Ph.D. Research Proposal: Are AI-enabled Robots as Effective as Human Frontline Service Employees?

This research proposal aims to investigate whether AI-enabled robots can be as effective as human frontline service employees in terms of creativity and engagement. It also aims to identify the impact of robotic entry in service marketing as frontline service employees. The research will use qualitative methods and conduct surveys to measure the effectiveness of both robots and humans as frontline service employees. The study will take approximately 3 and a half years to complete and will require resources such as literary articles, journals, books, and newspapers, as well as access to computer and internet, university library, and hiring frontline service employees and robots for experimental purposes.

Ph.D. Research Proposal
Doctoral Program in Business, information and Marketing
Creativity, Engagement, and Performance: Are AI-enabled Robots as Effective as Human
Frontline Service Employees
Advisor:
Advisor: Dr Patrick Van Esch
Central Queensland University (Sydney)
Business school
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1) Background to the research and research Question (S) to be investigated
The main focus of the research is to identify whether a robot could be engaged as a
frontline service employee and could also be as creative as the human frontline service
employees or not. With the same, it also tries to identify whether a robot can handle a
confused, frustrated and difficult customer or not and tries to find out whether a frontline
service employee need to gain creativity for serving a customer. It is to be noted that
customer service is regarded as one of the most complicated differentiators of customer
loyalty. This is due to the fact that almost 33% of the total Americans claim that a single poor
customer service could make the customers switch to other companies (Puneet Mehta 2018).
The customer service job engagement and creativity are very important in such competitive
markets. It is also to be mentioned that the employee creativity aids towards attaining
organisational effectiveness, performance and innovation (Amabile et al. 1996). This is
especially true for the frontline employees who require to demonstrate their creativity for
delivering excellent services that help in meeting the customers’ expectations of different
wants and needs (Wilder, Collier, and Barnes 2014). As per Amabile (1988), creative process
is a very vital element for the individuals in organization as it help them in problem-solving
and also in efficient dealing in their work so that they can avoid confusions and can attain
excellent results. The frontline employees often experience several unexpected situations. For
instance, when the customers see a good range of product variety and gain some extensive
information related to the products and services, they become confused and stressed to make
the right choice and find it difficult to take decision. In these cases, the help of the service
employees increases customer satisfaction and at the same time, the possibility of buying the
product increases (Huffman and Khan 1998). Also, frontline employees who show high
degree of enthusiasm and engagement in their work make use of their creativity in providing
better solution to end customers. This in turn leads to the success for the organisational
financial conditions (Schneider, Macey, and Barbara 2009).
However, in case of elderly customers, it could result in destructiveness, if they are to
interact with the robots as the main frontline service employees. By 2060 the population of
the elderly people might grow to 28% from 18%. The elderly population have the highest
sensitivity to the new technologies. They may find it difficult to face robots as frontline
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service employees (Smith 2015, European Commission and the Economic Policy Committee
(2015). The employees who work in the service industry need to have good ideas regarding
the needs of customers. They should work to increase their level of engagement with the
customers and should also look after the firms for providing better service to the customers
for achieving the major organizational outcomes. They should recognize and fulfill each and
every needs of the customers (Homburg, Wieseke, and Torsten 2009). This would value more
than just focusing on the immediate sales. These employees should think more feasibly and
creatively for helping the heterogeneous customers in their buying decisions. They should
also focus in improving their potential of identifying and reacting to the needs of the
customers before customers verbalise them. They should also work when the service robots
do not showcase the heterogeneity and behave identical all over the system of service
delivery by providing homogenous service and solution (Wirtz et al. 2018). Echterhoff et al.
(2009) states that customers are more reliable on others in making their purchase decisions
because people have tendency to share their ideas and experience with others.
The research question for this project is to investigate whether AI-enabled Robots can be as
Effective as Human Frontline Service Employees where creativity and engagement of
frontline service employees is essential to help customers or not. Driven by advanced
technology some firms are replacing robots as human frontline service employees, but
enough study has not been done yet to examine whether a robot can be as creative and
engaged as a human and can handle heterogenous customers who have different needs
effectively.
2) What is the anticipated significance and/or impact of the proposed research?
