Too Informal? How a Chatbot’s Communication Style Affects Brand Attitude and Quality of Interaction

Christine Liebrecht; Lena Sanders; C.M.J. van Hooijdonk

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-68288-0_2

Too Informal? How a Chatbot’s Communication Style Affects Brand Attitude and Quality of Interaction

Christine Liebrecht^*, Lena Sanders, C.M.J. van Hooijdonk

^*Corresponding author for this work

Tilburg University

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of (in)formal chatbot responses and brand familiarity on social presence, appropriateness, brand attitude, and quality of interaction. An online experiment using a 2 (Communication Style: Informal vs. Formal) by 2 (Brand: Familiar vs. Unfamiliar) between subject design was conducted in which participants performed customer service tasks with the assistance of chatbots developed for the study. Subsequently, they filled out an online questionnaire. An indirect effect of communication style on brand attitude and quality of interaction through social presence was found. Thus, a chatbot’s informal communication style induced a higher perceived social presence which in turn positively influenced quality of the interaction and brand attitude. However, brand familiarity did not enhance perceptions of appropriateness, indicating participants do not assign different roles to chatbots as communication partner.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Chatbot Research and Design
Subtitle of host publication	4th International Workshop, CONVERSATIONS 2020, Virtual Event, November 23–24, 2020, Revised Selected Papers
Editors	Asbjørn Følstad, Theo Araujo, Symeon Papadopoulos, Effie L.-C. Law, Ewa Luger, Morten Goodwin, Petter Bae Brandtzaeg
Publisher	Springer
Chapter	2
Pages	16-31
Number of pages	16
Edition	1
ISBN (Electronic)	978-3-030-68288-0
ISBN (Print)	978-3-030-68287-3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68288-0_2
Publication status	Published - 4 Feb 2021
Event	4th international conference on chatbot research - Duration: 23 Nov 2020 → 24 Nov 2020

Publication series

Name	Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume	12604 LNCS
ISSN (Print)	0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)	1611-3349

Conference

Conference	4th international conference on chatbot research
Abbreviated title	Conversations 2020
Period	23/11/20 → 24/11/20

Keywords

Brand familiarity
Chatbots
Communication style
Conversational human voice
Social presence

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-030-68288-0_2

Liebrecht2021_Chapter_TooInformalHowAChatbotSCommuniFinal published version, 955 KBLicence: Taverne

Cite this

Liebrecht, C., Sanders, L., & van Hooijdonk, C. M. J. (2021). Too Informal? How a Chatbot’s Communication Style Affects Brand Attitude and Quality of Interaction. In A. Følstad, T. Araujo, S. Papadopoulos, E. L.-C. Law, E. Luger, M. Goodwin, & P. B. Brandtzaeg (Eds.), Chatbot Research and Design: 4th International Workshop, CONVERSATIONS 2020, Virtual Event, November 23–24, 2020, Revised Selected Papers (1 ed., pp. 16-31). (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics); Vol. 12604 LNCS). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68288-0_2

Liebrecht, Christine ; Sanders, Lena ; van Hooijdonk, C.M.J. / Too Informal? How a Chatbot’s Communication Style Affects Brand Attitude and Quality of Interaction. Chatbot Research and Design: 4th International Workshop, CONVERSATIONS 2020, Virtual Event, November 23–24, 2020, Revised Selected Papers. editor / Asbjørn Følstad ; Theo Araujo ; Symeon Papadopoulos ; Effie L.-C. Law ; Ewa Luger ; Morten Goodwin ; Petter Bae Brandtzaeg. 1. ed. Springer, 2021. pp. 16-31 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)).

