Journal of Service Management: Volume 34 Issue 4

Learning from the pioneering founders of the service research field

David E. Bowen, Raymond P. Fisk, John E.G. Bateson, Leonard L. Berry, Mary Jo Bitner, Stephen W. Brown, Richard B. Chase, Bo Edvardsson, Christian Grönroos, A. Parasuraman, Benjamin Schneider, Valarie A. Zeithaml

A small group of pioneering founders led the creation and early evolution of the service research field. Decades later, this article shares timeless service wisdom from ten of…

The nature of actor engagement intensity: a classification scheme

Eva Qi Wang, Julia A. Fehrer, Loic Pengtao Li, Roderick J. Brodie, Biljana Juric

Actor engagement (AE) literature shows inconsistent understandings of engagement intensity. However, a holistic picture of the nature of AE intensity is foundational to advance…

Mediating service experiences with online photos: the role of consumers' perceptions of the mediated servicescape

Zeya He, Laurie Wu, Xiang (Robert) Li

Photos are powerful tools to attract individuals’ attention and convey service experiences. Yet exactly how visual cues in a photo contribute to the perceptions of the staged…

To automate or not to automate? A contingency approach to service automation

Eline Hottat, Sara Leroi-Werelds, Sandra Streukens

Following a contingency approach, this paper aims to understand when service automation can enhance or destroy value for customers in the frontline by (1) providing a…

Self-service technology recovery: the importance of psychological need support

Byron W. Keating, Marjan Aslan

The service recovery literature provides little guidance to firms on how users of self-service technology (SST) perceive assistance provided by human and non-human service agents…

How does service robot anthropomorphism affect human co-workers?

Dewi Tojib, Rahul Sujan, Junzhao Ma, Yelena Tsarenko

Service robots are gradually becoming more anthropomorphic and intelligent. This research aims to investigate how anthropomorphic service robots with different levels of…

The Robotic-Human Service Trilemma: the challenges for well-being within the human service triad

Chelsea Phillips, Rebekah Russell–Bennett, Gaby Odekerken-Schröder, Dominik Mahr, Kate Letheren

The human service triad (i.e. the relationship between the customer, frontline employee (FLE) and managerial employee) experiences a range of well-being challenges when faced with…

Friend, mentor, lover: does chatbot engagement lead to psychological dependence?

Tianling Xie, Iryna Pentina, Tyler Hancock

The purpose of this study is to explore customer-artificial intelligence (AI) service technology engagement and relationship development drivers, as well as potential negative…