The relationship between motives for using a Chatbot and satisfaction with Chatbot characteristics: An exploratory study

¹ Faculty of Economics of Porto, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
² Escola Superior de Ciências Económicas, Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Setúbal, Portugal
³ CEOS.PP, ISCAP, P.Porto, Porto, Portugal
⁴ NOVA SBE, Lisbon, Portugal

^* Corresponding author: helenagmartins@gmail.com

Abstract

Even though there is a growing number of studies focusing on Chatbots and artificial conversations, research lacks studies analyzing Chatbot characteristics and motives for using this technology. This displays a critical gap in the literature that the present study addresses. This work thus attempts to analyze the relationship between motives for using a Chatbot and satisfaction with Chatbot characteristics. Two questionnaires were developed, one to assess satisfaction with Chatbot characteristics, according to the Kano model and another to assessing motives for using Chatbots, based on previous qualitative research. Survey research was directed to the Portuguese population (N=258) and statistical analysis indicated that motives for using Chatbots do not seem to have a clear relationship with satisfaction with Chatbot characteristics. Furthermore, results suggest that equipping Chatbots with human-like characteristics, seems to be indifferent to Portuguese Millennials; instead, speed and accessibility of Chatbots seem to be valued, especially when using this technology for convenience purposes. A discussion on the possible implications for theory and practice on this topic is presented, and clues for future research are suggested.