A study on the problems in using english in communication with foreign customers in rivernet vietnam technology joint stock company and some suggested solutions

THUONG MAI UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH GRADUATION THESIS TOPIC A study on the problems in communicating in English with foreign customers in Rivernet Vietnam Technology Joint Stock Company and some[.]

THUONG MAI UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH

Company and some suggested solutions.

Students: Chu Thi Ly Class: K55N2 Student ID: 19D170097 Supervisor: Luong Thi Minh Phuong, M.A.

Ha Noi, 2022

It is impossible to deny that English is becoming increasingly important in ourlives As a result, English communication skills are always used by employers toevaluate and select employees for their companies To be able to communicateeffectively in English, we must have good listening comprehension, the ability tospeak fluently with correct pronunciation, daily practice of grammar and vocabulary,and a variety of other factors Limitations due to poor listening skills or incorrectpronunciation can reduce communicators' confidence, making them afraid tocommunicate and negatively impacting work and study Recognizing the gravity of thesituation, I conducted research on the difficulties that international customer service atRivernet Vietnam Company has in communicating with customers in English Based

on this, the study will recommend solutions to help them feel more confident whencommunicating with foreigners The study was conducted with qualitative andquantitative methods through a structured questionnaire and interviews The collecteddata were analyzed both descriptively and artistically

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In practice, success will be difficult to achieve without everyone’s support, help,and concern Teachers, students, and others have provided me with encouragement,guidance, and words of encouragement and concern as I carried out and completed thisgraduation paper The research I conducted was based on the results of a survey Iconducted, as well as references from books, specialized journals by numerousauthors, and related studies

First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Mrs Luong Thi MinhPhuong, M.A - the person who directly guided my scientific research She spent a lot

of time and effort, always standing by and guiding me wholeheartedly throughout theresearch process Her advice, feedback and encouragement were really helpful for me

to complete this graduation successfully

Secondly, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Rivernet VietnamTechnology Joint Stock Company Thank you to the company director for allowing me

to do an internship at the company and supporting me in the process of completing mygraduation Thank you to the company's foreign customer service department forparticipating in the survey of the study, and thank you for giving me comments andsuggestions to help me complete the research

Furthermore, I would also like to express my deep gratitude to the teachers andstudents of the English Faculty of Thuongmai University Thank you to all my friendsand family members who encouraged and supported me throughout the process ofcompleting this graduation

Although I have tried our best, there are inevitably shortcomings in the research

I would like to ask for the teacher’s comments and suggestions to help improve theresearch

Once again, I sincerely thank you!

Hanoi, 4 November 2022

Chu Thi Ly

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS iii

LIST OF ABBREVIATION vi

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES vii

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1

1.1 Rationale of the study 1

1.2 Aims of the study 2

1.3 Object and scope of the study 2

1.4 Significance of the study 3

1.5 Research methodology 3

1.5.1.Methods of data gathering 3

1.5.2 Method of data processing 3

1.6 Organization of the study 4

1.7 Previous studies 4

1.1.1 Foreign studies 4

1.1.2 Domestic studies 5

CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 6

2.1 Definitions of communication, communication skills 7

2.2 Communicating in English in business and the importance of communication 8

2.3 Forms of communication in English 10

2.3.1 Listening 10

2.3.2 Speaking 11

2.4 Difficulties in communicating in English 12

2.5 Factors affecting English communication 14

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2.6 Solutions to improve communication in English 16

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 17

3.1 Major reasons for choosing the job 18

3.2 Current English communication skills of international customer service employees at Rivernet Vietnam 19

3.2.1 The reality of assessing the personal ability of English communication skills of Rivernet Vietnam’s Customer Service employees 19

3.2.2 The reality of the level of English communication skills of international customer service staff at Rivernet Vietnam 20

3.2.3 The reality of the importance of English communication skills in business 21 3.2.4 The reality of practicing English communication skills of Rivernet Vietnam’s Customer Service employees 22

3.2.5 The reality of the difficulty level of English communication skills of Rivernet Vietnam’s Customer Service employees 24

