This study by Jaehwuen Jung in Information Systems Research Journal examines the impact of revealing service providers’ identities on online complaint management platforms. Two field experiments demonstrate that when providers know their identities are visible to customers, they improve service by responding faster and more effectively. Customers also feel more satisfied and trusting when provider identities are disclosed. However, revealing ethnic backgrounds leads to biases: customers prefer majority ethnic providers, and minority customers sometimes dislike providers of their own ethnicity. The study explains these results through social presence, accountability, and social identity theories and offers practical advice for firms to balance transparency with sensitivity to biases.
Two-sided Impacts of Identity Disclosure in e-Customer Service Platforms: Evidence from a Field Experiment
