Live Chat Advisor

Working in our fast paced and high volume, customer services team, you will be the first point of contact for customers who choose to contact us on Live Chat via our First Bus app and website. You will be interacting with a wide variety of people every day, dealing quickly with customer queries and complaints. Delivering a high level of customer service will be critical to the success in this role, and in particular ensuring customer queries and complaints are responded to in accordance with all First Bus policies and processes. You will be expected to take ownership of the customer interaction and resolve all contacts in a timely manner to ensure a first-time resolution.

Experience in handling a wide range of data to make informed decisions, achieving delivery of KPIs and updating system records accurately is essential

Key Accountabilities

• Engaging with a wide-ranging demographic of customers to resolve queries in real time, using your communication and problem-solving skills to obtain the relevant information and assist the customer, ensuring first time resolution
• Ability to thinking quickly and provide a personalised experience and dynamic conversation, putting the customer at the heart of everything we do
• Leading by example to achieve all KPIs and target levels
• Responsibility to manage and triage all inbound enquiries, to directly address and/or provide the necessary details to be resolved by the relevant team.
• Begin building an engaged community of customer advocates, through management of replies and asking questions to seed positive service discussions. Collaborate with the PR, External Relations, Marketing teams to understand, contribute towards, and build on - content and campaign plans that deliver a positive customer experience
• Ensure all communications comply with live chat guidelines, best industry standards and protocols, demonstrating values around First Bus' Tone of Voice principles
• Multitasking on computer-based programmes, recording case notes, using systems to find specific information
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across our Operating Companies to jointly deliver an enhanced digital customer experience
• Promotion of new services, local changes / making customers aware changes to services

Skills, Experience and Qualifications required

• Must be able to type 45 Words Per Minute (WPM)
• Minimum GCSE English Grade 5 (C Grade Equivalent)
• Significant experience using Live Chat or Social Media channels in a professional capacity
• A vibrant, enthusiastic individual who is passionate about always providing excellent customer service Outstanding written communication skills, with the ability to change and adapt your style and tone of voice to suit the needs of the audience and customer
• Ability to network with the wider team across multiple functions
• Proactive in utilising information from several systems to resolve problems
• Ability to follow processes, adhere to policy & procedures, comply with GDPR, whilst also working on own initiative to help answer customer queries
• Ability to multi-task, prioritise and manage a multitude of customer contacts / communications
• Previous experience of working to KPIs, focused on delivery and quality
• A high level of IT skills including Microsoft packages
• Ability to work well under pressure in a fast-paced contact centre
• Familiar with key social media and service metrics, with an appetite for continuous improvement
• A strong CX ethos, with experience in a customer facing role, ideally working for a service-focused business (transport, retail and customer facing sectors preferred) which is driven by quality and service.
• Ability to work autonomously, delegate and prioritise.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure, always with a high attention to detail

What can we offer you?

• Free bus pass for you and your family on joining
• 25 days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays
• First Xclusives – Discounts on many high street brands, supermarket's, holiday's and cinema tickets, to name a few
• First My Rewards - Discounted train travel for you and your family after 6 months service – travel as far as London or Edinburgh for £6!
• Generous pension and shares scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme – 24hr, 365 days a year mental health support

Welcome to First Bus

At First Bus, we're proud to be part of so many journeys. We're part of first days at school, dream-job interviews, major sporting events and even life-changing events. Be it behind the wheel, or behind the scenes, we help people get to all of life's destinations.

And every day, we're working hard to make our services easier to use, more accessible, more reliable and more sustainable. We're not perfect, but we're clear about where we're going and how we'll get there. We want to be known for forward-thinking innovation, operational excellence and providing a best-in-class service. To deliver our ambition, we have a pretty neat plan laid out, and we'd love for you to join us for the next stage of your journey, and ours.

Apply now! We look forward to receiving you application.

Public transport serves everyone, whatever their differences. At First Bus, we want to be an employer open to you, no matter what your differences are. We aspire to be an inclusive organisation because diverse backgrounds, thinking and experiences bring so many benefits to our customers, communities and people. We welcome applications from all.