Customer Care Assistant - Talent Pool (Part Time) in Reading

GWR is the proud custodian of Brunel's railway - one of the most prestigious networks in the world. We have some of the newest trains in the country and exciting plans to extend our services. With more than one hundred million passenger journeys each year, we carry people to over 275 stations in the South West, from Cornwall and South Wales to London, passing through beautiful country and some of the UK's top tourist destinations. We are transforming the way people think about train travel, empowering our team of over 6,000 people from all different backgrounds to make it a great experience for our customers. Together, we will revalue rail as a very special way to travel – relaxing, fast, efficient, friendly and fun.

About the team

This department provides customer assistance to our passengers and works closely with the rest of the station staff in providing this service. You will need to be proactive, looking out for vulnerable customers and assisting them where required. You will be expected to balance your workload to ensure all customer assists are dealt with swiftly and professionally.

About the Job

The job is a physically demanding role and requires a lot of heavy lifting with the purpose to make the railway accessible to those less able by providing a first class service. Dealing empathetically with those customers and easing their journey needs.

Your main responsibilities will be:

• Providing excellent service and being part of a great team
• Dealing with our most vulnerable customers who book travel assistance plus any additional customers who need guidance and luggage assistance
• Carrying out a range of manual handling activities, including putting ramps down on trains to help customers with wheelchairs and luggage
• Maintaining a high presence outside in all elements across the station
• Providing travel information and helping to maintain a safe environment

You'll need to be:

• Able to deliver exceptional front line customer service
• Confidently deal with people and challenging situations
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• The ability to work as part of a team or independently

As a minimum you'll need to have:

• Previous experience of establishing relationships with customers and working in a fast-paced environment.

About the location

Reading is a transport hub with many local bus routes and train services operating. Facilities at the station include a number of retail outlets as well as mess facilities. There may be occasional travel to attend courses but the role is predominately based at Reading.

Working pattern

The working pattern is part time averaging 17.5hr per week. The shifts are likely to be between 4-6 hours in length across Monday – Saturday. The shift timings will range between 0900 to 2000. In addition this role will also include some rostered Sundays, of a shift length of 8 hours.

Additional information

This advert is a talent pool vacancy to seek suitable candidates to appoint once roles are approved. These are part time roles contracted to work 17.5 hours per week. Applicants will be required to complete an online situational judgement test and if successfully short listed will be invited to a competency based interview. The successful candidate would be required to meet the medical standards for the role including a drugs and alcohol screen. A Basic DBS is also required. Full training is provided which will take place at our Training Centre in Swindon and will be for approximately 2 weeks of full time working hours (35hours per week).

The Reward:

As well as a great team environment and comprehensive training, all GWR colleagues enjoy a range of benefits including on-going development, defined benefit pension scheme, free rail travel across the GWR network for you and your family, company-sponsored health care plan, discounted shopping and gym membership and an employee assistance programme.

We all belong at GWR. This is our vision for providing an inclusive environment for all our colleagues, 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 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 such as 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.