WEBCARE & CONVERSATIONAL AI
Lecture 1
Webcare serves the goals of
Customer care
Public relations
Marketing
Reactive webcare
Webcare can be posted in reply to a customer's request to respond to their
complaint
Proactive webcare
Organizational responses are not preceded by any direct or indirect requests
from the complainant to respond
Proactive vs reactive approach
Responding to NeWOM by means of webcare increases brand
evaluations
No main difference between reactive/proactive approach on brand
evaluations
But, depends on platform type, such that:
o Reactive: no platform difference on brand evaluations nor
perceptions of human voice
o Proactive: more positive brand evaluations on a brand-generated
platform (compared to consumer-generated platform)
o People perceived the brand as demonstrating more a human voice
on this platform
Try to estimate whether the consumer desires a reply or not
Constructive complaining
Goals can only be achieved by receiving a response from the company
Receptive to webcare
Seek for redress to restore relationship with brand
Use social media to increase public pressure to find a solution
(Act of constructive feedback to help the brand to improve its
performance)
Vindictive complaining
1
, Do not need a response from the company to achieve goal
Webcare is rather inappropriate
Complaints serve as a means to reduce frustration and anxiety
Response strategies
Accommodative responses
The company publicly acknowledges the problem and takes responsibility for
the failure
Defensive responses
The company insists that there is no problem, accuses the complainant of
wrongdoing or shifts the blame to others
No response
When and what to repond?
Findings constructive complainants
Accommodative: CCs respond most positively to ACCs because they are
congruent with their individual desires
Defensive: Inappropriate excuses to whitewash the brand, which makes them
to attribute the failure to internal and controllable problems that were
preventable by the company
No response: ignoring CCs well-meant intention to solve the problem leads to
the most negative complainant responses
Findings vindictive complainants
Immune against any type of webcare as these responses do not facilitate
VCs complaining objectives
Both no response and defensive responses don't necessarily lead to a
strong negative effect
Completely unaffected by ACCs; immune against psychological &
economical benefits
What is good webcare
1) Immediacy
2) Owwnership
3) Comprehensiveness
4) Civility
5) Assurance
6) Coherence
7) Retention
8) Personalization
2
, 9) Elaborateness
Lecture 2
Webcare for customer care
Webcare after a double deviation
3
, Customer service or privacy infringement?
Privacy regulation theory
People strive to achieve an optimal level of social interaction. If actual level
exceeds the desired level, a lack of privacy is perceived
ex: proactive interventions with consumer messages -> feelings of privacy
infringement
Privacy calculus
A consumer's decision to disclose personal information is based on cost-benefit
analysis
Message valence
Positive or negative
Message addressee
Proactive or reactive
Social exchange theory
The interaction of two parties is based on cost-benefit analysis
H1 supported: The effect of interventions on feelings of privacy violations is
stronger when the intervention is proactive
H2 supported: Negative relation between perceptions of privacy infringement
induced by customer service interventions and customer satisfaction
H3 supported: Also for perceived usefulness -> satisfaction
4
Lecture 1
Webcare serves the goals of
Customer care
Public relations
Marketing
Reactive webcare
Webcare can be posted in reply to a customer's request to respond to their
complaint
Proactive webcare
Organizational responses are not preceded by any direct or indirect requests
from the complainant to respond
Proactive vs reactive approach
Responding to NeWOM by means of webcare increases brand
evaluations
No main difference between reactive/proactive approach on brand
evaluations
But, depends on platform type, such that:
o Reactive: no platform difference on brand evaluations nor
perceptions of human voice
o Proactive: more positive brand evaluations on a brand-generated
platform (compared to consumer-generated platform)
o People perceived the brand as demonstrating more a human voice
on this platform
Try to estimate whether the consumer desires a reply or not
Constructive complaining
Goals can only be achieved by receiving a response from the company
Receptive to webcare
Seek for redress to restore relationship with brand
Use social media to increase public pressure to find a solution
(Act of constructive feedback to help the brand to improve its
performance)
Vindictive complaining
1
, Do not need a response from the company to achieve goal
Webcare is rather inappropriate
Complaints serve as a means to reduce frustration and anxiety
Response strategies
Accommodative responses
The company publicly acknowledges the problem and takes responsibility for
the failure
Defensive responses
The company insists that there is no problem, accuses the complainant of
wrongdoing or shifts the blame to others
No response
When and what to repond?
Findings constructive complainants
Accommodative: CCs respond most positively to ACCs because they are
congruent with their individual desires
Defensive: Inappropriate excuses to whitewash the brand, which makes them
to attribute the failure to internal and controllable problems that were
preventable by the company
No response: ignoring CCs well-meant intention to solve the problem leads to
the most negative complainant responses
Findings vindictive complainants
Immune against any type of webcare as these responses do not facilitate
VCs complaining objectives
Both no response and defensive responses don't necessarily lead to a
strong negative effect
Completely unaffected by ACCs; immune against psychological &
economical benefits
What is good webcare
1) Immediacy
2) Owwnership
3) Comprehensiveness
4) Civility
5) Assurance
6) Coherence
7) Retention
8) Personalization
2
, 9) Elaborateness
Lecture 2
Webcare for customer care
Webcare after a double deviation
3
, Customer service or privacy infringement?
Privacy regulation theory
People strive to achieve an optimal level of social interaction. If actual level
exceeds the desired level, a lack of privacy is perceived
ex: proactive interventions with consumer messages -> feelings of privacy
infringement
Privacy calculus
A consumer's decision to disclose personal information is based on cost-benefit
analysis
Message valence
Positive or negative
Message addressee
Proactive or reactive
Social exchange theory
The interaction of two parties is based on cost-benefit analysis
H1 supported: The effect of interventions on feelings of privacy violations is
stronger when the intervention is proactive
H2 supported: Negative relation between perceptions of privacy infringement
induced by customer service interventions and customer satisfaction
H3 supported: Also for perceived usefulness -> satisfaction
4
