Abstract
The research by Nguyen, Tran Nguyen, and Hancer reveals how human–robot collaboration and apology styles shape customer retention after service failures. Using experimental scenarios, the study shows that robots can effectively lead recovery efforts—especially when paired with economic apologies—while human involvement enhances the impact of social apologies. Comfort emotions and continued robot usage mediate the path to loyalty, offering hospitality leaders a blueprint for designing emotionally intelligent service recovery strategies.
Original Article
Nguyen, H. N., Nguyen, N. T., & Hancer, M. (2025). Human-robot collaboration in service recovery: Examining apology styles, comfort emotions, and customer retention. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 126, 104028.
Recommended Citation
Nguyen, Ruby Hong Ngoc; Nguyen, Ngoc Tran; and Hancer, Murat
(2026)
"When Robots Say Sorry: Emotions, Apologies, and the Future of Service Recovery,"
Rosen Research Review: Vol. 6:
Iss.
1, Article 10.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/rosen-research-review/vol6/iss1/10
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