Who are we?

First Rail is one of the UK's most experienced rail operators, carrying more than 345m passengers across our franchises (Great Western Railway, South Western Railway, and Avanti West Coast) and our open access operators (Hull Trains and Lumo). We operate all types of passenger railways - intercity, commuter, regional and sleeper services.

First Customer Contact is part of FirstGroup, the largest rail operator in the UK and second largest bus operator in the UK outside London. FirstGroup operates services throughout the UK and Ireland, with over 30,000 employees providing services that make travel smoother and life easier. FirstGroup works hard to reduce its impact on the environment, introducing cleaner and more environmentally responsible methods of transport. We are continually seeking ways in which to improve the experience for our customers.

Our Customer Contact Centre uses industry leading systems to deliver excellent customer service and ensure that requests are speedily and effectively resolved. Our delivery teams are responsible for a variety of customer support matters which range from processing customer compensation claims to complaints handling, group bookings and assisted/special services, quality assurance and fraud prevention and detection and retails sales to individuals and corporates

About the team

Are you a night owl?

Do you work better over night?

Are you passionate about delivering excellent customer service?

We are looking for enthusiastic individuals to join our established team of Passenger Assist & Refunds! You would be responsible for positively engaging with our customers, providing exceptional customer service. Building strong rapport with passengers, empathising and taking ownership to deliver customer interactions with those who require assistance. 

You will be expected to be a positive, empathetic and helpful to each of our passengers! You will also be able to remain calm in demanding situations!

About the job

As one of our Customer Service Advisors specialising in Passenger Assist, you will provide support to customers' contact through email, web forms and inbound calls within agreed time scales and in an appropriate manner. Our advisors are responsible for a variety of customer support matters which range from booking assistance, general advice and enquiries together with ticket sales, and liaising with any customers affected by travel disruptions.

Your role will be key in enabling our Passenger Assist Team to meet departmental objectives and to effectively address issues for our customers.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Deliver exceptional customer service
• Respond to emails, Webforms and calls from customers
• Achieve performance objectives while adhering to standards
• Maintain accurate records on our CRM system (Salesforce)
• Respond to customers contact according to the relevant passenger charter and business process
• Work across all business areas to understand route cause of customer contact and assist with continuous improvement
• Maintain our systems and equipment by reporting any problems
• Attend training to improve personal knowledge and professional development
• Identifying and escalating high profile/priority customer contact to the Management Team
• A flexible approach to undertaking duties to reflect operational requirements

You'll need to have:

• A passion for delivering excellent customer service
• Empathy with other people's perspectives and the ability to work well withothers
• Patience and the ability to remain calm in challenging situations
• Flexible in your approach to work with the ability to adapt to an ever-changing customer services environment
• Ability to accept constructive criticism and feedback

As a minimum, you will need to have:

• Excellent verbal and communication skills
• Good comprehension of English
• Demonstrable skills and ability to provide a customer focussed service, responding proactively and positively to challenges, keeping customers informed and managing expectations appropriately.
• Ability to manage situations in which customers are unhappy about the level or quality of service/response and to find solutions to the points raised.
• Capacity to communicate effectively using all forms of media
• Confident in highlighting issues identified while carrying out duties
• Ability to learn and apply policies from the training sessions
• Excellent organisational skills coupled with the ability to prioritise work
• Active listening skills
• Computer literacy Microsoft office 365 (essential)

About the location

Sheffield city centre. Ten minutes' walk from Sheffield Station. Travel to other UK locations as appropriate

Working pattern

The  role is 16 hours per week. 10pm to 7am Friday and Saturday
You are required to attend 3 paid training days consisting of 8:30am – 5pm before your shift pattern begins

The Reward

• £11,757 Pro Rata Salary
• A Travel Pass which entitles you to free travel on the FirstGroup Bus after 1 month of service
• Discounted travel for you and your family on our trains (Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, Lumo and Southwestern Railway)after 6 months of service
• 25 days holiday (plus Public Holidays)
• Contributory pension scheme
• Discounted Gym Membership to help you stay fit for less
• Discounts at over 100 retailers, including well-known high-street shops, cinema tickets, flights, and holiday bookings through our in-house rewards package.
• Discounts on selected local retailers & brands
• Engaging and vibrant environment
• Team outings & competitions

We all belong at First Customer Contact. FirstGroup's vision is to provide an inclusive environment for all colleagues, across its group of businesses, ensuring all candidates have an equal opportunity to access meaningful employment.

We value our differences such as age, gender, LGBTQIA+, ethnicity, religion, and disability. We maintain a zero tolerance towards any form of prejudice towards our colleagues, customers, and future talent.

We celebrate and encourage diversity of thought, progressive ways of working and seeing all our colleagues grow and thrive.

We review all roles and job descriptions to ensure they are accessible and, where possible, we support and provide flexible working options; we recommend that you refer to each vacancy description for further details.

If you require additional support to complete your application due to a disability or neurodivergent condition, for example, dyslexia, dyspraxia, or autism, please follow the links below.  We encourage you to share any additional needs you may require so we can provide a fair and equal process for all who apply.

https://exceptionalindividuals.com/neurodiversity/

https://www.healthassured.org/blog/neurodiversity/