Open science: A review of its effectiveness and implications for service research

with Van Vaerenbergh, Y., & Zwienenberg, T.
Journal of Service Research (2025)

Scientific research is meant to be transparent and trustworthy—but is it really? We provide an evidence-based discussion of the effectiveness of open science practices, examine their prevalence in service research, and offer practical tips to improve the reproducibility and accessibility of scientific knowledge.

Empathic chatbots: A double-edged sword in customer experiences

with Juquelier, A., & Poncin, I.
Journal of Business Research (2025)

Can chatbots really feel? We explore whether chatbots that mimic empathy—like recognizing your mood or stress—actually improve customer experience. Our findings show that empathic bots can enhance satisfaction by seeming more “human,” but they may backfire in certain situations.

Just walk out stores—The future of shopping? Examining configurations of reasons for and against consumer adoption

with De Keyser, A., Larivière, B., Kim, Y., Talebi, A., & Gordeliy, I. Psychology & Marketing (2025)

Just walk out stores let you grab what you need and leave—no lines, no checkout. But not everyone’s on board. We explore why some shoppers love it and others hate it, offering insights into what drives or blocks adoption of this futuristic shopping experience.

Frontline employee work engagement and customer service evaluations: A conceptual replication

with Van Vaerenbergh, Y.
Journal of Service Management (2024)

We often think that engaged, enthusiastic employees lead to better customer service—but we find it’s not always that simple. In voice-based service calls, highly engaged employees didn’t always improve customer ratings. In fact, when the outcome was negative, customers rated the experience worse if the employee seemed very engaged.