Do Hierarchies in a Robot Team Impact the Service Evaluation by Users?

Abstract

Customer satisfaction is not only determined by how workers treat customers but also by how they treat their coworkers. In this sense, we examined whether the dynamics of robot workers influence user satisfaction. To optimize the robot team’s atmosphere for Korean culture, we adopted the Korean honorific language system to express hierarchy. We set four types of relationships between two robots: Case 1) both using non honorific language, indicating intimacy and a flat hierarchy; Case 2) both using honorific language, indicating non intimacy and a flat hierarchy; Case 3) delivery robot using non honorific language and monitoring robot using honorific language, indicating non intimacy and a tall hierarchy; Case 4) vice versa. People preferred a robot team with a flat hierarchy and both robots using honorific language, common in the service industry. Interviews revealed discomfort with tall hierarchies. Case 4 was least satisfactory in service, while Case 3 was least socially intelligent. People perceive a robot team mirroring human society as socially intelligent, but negative representations like Case 4 led to less satisfaction.