AIRSI 2019
Artificial Intelligence & Robotics in Service Interactions:
Trends, benefits and challenges
8-9 July 2019 (University of Zaragoza; SPAIN)

The University of Zaragoza and METODO research group are proud to host this workshop preparatory for the Special Issue “Automated forms of interaction in services: current trends, benefits and challenges” to be published at The Service Industries Journal in 2020.

Contributions:

• This workshop welcomes both theoretical and empirical papers
• Extended abstracts (up to 1,000 words), work in progress (up to 4,000 words) or full paper (up to 6,000 words) are welcome

Workshop timeline (AIRSI 2019):

• Submission deadline: 1 April 2019
• Accepted manuscripts: 15 April 2019
• Workshop celebration: 8-9 July 2019

Special issue timeline:

• Full papers submission: October 2019
• Expected publication: July 2020

Motivation and Aim of the workshop

The implementation of automated and computerized forms of interaction (e.g. Artificial Intelligence, robots, chatbots, etc.) in business is having an important impact on economies and employment, among other aspects. Automation has been recently used to interact directly and physically with customers in frontline services, which is shaking up service delivery and customer-firm relationships.

The use of automated forms of interaction in services is an innovation that may affect customer choices (e.g., Van Doorn et al. 2017) as well as productivity and profitability.

In spite of increasing interest, recent contributions to this emerging field are mainly theoretical; consequently, there is a need to confront experts’ predictions with evidence obtained from the use of automation in frontline services.

The aim of this workshop is to deepen and broaden the current understanding of the use of automated forms of interaction in services (e.g. AI, service robots, chatbots, etc.) by focusing on their effects on value creation, relationship outcomes, customer reactions and other related aspects.

We welcome submissions focused on varied service environments (health, education, banking, tourism and hospitality, etc.).

All theoretical and methodological (both qualitative & quantitative) approaches are equally appreciated.

Topics of Interest:

Topics of interest for workshop include, but are not limited to:

• What are the key factors (e.g. customer-based, service-related, technology-related…) influencing value creation through the use of automated forms of interaction?
• Is the use of automated service interactions more effective for retaining existing customers and attracting new customers?
• What type of services (B2B vs. B2C…) are most likely to benefit from automated service interactions?
• What is the influence of automated service interactions on customers’ frontline experiences and relationship outcomes (i.e. satisfaction, loyalty, engagement, profitability…)?
• What are the main customer reactions and perceptions about particular automated forms of interaction?
• Do customers trust automated forms of interaction?
• Are there any differences in the aforementioned relationships depending on the kind of automation? What kind of automation is preferred by customers?
• What are the main customer attributions to the introduction of service automation and how do they affect customer-provider relationships?
• How will automated service interactions affect employment and relationships with other actors?
• How should service failures be managed in automated services?
• How is AI affecting decision-making processes, data analysis, financial investments?
• Do automated forms of interaction progressively improve performance in service tasks?
• How are AI, service robots, etc. perceived by customers?
• What are the main ethical aspects arising from automated service interactions?
• What privacy concerns arise from the use of AI to analyse customer data?

Format guidelines:

Submit your extended abstract (up to 1,000 words), work in progress (up to 4,000 words) full paper (up to 6,000 words) by email to tsij2020@gmail.com

Please follow The Service Industries Journal guidelines for authors, available at:

https://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?show=instructions&journalCode=fsij20

Contact: tsij2020@gmail.com

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