibility in online interactions. Computers in Human Behavior, 24(4), 1473–1493. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2007.05.005

Ostrom, A. L., Fotheringham, D., & Bitner, M. J. (2019). Customer Acceptance of AI in Service encounters: Understanding antecedents and consequences. W: P. P. Maglio, C. A. Kieliszewski, J. C. Spohrer, K. Lyons, L. Patrício, Y. Sawatani (red.), Handbook of service science (vol. II, 77–103). Springer.

Paliwal, S., Bharti, V., & Mishra, A. K. (2020). AI chatbots: Transforming the digital world. W: V. Balas, & S. R. Kumar (red.), Recent trends and advances in Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things (455–482). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32644-9_34

Pantano, E., & Pizzi, G. (2020). Forecasting artificial intelligence on online customer assistance: Evidence from chatbot patents analysis. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, 102096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102096

Pompe, B. (2023, czerwiec). Empathic chatbots for complaint handling in customer service. [praca magisterska]. University of Twente.

Rane, N., Choudhary, S., & Rane, J. (2024). Artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), and blockchain-powered chatbots for improved customer satisfaction, experience, and loyalty. SSRN. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4847274

Rogowska, D. (2010). Zastosowanie metod sztucznej inteligencji wspomagających kontakty z klientami na przykładzie chatterbotów. Ekonomia i Zarządzanie, (4), 137–146.

Rousseau, D. M., & Camerer, C. (1998). Not so different after all: A cross-discipline view of trust. Academy of Management Review, 23(3), 393–404. https://www.jstor.org/stable/259285

Sheehan, B., Jin, H. S., & Gottlieb, U. (2020). Customer service chatbots: Anthropomorphism and adoption. Journal of Business Research, 115, 14–24. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.10,16/j.jbusres.2020.04.030

Skjuve, M., Haugstveit, I. M., Følstad, A., & Brandtzaeg, P. (2019). Help! Is my chatbot falling into the uncanny valley? An empirical study of user experience in human–chatbot interaction. Human Technology, 15(1), 30–54. https://doi.org/10.17011/ht/urn.201902201607

Skrebeca, J., Kalniete, P., Goldbergs, J., Pitkevica, L., Tihomirova, D., & Romanovs, A. (2021). Modern development trends of chatbots using Artificial Intelligence (AI). 2021 62nd International Scientific Conference on Information Technology and Management Science of Riga Technical University (ITMS), Ryga. https://doi.org/10.1109/ITMS52826.2021.9615258

Smestad, T. L. (2018). Personality matters! Improving the user experience of chatbot interfaces – Personality provides a stable pattern to guide the design and behaviour of conversational agents [praca magisterska]. NTNU.

Sousa, D. N., Brito, M. A., & Argainha, C. (2019). Virtual customer service: building your chatbot. W: Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Business and Information Management (174–179).

Spreng, R. A., MacKenzie, S. B., & Olshavsky, R. W. (1996). A reexamination of the determinants of consumer satisfaction. Journal of Marketing, 60(3), 15–32. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299606000302

Stock, R. M., & Merkle, M. (2018). Can humanoid service robots perform better than service employees? W: The 51st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Waikoloa Village (1056–1065).

Tsai, W.-H. S., Lun, D., Carcioppolo, N., & Chuan, C.-H. (2021). Human versus chatbot: Understanding the role of emotion in health marketing communication for vaccines. Psychology & Marketing, 38(12), 2377–2392. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.21556

Van den Broeck, E., Zarouali, B., & Poels, K. (2019). Chatbot advertising effectiveness: When does the message get through? Computers in Human Behavior, 98, 150–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2019.04.009

de Visser, E. J., Monfort, S. S., McKendrick, R., Smith, M. A., McKnight, P. E., Krueger, F., & Parasuraman, R. (2016). Almost human: Anthropomorphism increases trust resilience in cognitive agents. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 22(3), 331. https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000092

Völkle, C., & Planing, P. (2019). Digital Automation of Customer Contact Processes – an Empirical Research on Customer Acceptance of different Chatbot Use-cases. W: A. Lochmahr, P. Müller, P. Planing, & T. Popović, Digitalen Wandel gestalten (217–229). Springer Gabler.

Wang, L., Huang, N., Hong, Y., Liu, L., Guo, X., & Chen, G. (2023, Kwiecień). Voice-based AI in call center customer service: A natural field experiment. Production and Operations Management, 32(4), 1002–1018. https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.13953

Wang, W., & Benbasat, I. (2005). Trust in and adoption of online recommendation agents. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 6(3), 72–101. https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00065

Wang, X., Lin, X., & Shao, B. (2022). How does artificial intelligence create business agility? Evidence from chatbots. International Journal of Information Management, 66, 102535. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2022.102535

Wirtz, J., Patterson, P. G., Kunz, W. H., Gruber, T., Lu, V. N., Paluch, S., & Martins, A. (2018). Brave new world: service robots in the frontline. Journal of Service Management, 29(5), 907–931.

Wuenderlich, N. V., & Paluch, S. (2017). A nice and friendly chat with a bot: User perceptions of AI-based service agents. Thirty Eighth International Conference on Information Systems, Seul.

Xu, A., Liu, Z., Guo, Y., Sinha, V., & Akkiraju, R. (2017). A new chatbot for customer service on social media. W: Proceedings of the 2017 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems (3506–3510).

Zierau, N., Hausch, M., Bruhin, O., & Söllner, M. (2020). Towards developing trust-supporting design features for AI-based chatbots in customer service. Forty-First International Conference on Information Systems, India.