Journal
INFORMATION PROCESSING & MANAGEMENT
Volume 59, Issue 3, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.ipm.2022.102940
Keywords
Chatbot; Anthropomorphism; Trust; Relationship norms; Intention to switch
Funding
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [72061147005]
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
- Research Funds of Renmin University of China [21XNO002]
- National Research Foundation of Korea [4199990414098] Funding Source: Korea Institute of Science & Technology Information (KISTI), National Science & Technology Information Service (NTIS)
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This study investigates the response of consumers to chatbots and their intention to switch to human agents. It finds that the anthropomorphic attributes of chatbots have an impact on consumers' perceived trust in chatbots and their switching intention, with relationship norms playing a moderating role. Trust in chatbots negatively affects consumers' intention to switch to a human agent.
Text-based chatbots are being touted as a disruptive innovation with unprecedented business potential. However, frequent failures in human-chatbot conversations have led to consumer pushback. This study investigates the response of consumers to chatbots in terms of their intention to switch to human agents. Drawing upon the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) framework, focus is placed on how the anthropomorphic attributes of chatbots influence consumers' perceived trust in chatbots and its implications for switching intention. Further, the moderating role of relationship norms in the relationships between the anthropomorphic attributes and trust in chatbots is examined. A mixed-methods approach is used; the qualitative analysis reveals three main anthropomorphic attributes of chatbots, two types of relationship norms and the specific response to chatbots. The quantitative results suggest that the anthropomorphic attributes of perceived warmth and perceived competence positively affect consumers' perceived trust in chatbots, whereas communication delay negatively affects it. Relationship norms are found to moderate some of these effects such that exchange relationships strengthen the importance of perceived competence on trust, although communal relationships do not moderate the effects of perceived warmth on trust. Trust in chatbots negatively affects consumers' intention to switch to a human agent. Theoretical and managerial implications are also discussed for scholars and practitioners in ways to improve the design and maximize the utility of chatbots.
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