Transparency boosts productivity in human-bot teams, says study
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND — A recent study by researchers at the University of Auckland underscored the importance of transparency in fostering effective collaboration between human employees and AI-powered chatbots in customer service.
Based on five experimental studies with over 1,400 participants, the research found that transparency in communicating task distribution and information transfer between human and digital employees promotes the perception of a cohesive team.
A perception of a cohesive team, said University of Auckland Associate Professor (Marketing) Laszlo Sajtos, helps drive customer satisfaction.
The study suggests that organizations employing chatbots should clearly communicate to customers how these bots fit into the customer experience alongside human-provided services.
“Doing so can foster customer recognition of a positive alliance and effortless human-bot teamwork through their awareness of the team’s joint efforts in handling service requests,” Sajtos stated.
The researchers also recommend training digital and human employees to work cohesively and transparently in customer interactions to achieve strong human-bot teams.
Moreover, they suggest assigning a supervisory role to a human employee to enhance customer satisfaction.
Sajtos added that explaining the process to the customer and setting expectations at the beginning of the experience can enable businesses to create a seamless customer experience and the impression of a cohesive team.
