Understanding Impacts of Service Robots with the Revised Gap Model

Shengliang Zhang, Chaoying Huang, Xiaodong Li and Ai Ren
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Shengliang Zhang: School of Management, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Chaoying Huang: School of Management, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Xiaodong Li: School of Economics and Management, Anhui Polytechnic University, Wuhu 241000, China
Ai Ren: School of Business, State University of New York at New Paltz, New Paltz, NY 12561, USA

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-23

Abstract: The service quality gap model, which identifies the antecedents of SERVQAUL, reveals that service quality depends on the gap between customer perceived and expected service (Gap 5), which can be caused by other gaps in the service process (Gaps 1–4). The emergence of service robots has affected the quality of services provided; however, little is known about how these impacts happen. Thus, this paper aims to explore the impacts of service robots on service quality by revising the original gap model in the context of robot service. This paper reviews and analyzes the literature related to service robots and develops a revised gap model for robot service by integrating the existing research on the impacts of service robots. By introducing the roles of robots and robot manufacturers into the original gap model, the revised gap model adds three new gaps: Gap 6 (manufacturers’ understanding gap), Gap 7 (technical gap), and Gap 8 (service coordination gap). Based on the revised gap model, the impacts of service robots on service quality are expounded (i.e., Gap 5 can be affected by not only Gaps 1–4 but also Gaps 6–8), and several propositions are introduced. This paper is the first to consider robot manufacturers as part of the service quality gap model, and the first to use a dynamic model to explore the impacts of service robots on service quality. This paper not only supplements the service robot and gap model literature but also provides service companies with a meaningful framework to improve service quality when using robots to provide service.

Keywords: service robot; gap model; service quality; service delivery; robot manufacturer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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