Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore what drives customer acceptance of frontline service robots (FSR), as a result of their interaction experiences with FSR in the context of retail banking services.

Design/methodology/approach

Applications of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology and service robot acceptance model frame the exploration of customers’ interaction experiences with physical FSR to explain acceptance. A thematic analysis of information obtained through observations, focus groups and participant interviews was applied to identify themes.

Findings

This study identifies 16 dimensions that group into five main themes that influence customer acceptance of FSR in retail banking services: (1) utilitarian aspect, (2) social interaction, (3) customer responses toward FSR, (4) customer perspectives of the company brand and (5) individual and task heterogeneity. Themes 1 and 2 are labeled confirmed themes based on existing theoretical frameworks used; themes 3–5 are additional themes.

Practical implications

This study provides actionable suggestions to allow managers to reflect on their strategy and consider ways to design and improve the delivery of services that involve FSR.

Originality/value

This study adds to our limited knowledge of how human-robot interaction research in robotics translates to a relatively new research area in frontline services and provides a step toward a comprehensive FSR acceptance model.

中文翻译：

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零售银行中一线服务机器人的客户接受度：一种定性方法

目的

本文的目的是探讨是什么推动了客户对一线服务机器人 (FSR) 的接受，这是由于他们在零售银行服务背景下与 FSR 的交互体验。

设计/方法/方法

接受和使用技术的统一理论和服务机器人接受模型的应用框架探索客户与物理 FSR 的交互体验来解释接受。对通过观察、焦点小组和参与者访谈获得的信息进行主题分析，以确定主题。

发现

本研究确定了 16 个维度，这些维度分为五个主题，这些主题影响客户对零售银行服务中 FSR 的接受度：(1) 功利性方面，(2) 社会互动，(3) 客户对 FSR 的反应，(4) 客户对公司的看法品牌和（5）个人和任务的异质性。主题 1 和 2 基于所使用的现有理论框架被标记为已确认的主题；主题 3-5 是附加主题。

实际影响

本研究提供了可行的建议，让管理人员能够反思他们的战略并考虑设计和改进涉及 FSR 的服务交付的方法。

原创性/价值

这项研究增加了我们对机器人技术中人机交互研究如何转化为一线服务中相对较新的研究领域的有限知识，并为实现全面的 FSR 接受模型迈出了一步。