Conversational agents in online organization–stakeholder interactions

A state-of-the-art analysis and implications for further research

Bibliographic Data

ID21696036
AuthorsSalla Syvänen (0000-0002-7368-6272, University of Jyväskylä, corresponding author), Chiara Valentini (0000-0003-0752-9639, University of Jyväskylä)
Year2020
Volume24
Issue4
Pages339-362
Publication date2020-06-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Communication Management (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1363-254X • E-ISSN: 1478-0852
PublisherEmerald (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1108/jcom-11-2019-0145
OpenAlexW3033808529
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited45

Purpose The purpose of this study is to review the extant literature on chatbots and stakeholder interactions to identify major trends and shed light on knowledge gaps. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was conducted combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. A code book based on early systematic literature reviews was developed and used to extract information from 62 discrete peer-reviewed English articles. An inductive approach was used to analyse definitions of chatbots, topics, metrics, perspectives and implications. Findings Chatbots have been studied by many different disciplines, but not much from organizational, stakeholder and corporate communication perspectives. Existing studies focus on the technical developments of chatbots and chatbot language and conversations skills. Research has remained anchored at the micro-level understanding of the phenomenon, that is, the nature of chatbots, but has not yet taken into consideration the meso (organizational) or macro (societal) levels. Research limitations/implications This study focused only on academic peer-reviewed papers in English and excluded conference proceeding, books, book chapters and editorials that may have offered other important and relevant reflections. The limited number of studies in communication-related disciplines shows that corporate communication scholars could contribute more to the discussion of chatbot–stakeholder interactions. Originality/value This is the first research in the field of corporate communication that examines organizational chatbot–stakeholder interactions. Results of this review offer important information on chatbots' organizational capabilities and affordances, which, arguably, must be taken into consideration when stakeholder engagement strategies are set

Chatbot · Knowledge management · Originality · Political science · Public relations · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Stakeholder · Stakeholder analysis · World Wide Web · AI in Service Interactions · Computer Science · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Knowledge Management and Sharing

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