The impact of robots integrated into the process of communication with clients in hotels will be investigated in the framework of this research. The main purpose of this paper is to provide a qualified and detailed analysis of gathered data that contains interviews, quantitative study and the examination of secondary data from external resources. This study is also designed to introduce innovative ideas of presenting automatic tools to potential clients in the service industry in general and in the hotel business in particular.
Among probable outcomes, it is essential to mention the practical impact of the research as it might help to establish the relationship between robots and customers. In addition, it may be helpful to identify the difficulties that may appear in the situation of the interaction of the guest with the automatic system. What is more, the theoretical part of the analysis has to be taken into consideration as the gathered data may be useful for the scientific community and future researches in this field.
Analysis of Interviews and Report
The information that is available as a result of the interviews illustrates the fact that people are more concerned and frustrated by the idea of integrating robots in hotels than inspired or thrilled. It is possible to group the discussed issues into several categories such as the emotional perception, evaluation of the effectiveness, the level of service and others. Among the crucial topics that are necessary to note is the worry about the expenses of this kind of project. For example, one of the participants suggested that the integration might be beneficial for big companies or hotel chains, but it would be harmful to the private and family business. Another important idea is that people personally preferred to communicate with other humans rather than with the automatic system. In particular, one of the respondents pointed out that a robot cannot answer all the questions in detail and is unable to solve an extraordinary situation in a convenient and fast way.
However, the interviewees maintained several advantages of using an automatic staff. The majority of them stated that it would be profitable for hotels and suggest that this innovation might reduce the price of the stay. Moreover, in terms of some standard questions or tasks, robots might be quicker and more efficient than human beings. It is also essential to note that for the participants of the interview, the interaction with robots could be a sort of entertainment and a fun activity. In conclusion, the interviewees saw the financial benefits of this project, but, at the same time, they were concerned about the efficiency of the automatic system in the situation of an extraordinary and complicated task.
Evaluation of Outcomes of Market Research
By analysing the results of the quantitative research, it is possible to suggest that, in general, the dynamics of people’s attitude towards the integration of automatic systems in hotels is positive. More than 50% of the respondents claimed that robots would increase the efficiency of the service. Approximately the same number of people said that they would like to stay in the hotel where services are provided by the automatic staff. An important detail of this part of the research is the way the interviewees ranked the places and the services that they would like to be performed by artificial intelligence. For example, most respondents maintained that security tasks were the most desirable to be done by robots.
At the same, customer service was among the facilities where people preferred to communicate with other humans. It is possible to notice that in the first case, the interaction between the robot and the human is kept to a minimum. In contrast, in the second situation, the engagement of both sides in a dialogue cannot be avoided. It can be observed that for people, it is crucial to have relationships with other human beings in a situation where a discussion and a conversation are supposed to take place. For other services, that are needed only in cases of emergency, the respondents prefer this to be done by an automatic system.
Analysis of Questionnaire Data and Report
It is vital to notice the specificities and the particular details of the research itself. For the quantitative analysis, the sample was formed in the most diverse way, just as it was done for the interviews. The purpose of such a methodology is to illustrate the perception of the situation among people of various genders, nationalities, and age. However, it is necessary to mention that the frequency of the answers of middle-aged respondents is higher than the one of the older people. The statistic shows that the highest deviation is presented in the responses where personal opinion had to be presented. Among them are the answers to the questions about the attitude towards humanoid robots and confidence in their use in the hotels. The t-tests illustrate the fact that gender differences are not significant for the results of this study.
The majority of the respondents are of middle age or younger. It means that the positive trend that was identified might be related to this fact as younger humans are supposed to be more open to new experiences in their lives. In order to provide a more objective overview, it is possible to introduce the research of the scientists who were also interested in the industry of automatic services (Lu et al., 2020). The researchers point out that there are several negative aspects of using robots, such as the deteriorated service experience of the client, the absence of the sense of safety and the stress of other staff members (Lu et al., 2020). The conducted research has its own limitations like the age of the respondents; however, the data is useful for the scientists in this sphere and the leaders of the hotels.
Evaluation of the Collected Data and Recommendations
Gathered facts and their analysis in the framework of this research are a useful resource for future studies. The results are specific and well-structured which has a positive impact on the quality of the final conclusion. The collected information gives an opportunity not only to present a theoretical study but to provide various recommendations and advice for the managers and administrators of the hotels who consider integrating the automatic system in their services. First of all, it is important to warn potential clients about innovations. The best way to do it is to make an announcement on the official website or in social networks depending on the type of target audience. Second, it is necessary to introduce the new technologies gradually in order to test their efficiency and to have a possibility to overturn the decision in case of unexpected negative results. Third, it is crucial to organize a meeting with the staff members of the hotel and explain to them the reasons for those changes and the expected consequences.
Finally, a significant part of the successful robot integration is providing the clients and the guests with all required information and rules about the use of the technologies, its characteristics, and its purpose. The automatic systems in the service industry are supposed to improve the level and the quality of the stay in the hotel. Nevertheless, it is crucial to test all the functions of robots, integrate them progressively, and gather feedback both from the guest and the team members.
Reference List
Lu, V. N. et al. (2020) ‘Service robots, customers and service employees: what can we learn from the academic literature and where are the gaps’, Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 30(2), pp. 1-47.