To err is human: Tolerate humans instead of machines in service failure

Full automation and self-service technologies have become popular in service marketing. However, customers often face multiple issues when dealing with self-service technologies. This paper examines the effect of service-failure type (employee failure vs. self-service technology failure) on customers' negative responses (dissatisfaction, forgiveness, willingness to switch between employee and self-service technology, and negative word of mouth). Through four experiments with Amazon Mechanical Turk workers and undergraduate students, this research finds that customers have more negative responses for a self-service technology failure than for an employee failure. This is because they get angrier with machines' mistakes than with those of humans. Moreover, empathy alleviates anger and customers' negative responses in employee failure, but not in self-service technology failure. This research offers service providers new insights by scrutinizing the flip side of complete automation in service marketing.

Automated summary

This research reveals that customers have more negative responses to self-service technology failure than employee failure, as they get angrier with machines' mistakes. Additionally, empathy can alleviate anger and negative responses in employee failure, but not in self-service technology failure.