Customer Service Advisor

FirstGroup Internal; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 27,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading transport company is seeking a Customer Service Advisor in Sheffield. The role involves being the first point of contact for customers, handling enquiries, and resolving complaints. Applicants should possess excellent communication skills, empathy, and the ability to remain calm in challenging situations. The position offers a salary of £26,267, with comprehensive benefits including bus travel and holiday allowance. This is a full-time role that requires working various shifts, including weekends.

Benefits

Free Bus Travel

Discounted Train Travel

Generous Holiday Allowance

Pension Scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• A passion for delivering excellent customer service.
• Ability to manage situations with unhappy customers.
• Capacity to communicate effectively using all forms of media.

Responsibilities

• Deliver exceptional customer service.
• Respond to inbound calls, emails, and complaints from customers.
• Maintain accurate records on our CRM system.

Skills

Excellent verbal communication skills

Resilience when faced with challenging queries

Empathy

Computer literacy Microsoft Office 365

Active listening skills

Job description

Who are we?

First Customer Contact sits at the heart of FirstGroup's commitment to delivering outstanding customer experiences. As an established, multi‑brand contact centre, we support millions of passengers across First Rail's operations, including Great Western Railway, Avanti West Coast, Hull Trains and Lumo. Our teams play a vital role in helping customers travel with confidence across intercity, commuter, regional and sleeper services. We use industry‑leading systems and a continually evolving service model to ensure every customer receives timely, accurate and empathetic support. From compensation and complaints handling to group travel, assisted travel services, retail sales, fraud prevention and quality assurance, our specialist teams manage a wide range of customer needs with professionalism and care. As part of FirstGroup, the UK's largest rail operator and one of the country's biggest transport employers, First Customer Contact contributes to a wider mission: making travel simpler, more reliable and more sustainable. With circa 30,000 colleagues across the UK and Ireland, FirstGroup is committed to reducing environmental impact and delivering transport services that help people move better every day.

About the job

• You would be the first point of contact for all customers dealing with incoming calls.

• As a Customer Service Advisor you are responsible for a variety of customer support matters which range from handling customer enquiries to resolving customer complaints.

• You will provide excellent customer service support both verbally and written where required to customers within agreed time scales and in an appropriate manner

• Your role is key in achieving the aim of first contact resolution and meeting departmental contractual obligations

Salary: £26,267 (37.5 hour contract)
Start Date: Monday 9th March 2026
Please note annual leave will not be available during the training and grad bay period (first 5 weeks of employment)

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Deliver exceptional customer service

• Respond to inbound calls, emails and complaints from customers

• Achieve performance objectives while adhering to standards

• Maintain accurate records on our CRM system (Salesforce)

• Have an awareness of all business areas to enable you to understand root 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

As a minimum, you will need to have:

• A passion for delivering excellent customer service

• Empathy with other people's perspectives and the ability to work well with others

• 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

• Resilience when faced with challenging queries

• Excellent verbal communication skills

• Good comprehension of English and ability to write English quickly, concisely and effectively

• Demonstrable skills and ability to provide a customer focused 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.
This is a 100% office based role

Working pattern

37.5 hours per week

Rotational Shift Pateern: 8am – 8pm Weekdays, 8am – 11pm Weekends. 1 in 3 weekends

Contact Centre Operational Hours 06:00-23:00 including weekends

The Reward

We believe great work deserves great rewards. That's why we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your lifestyle, well‑being, and future:

• Competitive Pay - We offer a salary that reflects your skills, experience, and the valuable contribution you'll make to our team.

• Free Bus Travel – Complimentary travel on FirstGroup buses for you after 1 month of service.

• Discounted Train Travel – Enjoy all day travel for you and your family for as little as £6 across Avanti West Coast, Great Western Railway, Hull Trains, TPE (from £10) and Lumo after 6 months of service

• Generous Holiday Allowance – 25 days of annual leave plus public holidays

• Pension Scheme – Contributory pension plan with the opportunity to invest in discounted FirstGroup shares through a SAYE scheme

• First Xclusives Discount Scheme – Unlock over 3,000 deals on high street brands, cinema tickets, flights, holidays, and more

• 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme - Confidential support whenever you need it, because your wellbeing matters.

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/