Effects of “emotional text” on Online Customer Service Chat

Zhang, Lu; Erickson, Lee B; Webb, Heidi C

Publication:
Effects of “emotional text” on Online Customer Service Chat

dc.contributor.advisor	Anna S.Mattila asm6@psu.edu
dc.contributor.author	Zhang, Lu
dc.contributor.author	Erickson, Lee B
dc.contributor.author	Webb, Heidi C
dc.contributor.department	The Pennsylvania State University
dc.contributor.department	The Pennsylvania State University
dc.contributor.department	The Pennsylvania State University
dc.coverage.temporal	2011-01-06T15:45:00-08:00
dc.coverage.temporal	2011-01-06T14:30:00-08:00
dc.date	2023-09-22T21:33:27.000
dc.date.accessioned	2024-04-26T17:35:51Z
dc.date.available	2024-04-26T17:35:51Z
dc.date.issued	2011-01-06
dc.description.abstract	With the increasing popularity of online shopping, interests in online customer service chat used on e-commerce websites has grown significantly. As one type of computer-mediated communication (CMC), online customer service chat is mainly text-based communication. While CMC may not allow us to hone in on a facial expression or hand gesture, there are subtle cues to perception of character traits embedded within our text communications. This study examined the effects of “emotional text” (defined as use of emoticons, capitalization, exclamation points, and “lol”) on perceptions of service agents’ socialibility and reliability. Results demonstrated that emotional text does have an impact on customers’ perceptions of service agents and generally in a positive direction. Service agents who use emotional text during an online service encounter were perceived to be more social. However, customers’ did not report any differences in terms of perception of reliability. Further, emotional response was demonstrated to be a significant mediator that impacts the relationship between emotional text and perception of character traits.
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14394/30121
dc.relation.url	https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1224&context=gradconf_hospitality&unstamped=1
dc.source.status	published
dc.subject	Consumer Behavior
dc.subject	online customer service chat
dc.subject	emoticon
dc.subject	emotional response
dc.subject	gender
dc.subject	socialibility
dc.subject	reliability
dc.title	Effects of “emotional text” on Online Customer Service Chat
dc.type	event
dc.type	event
digcom.contributor.author	isAuthorOfPublication\|email:lxz152@psu.edu\|institution:The Pennsylvania State University\|Zhang, Lu
digcom.contributor.author	Erickson, Lee B
digcom.contributor.author	Webb, Heidi C
digcom.identifier	gradconf_hospitality/2011/Presentation/42
digcom.identifier.contextkey	1560739
digcom.identifier.submissionpath	gradconf_hospitality/2011/Presentation/42
dspace.entity.type	Publication