Journal of Service Research, Ahead of Print.
The use of digital employees (DEs)—chatbots powered by artificial intelligence (AI)—is becoming increasingly common in the service industry. However, it is unclear whether collaborations between the human employee (HE) and DE can influence customer outcomes, and what the mechanisms behind such outcomes are. This research proposes and tests a theoretical model that explains how the communication of HE-DE collaboration in the form of interdependent behavioral cues can influence customer evaluations of the service they received from such a team. Five experimental studies involving a total of 1403 participants demonstrate that making HE-DE collaboration visible to customers during the service encounter can reinforce their perception of HE-DE team cohesiveness and service process fluency, driving satisfaction. The communication of coordination and team goal cues are two strong stimulants that strengthen such impressions. Further, this research also reveals that the HE-DE collaboration (vs. augmentation or substitution) appeals to customers thanks to their perception of a transparent process, which is induced through collaborative cues. This research provides theoretical implications for a transparent collaborative process between HE and DE and practical advice for firms seeking to integrate DE into their organizations’ workflows.