Emotion and trust in virtual service assistant design for effective service recovery

Abstract

This research aims to examine the effects of virtual service assistant (VSA) attributes on customer satisfaction with service recovery, which drives word-of-mouth (WOM) and repurchase intentions. The moderating effect of customers' perceived trust in VSA capabilities and emotional conversation on the relationship between the VSA attribute dimensions and satisfaction was also investigated. The results confirm four attributes including reliable, responsive, guaranteed, and interactive as determinants leading to satisfaction, which drives repurchase intention and WOM. Moreover, a significant moderating effect of emotional conversation and trust on the relationships examined exists. The findings contribute the importance of emotion in humanizing VSAs’ interactions in the customer service and the significant role of belief in VSA abilities to trigger positive customer responses. Recommendations on developing marketing strategies through appropriate attributes for VSA designs in service recovery were also provided.