Context
A luxury restaurant piloted a service robot for routine updates and delivery support. During a peak-hour failure, the robot gave a scripted apology while human staff were delayed.
Decision Problem
Should management retain robot-first recovery for speed, or mandate immediate human takeover for high-emotion complaints?
Learning Objectives
- Evaluate apology style effects on perceived fairness and retention.
- Compare human vs robotic recovery under emotional pressure.
- Design an escalation protocol that protects guest trust.
Discussion Prompts
- Which failure moments should always be human-led?
- What trigger threshold should force immediate manager takeover?
- Which KPIs best capture recovery quality over 90 days?
Classroom Exercise (15 Minutes)
Split students into two teams: Team A designs robot-first recovery rules, Team B designs human-first rules. Compare expected impact on speed, satisfaction, and repeat intent.
Service Recovery
Human-Robot Collaboration
Guest Retention