Are highly anthropomorphic service robots more likely to be forgiven by customers after service failures? A mind perception perspective

Service robot failures are inevitable in the tourism and hospitality industry, so customer forgiveness is crucial. Based on mind perception theory, this study explored the mechanism of service robots’ anthropomorphism level affecting customer forgiveness. Using four scenario-based experiments, the results indicate that highly anthropomorphic service robots are more likely to be forgiven by customers, with perceived experience and perceived agency being the underlying psychological mechanisms. When service robots are relatively less cute, high anthropomorphism can lead to higher perceived experience and perceived agency of customers, and thus, higher forgiveness. By contrast, when service robots are highly cute, the effect of anthropomorphism is not significant. Moreover, high anthropomorphism enhances forgiveness in low-power than high-power customers. Our study complements extant research on service robot anthropomorphism in service failure scenarios and offers a way to mitigate their negative impact.