DS FINAL PAPER July 2019 IR version.pdf (480.5 kB)
Can humans simulate talking like other humans? Comparing simulated clients to real customers in service inquiries
journal contribution
posted on 2019-08-06, 08:36 authored by Elizabeth Stokoe, Rein Sikveland, Saul AlbertSaul Albert, Magnus HamannMagnus Hamann, William HousleyHow authentic are inquiry calls made by simulated clients, or ‘mystery shoppers’, to service
organizations, when compared to real callers? We analysed 48 simulated and 63 real inquiry
calls to different veterinary practices in the UK and Ireland. The data were transcribed for
conversation analysis, as well as coded for a variety of call categories including reason for the
call, call outcome, and turn design features. Analysis revealed systematic differences between
real and simulated calls in terms of 1) reasons for the call, call outcome, and call duration,
and 2) how callers refer to their pets in service requests and follow-up questions about their
animal. Our qualitative analyses were supported with statistical summaries and tests. The
findings reveal the limitations of mystery shopper methodology for the assessment of service
provision. We also discuss the implications of the findings for the use of simulated
encounters and the development of conversational agents.
History
School
- Social Sciences
Department
- Communication, Media, Social and Policy Studies
Published in
Discourse StudiesVolume
22Issue
1Pages
87-109Publisher
SAGE PublicationsVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)
Rights holder
© The authorsPublisher statement
This paper was accepted for publication in the journal Discourse Studies and the definitive published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1177/1461445619887537.Acceptance date
2019-07-28Publication date
2019-11-13Copyright date
2019ISSN
1461-4456eISSN
1461-7080Publisher version
Language
- en
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