3.2.6 The reality of difficulties encountered when communicating in English of Rivernet Vietnam’s Customer Service employees 24

3.2.7 The reality of how to practice English communication skills of Rivernet Vietnam’s Customer Service employees 26

3.3 Factors affecting the English communication process of customer service employees at Rivernet Vietnam 26

3.3.1 Subjective factors 27

3.3.2 Objective factors 28

3.4 Solutions help customer service department employees at Rivernet Vietnam improve their ability to use English in communication 29

3.4.1 For subjective factors 30

3.4.2 For objective factors 31

3.5 Main finding and discussion 32

3.5.1 Main factors affecting the English communication skills of Rivernet Vietnam's international customer service department 32

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3.5.2 Discussion 33

CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS 35

4.1 Suggestions for improving listening abilities 35

4.2 Suggestions for improving speaking abilities 35

4.3 Suggestions for improving vocabulary and grammar 36

4.4 Suggestions for improving English communication reflexes 37

4.5 Suggestions for increasing confidence in English communication 37

CONCLUSION 39

4.1 Major findings of the study 39

4.2 Limitation of the study 39

4.3 Future Research Recommendations 40

REFERENCES 41

QUESTIONNAIRE 43

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LIST OF ABBREVIATION

No Abbreviation English meaning Vietnamese meaning

2 IELTS International English

Language Testing System

Hệ thống Kiểm tra Anh ngữ

Quốc tế

Test of English forInternationalCommunication

Bài kiểm tra tiếng Anh giao

tiếp quốc tế

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LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES Figure 3.1 Seniority reasons for choosing the workplace of the

Figure 3.2.1 The reality of assessing the personal ability of English

Figure 3.2.2 The reality of the level of English communication skills

Figure 3.2.3 The reality of the importance of English

Figure 3.2.4 The reality of practicing English communication skills 21

Figure 3.2.5 The reality of the difficulty level of English

Figure 3.3.1 Level of approval of subjective reasons 25

Figure 3.4.1 Level of approval of solutions for subjective reasons 28

Figure 3.4.2 Level of approval of solutions for objective

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CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY 1.1 Rationale of the study

In today’s globalization and internationalization process, we cannot deny thatEnglish plays a significant part in everything from business to other sectors andfacets of our life People may readily communicate information, study, and researchusing English, which is considered an international language Almost every jobrequired English, and even English proficiency was considered a criterion forcareer advancement That is the reason why someone who is fluent in English willhave a better job advantage, a job with a high salary, and more opportunities thansomeone who does not speak English

English is now more crucial than ever for Vietnam, a nation in a period ofprogress and integration It is regarded as the main language of instruction in order

to provide graduates with the content knowledge, communication skills, andcompetencies required by the modern labor market It turns into a tool forinterpersonal communication in both daily life and work Vietnam is welcoming ofintegration, and many foreigners and foreign businesses invest there You mustutilize English as a common language in order to communicate

More and more businesses are using English It can be challenging tocommunicate in a language other than one's native tongue, nevertheless Learning anew language takes longer than a few hours, and it usually takes students more thanten years to become proficient communicators Every person has to develop certainabilities in order to communicate effectively in English, including speaking,listening, and confidence These abilities can help us become bettercommunicators By these skills, we can become communicators continue to beconfident and have more job opportunities

Therefore, I have chosen the topic "A study on the problems in using English

in communication with foreign customers in Rivernet Vietnam Technology JointStock Company and some suggested solutions" Subjects of the study areinternational customer service staff of Rivernet Vietnam Technology Joint Stock

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Company They are individuals who have acquired English communication skillsand are able to interact with foreign clients.

