PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION IN MULTILINGUAL SERVICE ENCOUNTERS: A SOCIOCULTURAL PERSPECTIVE FROM SABAH’S TOURISM INDUSTRY

Abstract

Persuasive communication plays a critical role in customer service interactions, particularly within multilingual and culturally diverse tourism destinations. Rather than treating persuasion as a set of transferable techniques, this study conceptualises persuasive communication as a sociocultural situated practice shaped by linguistic diversity, cultural expectations, and interactional norms. It explores how sociocultural factors shape the persuasive communication practices of frontline customer service employees in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, a key tourism hub in East Malaysia. Although research on intercultural communication and service discourse has expanded globally, empirical investigations focusing on persuasion in frontline service encounters in East Malaysian contexts remain limited. To address this gap, the study employs a mixed-method approach, combining survey data with semi-structured interviews involving frontline staff from the hospitality and tourism sectors. The findings indicate that persuasive communication is not only frequently used but also perceived as indispensable for achieving service-related goals such as managing complaints, recommending services, and maintaining customer satisfaction. However, sociocultural differences, including linguistic variation, culturally grounded expectations of politeness, and differing perceptions of value often give rise to misunderstandings and communication breakdowns. These challenges were particularly evident in interactions with international tourists from China, Korea, and Europe, reflecting the diverse visitor profile of the city. Participants consistently highlighted the need for systematic training in intercultural communication, conflict management, and complaint handling to strengthen persuasive effectiveness. By illustrating how persuasive practices are mediated by sociocultural conditions in multilingual service environments, contributes to applied linguistics and workplace communication research. The findings also offer practical implications for integrating sociocultural competence into English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curricula and professional training programmes for customer-facing industries in Sabah and comparable tourism destinations.