@inproceedings{22b8415ae0324528b9e5ff1d7a9ed318,

title = "Too Informal? How a Chatbot{\textquoteright}s Communication Style Affects Brand Attitude and Quality of Interaction",

abstract = "This study investigated the effects of (in)formal chatbot responses and brand familiarity on social presence, appropriateness, brand attitude, and quality of interaction. An online experiment using a 2 (Communication Style: Informal vs. Formal) by 2 (Brand: Familiar vs. Unfamiliar) between subject design was conducted in which participants performed customer service tasks with the assistance of chatbots developed for the study. Subsequently, they filled out an online questionnaire. An indirect effect of communication style on brand attitude and quality of interaction through social presence was found. Thus, a chatbot{\textquoteright}s informal communication style induced a higher perceived social presence which in turn positively influenced quality of the interaction and brand attitude. However, brand familiarity did not enhance perceptions of appropriateness, indicating participants do not assign different roles to chatbots as communication partner.",

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Liebrecht, C, Sanders, L & van Hooijdonk, CMJ 2021, Too Informal? How a Chatbot’s Communication Style Affects Brand Attitude and Quality of Interaction. in A Følstad, T Araujo, S Papadopoulos, EL-C Law, E Luger, M Goodwin & PB Brandtzaeg (eds), Chatbot Research and Design: 4th International Workshop, CONVERSATIONS 2020, Virtual Event, November 23–24, 2020, Revised Selected Papers. 1 edn, Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics), vol. 12604 LNCS, Springer, pp. 16-31, 4th international conference on chatbot research, 23/11/20. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-68288-0_2

Too Informal? How a Chatbot’s Communication Style Affects Brand Attitude and Quality of Interaction. / Liebrecht, Christine; Sanders, Lena; van Hooijdonk, C.M.J.
Chatbot Research and Design: 4th International Workshop, CONVERSATIONS 2020, Virtual Event, November 23–24, 2020, Revised Selected Papers. ed. / Asbjørn Følstad; Theo Araujo; Symeon Papadopoulos; Effie L.-C. Law; Ewa Luger; Morten Goodwin; Petter Bae Brandtzaeg. 1. ed. Springer, 2021. p. 16-31 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics); Vol. 12604 LNCS).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › Academic › peer-review

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T1 - Too Informal? How a Chatbot’s Communication Style Affects Brand Attitude and Quality of Interaction

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AU - Sanders, Lena

AU - van Hooijdonk, C.M.J.

PY - 2021/2/4

Y1 - 2021/2/4

N2 - This study investigated the effects of (in)formal chatbot responses and brand familiarity on social presence, appropriateness, brand attitude, and quality of interaction. An online experiment using a 2 (Communication Style: Informal vs. Formal) by 2 (Brand: Familiar vs. Unfamiliar) between subject design was conducted in which participants performed customer service tasks with the assistance of chatbots developed for the study. Subsequently, they filled out an online questionnaire. An indirect effect of communication style on brand attitude and quality of interaction through social presence was found. Thus, a chatbot’s informal communication style induced a higher perceived social presence which in turn positively influenced quality of the interaction and brand attitude. However, brand familiarity did not enhance perceptions of appropriateness, indicating participants do not assign different roles to chatbots as communication partner.

AB - This study investigated the effects of (in)formal chatbot responses and brand familiarity on social presence, appropriateness, brand attitude, and quality of interaction. An online experiment using a 2 (Communication Style: Informal vs. Formal) by 2 (Brand: Familiar vs. Unfamiliar) between subject design was conducted in which participants performed customer service tasks with the assistance of chatbots developed for the study. Subsequently, they filled out an online questionnaire. An indirect effect of communication style on brand attitude and quality of interaction through social presence was found. Thus, a chatbot’s informal communication style induced a higher perceived social presence which in turn positively influenced quality of the interaction and brand attitude. However, brand familiarity did not enhance perceptions of appropriateness, indicating participants do not assign different roles to chatbots as communication partner.

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DO - 10.1007/978-3-030-68288-0_2

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T3 - Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)

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Liebrecht C, Sanders L, van Hooijdonk CMJ. Too Informal? How a Chatbot’s Communication Style Affects Brand Attitude and Quality of Interaction. In Følstad A, Araujo T, Papadopoulos S, Law ELC, Luger E, Goodwin M, Brandtzaeg PB, editors, Chatbot Research and Design: 4th International Workshop, CONVERSATIONS 2020, Virtual Event, November 23–24, 2020, Revised Selected Papers. 1 ed. Springer. 2021. p. 16-31. (Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)). doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-68288-0_2

Too Informal? How a Chatbot’s Communication Style Affects Brand Attitude and Quality of Interaction

Abstract

Publication series

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Keywords

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