Mitigating Chatbot Service Failures: The Roles of Anthropomorphism, Acknowledgment, and Apology

Abstract

This study examines how chatbot anthropomorphism shapes consumer responses to service failure by distinguishing between process failure and outcome failure and by testing alternative recovery responses. Across three pretests ( N  = 30, 120 and 240) and two scenario‐based experiments (Study 1: N  = 346; Study 2: N  = 778), consumers evaluated interactions with high‐ versus low‐anthropomorphic chatbots in service settings. The findings show that chatbot anthropomorphism intensifies customer aggression under process failure. This effect is mediated by the disconfirmation of anticipated expectations, such that highly anthropomorphic chatbots elicit stronger expectations for socially appropriate and competent interaction, which are more sharply violated when the failure concerns the interaction process itself. The results further show that, following process failure, an apology is more effective than acknowledgment of the chatbot's AI nature in mitigating customer aggression, particularly for highly anthropomorphic chatbots. By integrating chatbot anthropomorphism, failure type, expectation disconfirmation, and recovery response within a single framework, this research extends understanding of when anthropomorphic chatbots help versus harm consumers in service encounters. The findings also offer practical guidance for firms seeking to design more effective chatbot recovery strategies after service failures.