Should retailers use emoticons in customer service support chats?
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Service providers who use emoticons are perceived as warmer, but less competent, according to a new research paper, which offers sage advice for retail brands engaging with consumers across digital platforms.
The effect held true regardless of whether or not a customer service employee used emoticons that were pictorial or text-based, showing that the impact of emoticons is not purely driven by eye-catching graphics and colors.
The Hong Kong Baptist University study investigates what happens when emoticons figure into commercial service discussions. Through laboratory and field experiments, the research showed the major effects of emoticons in customer service interactions and found that emoticon usage by a customer service employee had conflicting effects.
According to the report, how emoticons are perceived is highly dependent on the recipient’s preferences. The individual customer’s personality and expectations on how a service relationship should be conducted plays an important role in how emoticon senders are ultimately seen. Customers who enjoy friendlier relationships with brands perceive service providers who use emoticons to be warmer, which in turn makes them feel more satisfied with the service provided. Conversely, exchange-oriented customers see a customer service employee using emoticons as less competent, making them more likely to be less satisfied. These effects apply to all emoticons, regardless of whether the emoticon used had positive or negative connotations.
When service is deemed unsatisfactory and is failing to resolve the situation, the study reasons that all customers will increasingly place value on competence as opposed to warmth. In these situations, any emoticon usage by a customer service rep will have a negative impact on the customers’ attitude towards the employee.
Conversely, when a customer service employee successfully addresses a customer’s needs with messages accompanied by an emoticon, the study finds that customers are more likely to buy.
Questions & Answers
Q.What is the primary trade-off retailers face when customer service staff use emoticons in chats?
What is the primary trade-off retailers face when customer service staff use emoticons in chats?
Research indicates that service providers using emoticons are perceived as warmer by customers, but simultaneously, they are also seen as less competent. This creates a conflicting effect on customer perception.
Q.Does the type of emoticon, like pictorial or text-based, change how customers perceive its use?
Does the type of emoticon, like pictorial or text-based, change how customers perceive its use?
No, the research found that the effect on customer perception held true regardless of whether the emoticons used were pictorial or text-based. The impact is not solely driven by visual elements.
Q.When do emoticons have a negative impact on a customer's attitude towards a service employee?
When do emoticons have a negative impact on a customer's attitude towards a service employee?
If a service is deemed unsatisfactory and fails to resolve a situation, all customers will prioritise competence over warmth. In these cases, any emoticon usage by the representative will negatively impact the customer's attitude.
Q.What role do individual customer preferences play in how emoticons are received?
What role do individual customer preferences play in how emoticons are received?
How emoticons are perceived largely depends on the recipient's preferences, including their personality and expectations for a service relationship. This plays a significant role in how the emoticon sender is viewed.
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