Implications of chatbot implementation on consumer sentiment and expectations towards service quality in consumer services

Retailers are increasingly using conversational AI (chatbots) for customer service. Yet our understanding of how consumers perceive interactions with chatbots and how these interactions may influence other consumer service programs, remains limited. This research aims to tackle the existing knowledge gap by investigating (1) the differences in consumers' sentiments towards chatbots across retail sectors, (2) consumers' need for human touch during chatbot interactions and (3) the influence chatbots have on consumers' sentiments and expectations toward other service interactions with online human agents.