1.2 Aims of the study

Outlining research objectives clearly can assist research teams comprehend thestudy aims and focus the research paper in the right path The researcher developedthree primary aims to achieve the study's purpose:

Firstly, the subject of the study is an employee of the international customerservice department of Rivernet Vietnam Technology Joint Stock Company As aresult, the study will investigate attitudes and motives in the process of communicating

1.3 Object and scope of the study

The object of the study talks about the problems that customer service staff atRivernet Vietnam face in the process of communicating with customers in English andoffers some solutions Therefore, the article focuses on the current situation anddifficulties that employees face in the communication process, and at the same timefinds out the causes and offers some solutions

Because of the limitation in time and lack of experience, the study focused onemployees of the international customer service department of Rivernet Vietnam

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1.4 Significance of the study

The process of using English to communicate with customers requires manyfactors and skills Customer service staff need to have good listening comprehensionskills to understand information from customers and staff also need to be able to speakflexibly and communicate fluently for customers to understand Therefore, I conductedthis scientific research to help customer service staff at Rivernet Vietnam recognizethe difficulties in communicating in English and propose solutions

1.5 Research methodology

1.5.1.Methods of data gathering

This study combines qualitative and quantitative research methods based on thecurrent English communication status of international customer service staff Our teamsynthesized the causes, developed complementary theories and then proposedreasonable solutions to the problems posed

The first is the approach data collection method (secondary data) to search andsynthesize relevant documents; analyze and describe data and information from otherliterature or research on the subject matter being studied by different authors, experts,and educators

The second is the survey method by questionnaire The Google form tool wasused to create the questionnaire, which was then sent to the international customerservice staff of Rivernet Vietnam A total of 30 questionnaires were distributed, and 30valid votes were collected

And the last method is the interview survey method In-depth interviews wereused to clarify information and employee evaluations to check the reliability ofquantitative data obtained from the questionnaire

1.5.2 Method of data processing

The survey data is scanned, evaluated in Excel, and transformed into percentages,tables, and comparison charts

Primary data includes information gleaned from a questionnaire Questionsrelated to the current status of employees' communication in English, factors affecting

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communication skills, and suggestions for solutions to support employees to improvetheir English communication skills are included in the questionnaire A Scale was used

in the survey, with responses ranging from “Totally disagree” to “Totally agree” TheGoogle Forms program is also used to assist the questionnaire, allowing numerousstudents' comments to be promptly gathered

Primary data also includes data obtained from in-depth interviews conducted byinterviews to assess the reliability of quantitative data sources obtained throughquestionnaire survey methods Qualitative data is analyzed using the content analysismethod

1.6 Organization of the study

The study includes four chapters:

 Chapter I: Introduction This chapter provides an outline to state the rationale forchoosing the topic This chapter includes the aim of the study, research questions,significance of the study, research scope, research methodology and research model.Chapter II: Theoretical background Theoretical background provides readerswith a theoretical basis including definition, importance, characteristics,difficulties, causes and solutions in the process of communicating in English forcustomer service staff at Rivernet Vietnam

Chapter III: Research results and discussion This chapter will summarize andanalyze the data obtained, plan in the form of findings found, and then discuss theseresults The data is presented in the form of tables or charts and analyzed to clarifyideas

Chapter IV: Conclusion Conclusions handle research questions and proposesolutions to help customer service staff at Rivernet Vietnam communicate inEnglish better with customers

1.7 Previous studies

1.1.1 Foreign studies

There is the study “Oral English communication difficulties and coping strategies

of Diploma of Hotel Management Students at UiTM” by Norafini Zulkurain.According to the study, the author pointed out some difficulties such as not knowing

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sentence structure, vocabulary, or misunderstanding when listening to English fromothers. 

Another study is “Oral Communication Problems Encountering English MajorStudents: Perspectives of Learners and Teachers in Palestinian EFL UniversityContext” by Abedrabu Abu Alyan The study showed that students encounter 2 maindifficulties: Linguistic problems and Psychological barriers Regarding linguisticproblems, pronunciation constitutes an obstacle to students' fluent oral communication.Students lack adequate exposure to English inside the classroom and have notdeveloped the habit of extensive listening, speaking, and reading Moreover,communication can be affected by limited vocabulary and students are unable tostructure their ideas and meanings in a coherent way Regarding psychologicalbarriers English major students lack self-confidence and pedagogical implications.Fatimah Jeharsae conducted the study “English communication problems andstrategies used by Thai employees in an International workplace to communicate withnative and non-native English speaking customers.” It was found that Thai employeescommunicating with English-speaking customers had problems with listeningcomprehension and grammar usage, fluency, accents, producing word stressmisplacement, cultural awareness, and quality of voice

