From expectations to satisfaction : a comparative study of customer interactions with AI chatbots vs human agents in e-commerce settings

Abstract

The growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in customerservice hasfundamentally reshaped the way consumers engage with online businesses (Faran, 2024). While AI-powered chatbots are increasingly deployed to manage customer inquiries, human agentsremain an integral part of the service ecosystem (Belanche et al., 2024; Jenneboer, Herrando, & Constantinides, 2022; Vu et al., 2022). This paper explores the complex relationship between customer expectations and satisfaction in e-commerce interactions involving both AI chatbots and human live-chat agents.

The rapid integration of AI chatbots into e-commerce demonstrates their efficiency, availability, and ability to handle routine tasks (Misischia, Poecze, & Strauss, 2022; Widyastuti, Ferdiana, & Nugroho, 2023). Despite these advantages, chatbots often fall short in meeting customer expectations for empathy, adaptability, and the resolution of more complex issues (Castillo, Canhoto, & Said, 2020). In contrast, human agents excel in providing personalised service and emotional intelligence, though they may struggle with scalability and consistency (McLean, Osei-Frimpong, & Wilson, 2020). This contrast exposes a gap in the existing literature, which frequently examines chatbots and human agents in isolation, rather than considering them as interconnected elements of customer service (AI Chatbots: (Epley, Waytz, & Cacioppo, 2007; Schuetzler, Grimes, & Giboney, 2020; Seeger, Pfeiffer, & Heinzl, 2021 - Human Agents: (Grandey, Goldberg, & Pugh, 2011; Sutanto et al., 2013; Giebelhausen et al., 2014)). This study aims to address this gap by offering a comparative framework that explores how each channel influences customer satisfaction in unique ways.