Relational cohesion between users and smart voice assistants

Blanca Hernández-Ortega,Joaquin Aldas-Manzano,Ivani Ferreira

doi:10.1108/jsm-07-2020-0286

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to examine users’ affective relationships with smart voice assistants (SVAs) and aims to analyze how these relationships explain user engagement behaviors toward the brands of SVAs. Drawing on relational cohesion theory, it proposes that cohesion between users and SVAs influences brand engagement behaviors, that is, continuing purchasing other products of the brand, providing knowledge to the brand and referring the brand.Design/methodology/approachData from a survey of 717 US regular SVA users confirm the validity of the measurement scales and provide the input for the covariance-based structural equation modeling.FindingsThe results demonstrate that frequent user-SVA interactions evoke positive emotions, which encourage cohesive relationships. Pleasured-satisfaction and interest emerge as strong emotions. Moreover, relational cohesion between users and SVAs promotes engagement with the brand of the assistant.Originality/valueThis paper applies an interpersonal approach in a context that, to date, has been examined from a predominantly technological perspective. It shows that users develop positive emotions toward smart technologies through their interactions, and establishes the importance of building affective relationships. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to analyze cohesion between users and smart technologies and to examine the effect of this cohesion on user engagement with the brand.

Highlights

The emergence and rise of smart technologies have created new forms of services that have transformed traditional offerings and the way that firms relate to their customers (Chouk and Mani, 2019; Ostrom et al, 2015; Park et al, 2016)
Thereby, the findings demonstrate that cohesion perceived by the user with the smart voice assistants (SVAs) conditions the future relationship with the technology and generates user engagement behaviors toward the brand
Theoretical contributions The present study makes three important contributions to the existing literature. This is one of the first studies that examines relationship marketing between users and SVAs. It goes beyond the technological approach predominantly applied in research on smart technologies (Davenport et al, 2020; Pagani et al, 2019; Poushneh, 2021), and focuses its attention on user interactions, emotions and relational constructs

Summary

Introduction

The emergence and rise of smart technologies have created new forms of services that have transformed traditional offerings and the way that firms relate to their customers (Chouk and Mani, 2019; Ostrom et al, 2015; Park et al, 2016) These services, named smart services, integrate technology and data to anticipate and fulfill customer needs at specific times and/or locations, based on changing customer feedback and circumstances (Kabadayi et al, 2019). SVAs are software agents that rely on voice commands supported by artificial intelligence, natural language processing techniques and machine learning, to assimilate, understand and respond to users’ demands (Hoy, 2018; Pal et al, 2020) They have the capacity of acting like actual human assistants, offering professional, technical and social services that individuals require in their daily lives (Santos et al, 2016; Yang and Lee, 2019). SVAs are expected to give rise to new service and engagement platforms that can provide firms with unprecedented opportunities (Capgemini Research Institute, 2019)

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