Another study by Le Huong Hoa “English communication skills of students ofPeople's Police University in the integration period.” According to the author of thisstudy, the factors influencing the communication process in English are learningmotivation, students' teaching and learning programs, language characteristics,psychological factors, and environment The study also provides solutions to helpstudents improve their English communication skills

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There is the study that was conducted by Nguyen Thi Anh “Difficulties inEnglish communication reflex of fourth-year students of English Faculty Thuong MaiUniversity.” This study indicated the barriers, and difficulties when studentscommunicate Most Vietnamese students face a situation that they always think theywant to say in their mother tongue and then try to translate all the words into English.

It is a serious mistake and often interferes with English communication

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CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

2.1 Definitions of communication, communication skills

Keith Ferrazzi (2009) asserts that “All business skills, such as sales, negotiation,and leadership, can be systematically honed if you understand how relationships work.The ability to connect with people and work with these connections to identifystrengths and weaknesses and create a bond of change is the key to achievingexceptional results.”

Keith Ferrazzi believes that the key to business success is understanding how toconnect with people and how relationships work And this is the process by which wecommunicate with customers in order to negotiate, negotiate, and persuade them.Conversations help people connect with each other, understand each other, and buildgood relationships in their lives What exactly is communication, and what role does itplay in business?

According to Hoben (1954) “Communication is the verbal exchange of thoughts

or ideas” There is another opinion that communication is a process of exchanginginformation between individuals via a system of signs, language, and behaviors.Communication can also be defined as a form of emotional expression, conversation,speech, letter exchange, and information exchange

People will form positive relationships with those around them as a result ofcommunication These relationships will enable them to make more friends andcolleagues, and they may even assist each other at work and in daily life In business,good customer communication will help businesses gain a certain number of loyal andpotential customers Good communication will help businesses quickly resolvecustomer complaints, persuade difficult customers, and build better relationships withcustomers

To summarize, communication can be defined as a process in which people sharetheir ideas, information, and feelings with one another in order to establish and operaterelationships in life and society for specific purposes

People must have the necessary skills, be trained, learn, and gain experience tocommunicate effectively According to the Oxford dictionary, skill is the ability to do

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something well, usually through training or experience As a result, skill is defined asmastery, mastery of manipulations and movements in the course of performing aspecific task.

According to Dang Thanh Hung (2016), a skill is a type of voluntary actionperformed with technique, based on biological, psychological, and social conditions inindividuals, and with specific results that meet the individual’s needs to achieve apredetermined goal or standard

Based on the definitions of communication and skills, we can definecommunication skills as the ability to apply communication knowledge to create andmanage relationships in social life We use communication skills to remove barriers toeffective communication

A good communicator recognizes and captures the psychology and emotions ofthe communicator through their words and actions When attempting to guess thepartner's psychology, they will use language and reasonable actions to make animpression and control and adjust the communication process according to their goals

2.2 Communicating in English in business and the importance of communication

English is important in the context of international integration because it is theprimary language through which we communicate with our international friends.Recognizing its significance, English has permeated our lives, from schools to thestreets to business Many enterprises' businesses are not only maintained at home, buthave also expanded to foreign countries, have many cooperation projects with manycountries around the world, and have foreign customers As a result, Englishcommunication skills are always a factor considered by employers when hiringcandidates, particularly for companies with international customer servicedepartments, such as Rivernet Company. 

Communicating in English in business is using English as the main language tocommunicate with customers and developing increasingly close relationships withthem To be able to communicate effectively in English, formal training, a learningprocess, and practice skills in listening, speaking, grammar, and vocabulary arerequired Furthermore, employees must maintain a positive attitude toward customers

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and always listen, explain, and persuade them so that they are completely satisfiedwith the compan’'s services and products.