The main aim of this research is identifying the significant impact of robot in the
service marketing as well as to give strategic guidelines for overcoming the challenges of the
robotic entry in the service marketing as frontline service employees. The elder individuals
often think robotic technology is a threat. For example, this research study is aiming towards
finding out whether it is possible for robot to become as creative as human or not in
comforting the elderly customers in their shopping needs. Hence, the firms need focus on
providing more facilities and indulge more positive feelings in increasing the perceptions of
the advantages and the comforts of the customers. Notwithstanding this fact, the rapid
technology improvement is transforming all service sectors and they are becoming smarter,
better, and cheaper (Wirtz and Zeithaml, 2018). The most important impact of the idea of
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infusion of robots in AI conjunction and also with the machine learning on the frontline
employees in industries has increased attention from the world-wide business practitioners
(Lelieveld and Wolswinkel, 2017; Microsoft, 2018). Also, there are some jobs that require
more customer contact than others (for example, hairdressers, education, and medical
services). Therefore, they require more engagement and creativity on the basis of the level of
customer contacts and at the same time, they also need more skills for quality service delivery
(Oldham and Cummings, 1996). In the same way, using robot as frontline service employees
depending on the customer contact level need to be considered as well. Hence, this project
will identify the possibility of having robot and human both in service marketing as frontline
service employees based on the job characteristic.
3) What research method will you use to undertake the proposed research?
There are several research methods used in a research. It mainly deals with the techniques
that are used for conducting the research in a systematic way. This research will use
qualitative methods. The survey based on subject design will be conducted for this research.
One study will be using the mechanical basis for the humanoid robot, a 120 cm high could
be used as frontline service employees. In both the cases of high and low contact customer
service is considered to monitor both young and elderly customers reactions. And second
study will be using only human frontline service employees. This test could be carried out in
David jones and Mayer stores, as well as in different sectors like healthcare, hotels, university
library front desk etc. With the same, in both experiments, the human frontline service
employees along with the behaviour of the robotic frontline service employee’s is measured
using existing scales, 7-point liker scale. And for the level of employee creativity, employee
engagement, employee performance, customer loyalty and satisfaction participants are asked
to rate the effectiveness of the technology robot assisted and human assisted.
4) What is the intended time line to undertake the proposed research?
It is to be noted that huge time will be required on my part in the successful
preparation of this research study. It would involve investing huge time for reading the
various literatures in this subject, negotiating with the retailers, hotels, healthcare, and time is
also required for testing both the robot and the human as the frontline service employees. I
would also search for the company that would use robot and frontline employee and at the
same time would discuss with them the shortcoming and the success that they achieved till
now. Furthermore, I would also need to search for the companies who would produce robot
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of this type (frontline service employees). Conducting the survey and collecting data will be
time consuming. To my knowledge and considerations, this project would take a total of 3
and half years to be completed.
5) What resources, facilities, equipment, fieldwork will be required to undertake the
proposed research?
In order to complete this research proposal, I as a student need to go through a wide
range of literary articles, journals, books and newspapers. I also need to gain good access of
computer and internet to gain knowledge on these and need to collect data from the academic
journals. I need to access the university library. Furthermore, I shall be participating in the
seminar topics regarding the types of the robots that could be used in this purpose as the
frontline service employees. I will also require hiring the frontline service employees as well
from different companies based on our intended experiments. Hiring the robots for
experimental purposes is the most important thing. For this purpose, having sufficient
budgets for hiring the robots is also essential. I need to make an outline of the estimated cost
as well so that my expense budget accuracy is maintained. Furthermore, the University lab, as
well as the library are required for testing the hypotheses as well. I might also need to invite
the student for participating in order to test the hypotheses. Lastly, I shall also require to do
some field works and conduct interviews in order to gain the feedback and perception of
different people.
6) Which CQU University Research Strength area (s) will be the proposed research be
aligned with?
Sustainable goals
This proposed research would be used in CQU university research strength area, such
as the workplace management, the creative ads, participation and access. It would identify the
various strengths and weaknesses of the robots as the frontline service employees and will
also help in measuring the details on the same by assessing whether or not they can be as
engaged in as creative as the humans. And cases will also be studied whether there is any
uncertainty in measuring their performance or not. Furthermore, it is also to be noted that the
business, marketing, service delivery and innovation are the other related strengths or
strength area of the CQU University that this particular proposed research would be aligned
with the mentioned strengths.
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7) How will the proposed research contribute to the research outputs and research
culture in the nominated CQU university research strength?
