From Stranger to Someone: How Naming Creates Closeness and Buffers Chatbot Service Failure

ABSTRACT

Chatbot service failures have become increasingly common across service settings, reducing consumers' willingness to reuse these technologies. This research examines whether naming behavior can preserve reuse intention following chatbot service failure. Across four experiments and a content analysis of naming texts, we find that consumers exhibit higher reuse intention toward chatbots they name themselves than toward chatbots they do not name. By comparing consumer‐assigned, firm‐assigned, and unnamed chatbots, we further distinguish the effect of performing the naming action from the mere presence of a name. This effect is mediated by feelings of closeness: assigning a name makes the chatbot feel relationally closer, which increases reuse intention following failure. We further identify service type as a boundary condition. The naming effect in the service failure is stronger in hedonic service contexts, but weaker in utilitarian service contexts. This research advances work on AI service failure by identifying consumer‐assigned naming as a preventive pathway, extending naming research to service failure contexts, and offering practical guidance for firms seeking to manage chatbot failures.