In business, good communication skills in Vietnamese or English will benefitboth you and the company The ability to communicate in English will determine yourcareer path and the company's business, especially for businesses with foreign partners

or customers

Businesses will benefit from increased labor productivity as a result of effectivecommunication If individuals in a business have good communication skills, thebusiness will eliminate confusion, which frequently leads to questions and confusion,causing projects to be delayed or take longer If you communicate effectively, you willunderstand what the customer is trying to say, and you will have a specific solution forthe customer Furthermore, good communication can assist businesses in signingcontracts with difficult partners You will use your ingenuity to negotiate, negotiate,and offer terms and benefits to partners in order to persuade them In contrast, if you

do not have good communication skills, your message may be misinterpreted,customers or partners will misunderstand what you mean Ineffective communicationcauses barriers to the development of the person's abilities both professionally andpersonally When individuals are not satisfied with themselves, their work will have anegative effect on those around them, reducing the organization’s labor productivity.Good communication will help build good relationships with customers.Employees with strong communication skills lay the groundwork for happy customers.Good employee communication skills will improve customer conversations and makecustomers feel heard and valued When communication is good, customer service isimproved, and customers can solve problems quickly and efficiently Thecommunication process with foreign customers must be more careful and focused.Because you will be communicating with them in English, you must focus on listening

in order to fully understand what the customer wants to convey and solve theirproblems

Good management skills are built on effective communication Effectivecommunication allows managers to give easy-to-understand instructions to theiremployees, thereby avoiding mistakes An effective leader is able to communicate

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clearly and understandably A good manager is not someone who knows how to workwell, but rather someone who can direct others to work for him To do so, the leadermust be able to communicate intelligently with employees, as well as provide specificinstructions and work plans for employees to follow.

2.3 Forms of communication in English

2.3.1 Listening

2.3.1.1 Definitions of listening skill

Listening is an essential skill in our daily lives It allows people to have theopportunity to feel the language and enhance their capacity to utilize it in a completeway There is a great deal of interest in this skill, as demonstrated by a plethora ofscholarly works on the subject by scholars Every scientist has a different opinion onthe definition of listening skills The common definition of listening is that “Generallistening skills are your ability to understand meaning When someone speaks, youunderstand what they want to say Focused listening skills are your ability to hearparticular sounds.” 

Further listening definition taken from the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary statedthat listening was an activity, a process of focused effort listening to something orsomeone Nevertheless, the EnglishClub website addressed listening with a linguisticapproach: “Listening is receiving language through the ears Listening involvesidentifying the sounds of speech and processing them into words and sentences When

we listen, we use our ears to receive individual sounds (letters, stress, rhythm, andpauses) and we use our brain to convert these into messages that mean something tous.” 

In 2009, Nation and Jonathan defined that: “Listening is the natural precursor tospeaking; the early stages of language development in a person’s first language (and innaturalistic acquisition of other languages) are dependent on listening.”

According to Hendrawty (2019), listening was the first skill and basic ability inlearning a new language that beginners have to learn It was a receptive skill, whichmeans that people who were just starting to learn the language get new words fromwhat they have heard or listened to The ability to receive would affect the ability to

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produce If they were good at listening; as a result, they would understand and even becompetent in specific productive skills of speaking and writing.

Listening skills involved the ability to accurately receive and interpret messages

in the communication process Without the ability to listen effectively, which involveddesire and awareness, messages were easily misunderstood or misinterpreted.(According to Becky Vaughn-Furlow, cited in the article Listening is key to effectivecommunication in 2018). 

Furthermore, listening skills were part of the communication process, according

to Johnson (1951) and Hampleman (1958), while it was to distinguish words fromrecognizing other words

2.3.1.2 The significance of Listening skills

As we know, listening is the most significant aspect of every discussion in order

to have successful communication However, one of the most challenging skills for asecond-language learner is listening Listening is often a part of memorizing them insecond-language learning, so getting a strong, basic foundation in listening early onwill equate to more effective learning overall To put it another way, the only way tobecome proficient in English is to spend more time listening. 

