Preference for assistance from service robots or human staff？The impact of social exclusion experience

The hospitality industry is increasingly using service robots to assist customers with problem-solving. However, customers’ responses to assistance from service robots are not always consistent. In six studies, we investigated whether and how the experience of social exclusion affects customers’ preference for service robots versus human assistance in addressing service problems. The results showed that experiencing social exclusion heightened customers’ independent problem-solving tendency, leading to an increased preference for assistance from service robots (vs. human staff). Moreover, this difference diminishes among customers with a high level of independent self-construal, hedonic consumption goals, or strong tie-strength with human staff. These findings expand our understanding of factors shaping customer responses to service robots and contribute to the growing body of research on social exclusion. They also provide practical insights for managers seeking to effectively leverage service robots to meet customer needs.