The CQU university researches enable the professionals from the different disciplines
to incorporate some sustainable principles of deign that are drawn from the permaculture into
their day-to-day practices in a good range of fields and areas. The areas may comprise of the
nature and land as well as the tools and technologies. It is also to be mentioned that the CQU
seeks to become one of the most engaged Universities of Australia that lays a special focus
on the internationally and globally relevant activities that could benefit the Central
Queensland region in particular. Furthermore, the invigoration of the research as one of the
most important pillars in the growth and development of the CQU has focused on
determining the important areas of research specialisation which would benefit the
stakeholders of Central Queensland. Its main research strengths and main research focus are
in different areas that could benefit this region to a significant extent. One of them include
tools and technologies. This research study is particularly focused on improved technology
that could further be used in future by the markers and businessmen. The purpose will be to
replace the human hands with the technologically advanced robots who would successfully
meet the needs and demands of the future day customers. This study is highly based on
growth and development of business, not by means of internal improvements, social or
financial improvements either, but by technological advancements that would provide the
customers with highly improved service delivery. This would also present the cons of this
idea as how it would influence the elder generation and why they could resist this change.
This study would shed light on both the advantages and disadvantages of doing so by
assessing the data and information gathered and at the same time, this would also be helping
the stakeholders of the Central Queensland region, which is the main focus of the CQ
University.
References:
Amabile, Teresa M. (1988), “A Model of Creativity and Innovation in Organizations,”
Research in Organizational Behaviour, 10, 123-167.
Amabile, Teresa M., Regina Conti, Heather Coon, Jeffrey Lazenby, and Michael Herron
(1996), “Assessing the Work Environment for Creativity,” Academy of Management Journal,
39 (5), 1154-1184.
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Echterhoff, G., Higgins, E.T. and Levine, J.M. (2009), “Shared reality: experiencing
commonality with others’ inner states about the world”, Perspectives on Psychological
Science, Vol. 4 No. 5, pp. 496-521.
European Commission (DG ECFIN) and the Economic Policy Committee (AWG) (2015),
“The 2015 ageing report: economic and budgetary projections for the 28 EU member states
(2013-2060)”, available at: http://europa.eu/epc/pdf/ageing_report_2015_en.pdf (accessed
April 17, 2017).
Homburg, Christian, Jan Wieseke, and Bornemann Torsten (2009), “Implementing the
Marketing Concept at the Employee-Customer Interface: Role of Customer Need
Knowledge,” Journal of Marketing, 73 (4), 64-81.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/12/26/2019-ai-outlook-is-customer-
service-the-new-marketing/#1e3877025479
Huffman, Cynthia, and Barbara E Kahn (1998), “Variety for Sale: Mass Customization or
Mass Confusion?” Journal of Retailing, 74 (4), 491-513.
Lelieveld I and Wen C. Wolswinkel (2017), “How intelligent automation and robotics impact
IT service delivery”, available at: www.accenture-insights.nl/en-us/articles/how-intelligent-
automationrobotics- impact-it-service-delivery/ (accessed January 15, 2018).
Lovelock, Christopher H., Paul G. Patterson, and Jochen Wirtz (2011), “Service Marketing,
An Asia-Pacific and Australian Perspective,” Australia: Pearson.
Microsoft (2018), “AI retail playbook: transformation strategies for intelligent retail”,
available at:http://info.microsoft.com/rs/157-GQE-82/images/Final%20AI%20Retail
%20Playbook.pdf (accessed February 2, 2018).
Oldham, Greg R., and Anne Cummings (1996), “Employee Creativity: Personal and
Contextual Factors at Work,” Academy of Management Journal, 39 (3), 607-634.
Puneet Mehta(2018), Is The Customer Service the New Marketing?, Forbes, Available at:
Schneider, Benjamin, William H. Macey, and Karen M. Barbera (2009), “Driving Customer
Satisfaction and Financial Success through Employee Engagement,” People and Strategy,
New York, 32 (2), 22-27.
Smith, A. (2015), “Older adults and technology use”, Pew Research Center, available at:
www. pewinternet.org/2014/04/03/older-adults-and-technology-use/ (accessed March 17,
2017).
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Wilder, Kelly M., Joel E. Collier., and Donald C. Barnes (2014), “Tailoring to Customers’
Needs: Understanding How to Promote an Adaptive Service Experience with Frontline
Employees,” Journal of Service Marketing, 17 (4), 446-459
Wirts Jochen, Paul G Patterson, Warner H Kunz, Thorstoen Gruber, Vinh Nhat Lu,
StefaniePaluch, Antje Martins (2018)”, “"Brave new world: service robots in the frontline",
Journal of Service Management, Vol. 29 Issue: 5, pp.907-931,
Wirtz Jochen, and Valarie A. Zeithaml (2018), “Cost-effective service excellence”, Journal of
the Academy of Marketing Science, Vol. 46 No. 1, pp. 59-80
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