In addition, as stated by the research team in the rationale of the study, David J.Mendelsohn (1994) pointed out that “of the total time spent on communicating,listening takes up 40-50 %; speaking 25-30 %; reading 11-16 %; and writing about 9

%” Anderson and Lynch (2003) stated that listening skills was as important asspeaking skills because people could not communicate face-to-face unless both types

of skills was developed together Listening skills were also important for learningpurposes since through listening students received information and gained insights

In summary, listening has a very important role in our communication process.Especially in business, listening and properly understanding what the customer has tosay will make communication easier

2.3.2 Speaking

2.3.2.1 Definitions of speaking skill

According to Bygate (2018), speaking skill is one of the reflexive skills that helpspeakers use a foreign language to express opinions, views, thoughts and feelings to

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the speaker Richards (2016) states that speaking is the use of natural language thatoccurs when a speaker interacts and maintains continuous communication despitelimitations in their ability to communicate.

2.3.1.2 The significance of speaking skills

Listening and speaking skills are equally important in the communicationprocess, because speaking is required to convey information According to Baker andWestrup (2003), those who learn to speak English fluently may have betteropportunities to study, find work, and advance in their careers According to HoangTue and Tran Duyen's (2019) research, more than half of employers believe thatspeaking should be practiced more That means speaking skills are of greatimportance As a result, it can be stated that speaking skills assist the English language

in performing its own communication function Furthermore, speaking skills help tostrengthen listening skills by increasing vocabulary and practicing related skills As aresult, practicing our speaking skills every day will help us become more confidentcommunicators

Practicing your public speaking skills allows you to ensure that your audienceunderstands what you're saying without causing misunderstandings or stress in theconversation Miscommunication, especially in business, leads to misunderstandingsfor customers and partners, so you must have accurate speaking skills, a moderatespeaking speed, and easy listening With good speaking skills, you will be able topersuade and negotiate effectively, easily persuading the other party Simultaneously,good speaking skills will attract the communicator, causing them to pay closerattention to your words

2.4 Difficulties in communicating in English

The importance and influence of English communication in business cannot bedenied However, many people still struggle with communication, which has an impact

on their work, businesses, and the people around them They have poor listening andspeaking skills, a limited vocabulary, difficulty choosing words, and don't know how

to express themselves in English Not being fluent in English, poor grammar,misinterpreting pronunciation and accent of speakers are also big problems for somepeople when they communicate in English Furthermore, some people lack confidence

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when communicating; their communication reflexes are still limited; and theirnervousness and fear make speaking more difficult.

The first challenge you may face when communicating is poor listeningcomprehension According to Rubin and Thompson (1994), authors of "How to Be aMore Successful Language Learner: Toward Learning Autonomy," there are threepotential barriers in the listening process: First, the speed of the speaker is too fast.Second, listeners have difficulty evaluating and deducing the speaker's intendedmessage Third, when they stop listening when they hear a new word or phrase, theymiss out on basic information that explains those new words or phrases The lack ofvocabulary greatly affects your listening process, you will not hear the words and donot understand what other people want to say; then the communication will beinterrupted and unnatural Practice listening more through music videos, movies orshows and note down words you don't know

The next difficulty you face is your ability to speak Communication will bemaintained by speaking and listening comprehension, so your speaking skills alsogreatly influence the conversation Correct pronunciation plays an important role incommunication because it will affect the sentence you want to convey If youmispronounce, others will misunderstand and the communication will become moretense You need to listen to the conversation of native speakers more or findopportunities to communicate with native speakers and learn their phonetics

Poor reflexes and a lack of communication confidence can also be a problem.Many people struggle with English communication because of a lack of vocabulary,difficulty finding ideas to express, and poor sentence structure The reason for this isthat vocabulary learning stops at the note-taking level, and grammar knowledge is onlyused for exercises and not in communication This impedes English communicationand does not develop situational reflexes You always have to translate and havetrouble remembering the vocabulary Furthermore, the translation stage disrupts theconversation and demonstrates your lack of confidence and professionalism in Englishcommunication This also undermines your communication confidence

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2.5 Factors affecting English communication

