Virtual Customer Service Agents: Using Social Presence and Personalization to Shape Online Service Encounters

T. Verhagen, J. van Nes, J.F.M. Feldberg, W.M. van Dolen

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

By performing tasks traditionally fulfilled by service personnel and having a humanlike appearance, virtual customer service agents bring classical service elements to the web, which may positively influence customer satisfaction through eliciting social responses and feelings of personalization. This paper sheds light on these dynamics by proposing and testing a model drawing upon the theories of implicit personality, social response, emotional contagion, and social interaction. The model proposes friendliness, expertise, and smile as determinants of social presence, personalization, and online service encounter satisfaction. An empirical study confirms the cross-channel applicability of friendliness and expertise as determinants of social presence and personalization. Overall, the study underlines that integration between technology and personal aspects may lead to more social online service encounters. © 2014 International Communication Association.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)529-545
JournalJournal of Computer-Mediated Communication
Volume19
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Virtual Customer Service Agents: Using Social Presence and Personalization to Shape Online Service Encounters'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this