In the process of communicating in English, we cannot avoid mistakes Whatvariables affect the way we communicate? It is not by chance that determining thefactors that influence communication in English is so crucial This will enable us toidentify the cause and choose the best course of action for enhancingcommunication abilities Through research, the research has identified two maincauses affecting the communication process, namely, subjective causes andobjective causes

Subjective causes are things that originate within ourselves We all makemistakes in communication because we have weak speaking and listening abilities,lack of self-assurance, and poor reflexes We may practice and get better at thesecauses every day

The first factor affecting the communication process is the limited ability tounderstand English You must hear what customers are saying in order tocomprehend what they are saying during the communication process.Communication will be interrupted, lack naturalness, and may even make thecustomer uncomfortable if you can't hear or understand them Because you willhave to ask the customer to repeat it many times so that you can understand whatthey are saying In addition, when you mishear and misunderstand what they aresaying, poor listening comprehension can lead to misunderstandings or blunders atwork Therefore, you should practice listening and writing down any words youdon't understand so that you can memorize them

Limited speaking ability and poor pronunciation are the second factor thatinterferes with English communication Similar to hearing ability, clients canmisunderstand you if you mispronounce words, which can disrupt communicationand lead to conflict between the two of you

Lack of lexical, cultural, and societal understanding is another factor thatcontributes to the problem When you have a small vocabulary, you won'tunderstand the complex terms that clients use and you won't know how to explainyourself You may misunderstand and miscommunicate due to a lack of language

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and cultural and societal expertise Therefore, to become a more well-roundedperson, study new terms every day and learn about culture, commerce, and society.The next cause is the lack of concentration and the ability to react and processinformation poorly You won't hear the customer talk if you are not payingattention at work, and you will need to ask the consumer again Customers find this

to be extremely uncomfortable You can also make blunders in conversation and atwork because of a lack of focus For you, this will have dire repercussions.Furthermore, your capacity for reflection and information processing will not beenhanced if you are not fully focused on your work

A loss of confidence in communication will be a result of all of theaforementioned issues Everyone should be confident in themselves since it willmake them more successful in their profession People that are confident frequentlyradiate pleasant energy, which draws the other person in and encouragescommunication In addition to making you stand out in your job and school,confidence also empowers you to take the lead in romantic relationships andfriendships with family and friends Lack of confidence will have a significantimpact on your ability to communicate in English; you won't be able to expressyourself clearly or speak smoothly This will set you up for failure in your career.Lack of time to improve English communication skills is another factor thataffects communication It is unavoidable for employees of a company to put ineight hours per day or more of overtime And many people would feel worn out andwish to rest after working hours However, you should practice the skills for at least

15 to 30 minutes each day Select the techniques that will help you enhance yourcommunication abilities the fastest, most effectively, and suitably

Along with subjective factors, objective factors can have an impact on how

we communicate The conversation will be cut off by the customer who is speakingtoo quickly or being very angry Poor facilities, inferior listening devices likespeakers and headphones, and a shaky network connection all have an impact oncommunication One of the causes of the impact is the environment, such asbackground noise that makes it difficult for you to hear what customers are saying

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2.6 Solutions to improve communication in English

With the increasing integration of the world, English has become a tool to helppeople communicate with one another However, many people's ability tocommunicate in English remains limited, so we must practice this skill on a daily basis

to gain the most confidence in the communication process There are numerousmethods for improving communication skills in English, and we can use the methodsthat are appropriate for our situation to practice communication

According to Anderson & Lynch (1988) and David Nunan (1991), the listener as

a subject could be active, built information grasping skills by bottom-up method,segmenting speech into units from small to larger to understand or the top-downmethod, use your existing background knowledge to grasp the problem On the otherhand, Anderson & Lynch (1988) showed that there was a secret relationship betweenlistening skills and speaking skills, between listening comprehension and readingcomprehension, in which speaking was the result of monitoring and understandingwhat was heard and developing listening skills not only improved listening but alsodeveloped speaking and reading comprehension

There are many ways to improve English communication skills Each person hasdifferent ways to learn that skill Frame in words what people think is a good way Themajor failure that a person faces during English oral communication is the incapability

to put the words in the frame and express what he or she thinks So, they should havethe courage and confidence to speak their heart out and express what they think, nevermind if they can't arrange the words properly and frame a sentence The second way iskicking off the hesitance Many people encounter unconfidence when communicating

If they want to communicate well, they have to be willing to speak and don't be afraid

to make mistakes

There is a belief that practice makes perfect It's true with anything, any situation

in life Practice is the basic learning process People cannot improve their oralcommunication skills unless they interact more with people Practicing pronunciation,and speaking English with families, colleagues, and friends, in order to bring out skillsand fluency in speaking, are the common measure In addition, listening is anotherpractice that helps to train for communication And there are a lot of different ways

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such as taking part in English communication classes, improving vocabulary,improving pronunciation through the IPA watching English movies to learn dailyconversation, or watching English videos on Youtube, Facebook, and VOA All ofthem are effective.

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CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

In the current chapter, all data collected from the questionnaire were analyzedand discussed to have fair answers for research questions

After conducting the survey, the researchers received 30 survey responses Fromthat result, the team has collected different data on reality and factors affecting Englishcommunication skills of customer service staff of Rivernet Vietnam in the presenttime, and receive suggestions for solutions to improve from them. 

3.1 Major reasons for choosing the job

23.3

33.3 43.4

Rivernet Vietnam Customer

Service Employee's seniority

Less than 6 months 6 months to 2 years

Over 2 years

Figure 3.1 Major reasons for choosing the workplace of the employees who

responded to the survey

The survey process provided the research with actual numbers about Rivernet'sinternational customer service staff The study asked two general questions aboutsurvey subjects: “How long have you worked in the Customer Service Department atRivernet Vietnam?” and “Why did you choose to work in the international customerservice department at Rivernet Vietnam Company?” The first question is intended togauge the seniority of international customer service staff This helps the study

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13.9 10.5 50

3.6

The reasons for choosing to work

in the international customer

service

Stable salary Professional working environment Learn to gain more work experience Love work related to English Others

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determine whether the research subjects have work experience or not, because the longworking process allows employees to gain more communication experience thanothers The purpose of the second question is to investigate the reasons for choosing towork at the survey subject's company.

According to pie chart 1, the seniority of international customer service staff ismostly over 2 years, accounting for 43.4% This may indicate that most of therespondents have worked for a long time and may have some work experience forthemselves However, because the company is always looking for and recruitingyoung talent, the number of employees with less than 6 months of seniority is quitelarge, accounting for 23.4% of the total Finally, 33.3% of subjects had a workingseniority ranging from 6 months to 2 years

The second pie chart shows why respondents chose to work in the internationalcustomer service department of Rivernet Vietnam Although most people go to work

to make money for themselves, the majority of respondents in this survey chose thereason "Love work related to English," accounting for 50% It is clear that thecompany's employees are very interested in English-related jobs And they will bemore motivated to work if they enjoy their job, which will help them earn moremoney The second most popular option, accounting for 22%, is "Stable salary." It issafe to say that jobs related to English pay well and are stable The following optionsare "Professional working environment," which accounts for 13.9%; "Learn to gainmore work experience," which accounts for 10.5%; and "Others," which accounts for3.6%

3.2 Current English communication skills of international customer service employees at Rivernet Vietnam

3.2.1 The reality of assessing the personal ability of English communication skills

of Rivernet Vietnam’s Customer Service employees

Rivernet Vietnam required candidates to have an international foreign languagecertificate during the recruitment process because this is an English-related job IELTS5.0 or higher is required, as well as TOEIC 600+ As a result, international language

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certificates are held by all employees in the company's international customer servicedepartment

From the chart in column 2, we can see that the number of people who haveTOEIC international language certificates is 11 people The number of people withTOEIC 600 is 1, TOEIC 650 has 7 people and accounts for the majority, TOEIC 800has 3 people

3.2.2 The reality of the level of English communication skills of international customer service staff at Rivernet Vietnam

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